Action Report: Scottie Scheffler's popularity surges ahead of THE PLAYERS Championship
2 Min Read
Bettors at the BetMGM online sportsbook have flocked in droves to PLAYERS champion Scottie Scheffler despite the fact no one has ever defended the PGA TOUR’s flagship event.
The difficulty of Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, has made backing up impossible thus far, but those placing early bets predict that to change this year with Scheffler.
As of Wednesday, Scheffler (+550 odds to win) is drawing a massive 23.7% of the handle on 15.4% of the tickets. The next closest handle is former champion Rory McIlroy at 8%.
Coming off a five-shot win at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, it’s clear why Scheffler is so popular. Switching to a mallet putter, he had one of his best putting weeks in quite some time.
The world No. 1 had nine consecutive one-putts between the last seven holes of the third round and the first two holes of the final round to set a new career high. Additionally, he made every putt inside 15 feet during the final round.
As one of the best ball-strikers in the game, the 27-year-old is extremely tough to beat when his putter is working. He also won the 2023 PLAYERS Championship by five shots.
McIlroy, who has +1600 odds to win this week, won the tournament in 2019, but has only one other top 20 finish (T12 in 2016).
Scheffler, Justin Thomas (+2200) and Will Zalatoris (+2500) are BetMGM’s biggest liabilities..
Current Handle & Tickets
Handle
- Scottie Scheffler – 23.7%
- Rory McIlroy – 8%
- Justin Thomas – 7.4%
- Will Zalatoris – 6.9%
- Viktor Hovland – 5.1%
Tickets
- Scottie Scheffler – 15.4%
- Rory McIlroy – 6.9%
- Justin Thomas – 6.8%
- Will Zalatoris – 6.1%
- Viktor Hovland – 4.7%
Thomas, who won the event in 2022, is having a solid start to the season. In five starts this season, he has four top-12 finishes.
Zalatoris’ best finish at TPC Sawgrass is 21st, but he is one of the best ball-strikers on TOUR and has been playing extremely well of late. He’s coming off two straight top-five finishes (The Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational).
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