In just a few hours, the 51st edition of The Players kicks off at TPC Sawgrass, considered the fifth ‘Major’ by many.
A tournament with a lot of history where the big favourite for the title in everyone’s mind is Scottie Scheffler. This is despite a perhaps somewhat hesitant start to the year. There’s no doubt. Nine out of ten people you ask will say Scheffler is the favourite. Logical, on the other hand. The American has been the only player in history to win the tournament consecutively (2023 and 2024) and this year he seeks the most difficult feat yet, to win his third trophy at Sawgrass and match Jack Nicklaus at the top. Only the Golden Bear has managed a hat-trick, Scheffler wants to make his mark.
However, putting Scottie aside, it might be a good time to introduce four names that perhaps aren’t on everyone’s mind when thinking of a surprise at TPC Sawgrass. Top-level players, but who don’t feature in the predictions for something big in a tournament of this nature every week:
The first of them is Christiaan Bezuidenhout. Yes, you read that right. The South African is always a player to consider on challenging courses that demand a lot from the golfer. His victory at Valderrama 2019 is a great example. Moreover, his numbers at TPC Sawgrass back him up. He is the fourth player in history with the best stroke average in the tournament. In the three editions he has played, he averages 70.33 strokes per round. With 14 rounds played, Scheffler has the best record with an average of 69.57 strokes.
Bezuidenhout doesn’t know what it’s like to win on the PGA Tour and doing so for the first time in this tournament is a big deal, but the South African has been hovering around the top positions for three years. At Sawgrass, he is very consistent in all his rounds, seven of his twelve scorecards range between 69 and 71. If he wants to aim for more, he will need a low round to shoot him up the leaderboard. Consistency is assured. Only two rounds over par. The last of them in the final round of 2023 when he started fourth and finished with 74 strokes, just outside the top ten. We don’t know if he will win, but it’s highly likely that Bezuidenhout will be hovering around the top positions all week. The tough weekend conditions could suit him perfectly.
The second is none other than Si Woo Kim. You might say he is already a winner of The Players and that including him on this list might be bold. Perhaps you’re right, but the reality is that he hasn’t won in over two years (Hawaii 2023) and his name probably didn’t come to mind when you thought of your favourites for the event.
However, in Florida, you must count on the Korean. It’s not just his 2017 victory, which, by the way, made him the youngest winner in the tournament’s history (21 years, 10 months, and 16 days). He has two more top tens in his eight appearances, and the only time he didn’t make the cut was in 2022 when he withdrew due to injury. Last year, he matched the lowest final 36 holes in the tournament’s history with 12 under par between Saturday and Sunday. His stroke average in the tournament is phenomenal, with an average of 70.52 in 29 rounds played. The tenth in the history of The Players. Only Matsuyama has a better average, with more rounds played.
The third on this list is a top ten world player. He doesn’t know what it’s like to win on the PGA Tour. So yes, his victory, although eagerly awaited by many, would be a surprise. We’re talking about Tommy Fleetwood. The numbers back him up; he’s on the verge of the top ten in the tournament’s stroke average statistics with 70.62 in 26 rounds and with many more rounds than several of those above him. He has two top ten finishes in the tournament, fifth and seventh (2018 and 2019). He has only missed one cut in his seven appearances (2021).
Perhaps it’s also the excitement, but how incredible it would be to see the Englishman lifting the trophy on Sunday. It lights up your face just thinking about it.
Finally, a name that has been making waves in recent months and could find in The Players the definitive boost to his career: Maverick McNealy. The 27-year-old American has had a great start to the season with three top tens, including a second place at the Genesis.
After his victory at last year’s RSM Classic, the Stanford graduate seems to have found the key. His performance in Florida a year ago when he finished ninth suggests he could repeat a great performance this week. He will have to adapt to the tough weekend conditions, but who knows if the time has come for Maverick to make a statement heading to Bethpage.
Major winners, sorry, can’t be included in a list of underdogs, but when you sit down to watch the tournament, remember that Hideki Matsuyama and Brian Harman have accumulated four top tens without a win in the last ten years. That’s as far as we can read.
