Golf Picks – The Players Championship 72 Hole Group Betting

The Players Championship is a big enough PGA Tournament for the golf sportsbook to offer wagering on specific groups.

In other words, instead of looking for the winner of the entire tournament, golf betting fans can find the winner in each of 5 groups. A sports gambler can lower their risk by betting on the winner out of 5 golfers instead of betting on the winner out of an entire field of golfers.

PGA Tour: The Players Championship 72 Hole Group Betting

** Golf odds listed are current as of this writing

To Win Group A: Jim Furyk +300, Rory McIlroy +300, Lee Westwood +325, Ernei Els +325, Ian Poulter +330

Analysis: Furyk is a throw-out to me at the odds because he just isn’t on par with McIlroy, Westwood, Els or even Poulter. Poulter can be a head case. I’m not sure if taking him at those golf odds is wise. Els can make a big run in this group and Westwood is going to be dynamite this week, but McIlroy, who shot a 62 in the final round at the Quail Hollow Championship last week, is the guy to bet in this group. He should be competitive in every tournament in which he starts from now until the end of the year.

Pick: Rory McIlroy

To Win Group B: Padraig Harrington +220, Camilo Villegas +225, Paul Casey +240, Henrik Stenson +240

Analysis: I’m throwing Paddy out because he’s just as likely to miss the cut as to win this competition. Stenson is a throw-out to me as well because even though he won The Players Championship in 2009, he hasn’t been overly impressive in 2010. If Casey is healthy, and that can be an iffy proposition at times, he’s definitely a contender in this group, but Camilo Villegas appears to be the best wager to me. Villegas has won a tournament already this year and has played exceptionally well in a few others. He should bounce back from a disappointing Quail Hollow and do well at TPC Sawgrass.

Pick: Camilo Villegas

To Win Group C: Hunter Mahan +300, Luke Donald +300, KJ Choi +300, Stephen Ames +325, Charl Schwartzel +325

Analysis: Out of every golfer in this group, Mahan’s 8th place finish at the Masters was only bested by KJ Choi’s 4th place finish. Schwartzel is an interesting possibility in this group, but the two best wagers are 2 of the 3 favorites, Mahan and Choi. Out of Mahan and Choi, the one that makes the most sense is Mahan who followed up his 8th at the Masters with a 17th at the Quail Hollow. He’s the pick in this group.

Pick: Hunter Mahan

To Win Group D: Bo Van Pelt +300, Tim Clark +325, Stewart Cink +325, Mike Weir +325, Zach Johnson +325

Analysis: Weir finished tied for 14th in the 2009 The Players Championship. Cink and Van Pelt both finished out of the Top 50 with Van Pelt actually missing the cut. Johnson did okay, but Clark finished in the Top 10 in 9th place with a 4 under last year. He’s the bet.

Pick: Tim Clark

To Win Group E: Francesco Molinari +300, Heath Slocum +325, Ross Fisher +325, Kenny Perry +325, David Toms +325

Analysis: Francesco Molinari is the easiest single pick out of all of the groups in my mind. Molinari is well known to European Tour fans but not well known to PGA Tour fans. Molinari hasn’t missed the cut in 4 tournaments on the PGA Tour this year. He finished 14th in the WGC-CA and 30th at the Masters. That’s good enough for me.

Pick: Francesco Molinari

Who do you like in each of the five groups for this week’s The Players Championship? Log onto the golf sportsbook and make your bets!

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