2026 Players Championship odds, picks: Surprising predictions from model that's called 16 majors
SportsLine's model simulated The Players Championship 2026 10,000 times and revealed its surprising PGA picks for TPC Sawgrass
The 2026 Players Championship gets underway at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., beginning on Thursday at 7:40 a.m. ET. Often referred to as the unofficial fifth major on the PGA Tour, this event always features a high-end field, and it now has a $25 million purse, surpassing even the Signature Events with that number. The latest 2026 Players Championship odds from FanDuel Sportsbook have Scottie Scheffler atop the board as the +480 favorite (risk $100 to win $480), with Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa behind him at +1600.
Other Players Championship favorites include Si Woo Kim at +2000 and Ludvig Aberg at +2200. Russell Henley (+2500), Tommy Fleetwood (+2500) and Xander Schauffele (+2700) are the only other Players Championship 2026 contenders lower than +3000 on the PGA odds board this week. Notable longshots include Brooks Koepka and Patrick Cantlay at +6500 and Jordan Spieth at +7000.
Before locking in any 2026 Players Championship picks, entering any Players Championship Invitational one and done contests, or making any PGA DFS picks on sites like FanDuel or DraftKings, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulated every PGA Tour event 10,000 times and reveals golf betting picks that have a history of being extremely profitable.
This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters -- its fourth Masters in a row -- as well as last year's PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting sites.
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Now that the 2026 Players Championship field is locked in, the model simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, which you can use for PGA picks, one and done contests or golf DFS lineups.
2026 Players Championship predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at The Players Championship 2026: Schauffele barely cracks the top 10 of the projected leaderboard. He's a golfer to fade this week. The 32-year-old only has one top-10 finish this season. He also really struggled over the weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, shooting a 73 and 74, respectively, on Saturday and Sunday. He finished T2 at this event in 2024, but had a three-year run of missing the cut from 2021-23, and he finished 72nd last year. See who else to fade here.
Another surprise: The model says Aberg is one of the top values. After a disappointing start to the season, Aberg is rounding into form. He's improved his finish position in his past four events, and his T3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week signals that he's ready to contend against a strong field. He missed the cut in this event last year, but did finish solo eighth at TPC Sawgrass in 2024. See who else to pick here.
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How to make 2026 Players Championship picks
The model has also revealed its best bets, and they include a massive longshot going off higher than +6000. You can only see the model's picks here.
Who will win the 2026 Players Championship, and which massive longshot will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2026 Players Championship odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 16 golf majors, including three in 2025.
2026 Players Championship odds, favorites
Get full 2026 Players Championship picks, best bets and predictions here.
(odds via FanDuel and subject to change)
Scottie Scheffler +480
Rory McIlroy +1600
Collin Morikawa +1600
Si Woo Kim +2000
Ludvig Ã
berg +2200
Russell Henley +2500
Tommy Fleetwood +2500
Xander Schauffele +2700
Matt Fitzpatrick +3300
Viktor Hovland +3300
Cameron Young +3300
Hideki Matsuyama +3300
Min Woo Lee +3500
Sepp Straka +4000
Jake Knapp +4000
Akshay Bhatia +4000
Chris Gotterup +4500
Robert MacIntyre +4500
Daniel Berger +5000
Rickie Fowler +5000
Maverick McNealy +6000
Shane Lowry +6000
Harris English +6000
Ryan Gerard +6000
Jacob Bridgeman +6000
Kurt Kitayama +6000
Brooks Koepka +6500
Patrick Cantlay +6500
Jordan Spieth +7000
Corey Conners +7000
Adam Scott +7000
Ben Griffin +7000
Aaron Rai +8000
Alex Noren +8000
Sam Burns +8000
Nicolai Højgaard +8000
Justin Rose +8000
Sahith Theegala +8000
J.J. Spaun +8000
Pierceson Coody +10000
Nico Echavarria +10000
Michael Thorbjornsen +10000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +10000
Jason Day +10000
Davis Thompson +10000
Harry Hall +10000
Rasmus Højgaard +10000
Keith Mitchell +10000
