2025 Players Championship picks, odds, field: Surprising predictions from golf model that’s nailed 13 majors

The 2025 Players Bracket Ground features 144 of the world’s best golfers vying for a $25 million purse, making it one of the most lucrative Competitions on the PGA Tour. The champion will collect $4.5 million and 750 FedEx Cup points. The Players Bracket 2025 gets underway from TPC Sawgrass on Thursday, March 13. The 2025 Players Bracket Primary-Stage tee times begin at 7:40 a.m. ET. Two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler is the +360 favorite (Danger $100 to Achieve $360), according to the latest 2025 Players Bracket odds. 

He’s followed by Rory McIlroy (+800), Collin Morikawa (+1600), Xander Schauffele (+1600), Ludvig Aberg (+2000), and Justin Thomas (+2000) on the PGA odds board. Wyndham Clark secured a T-2 finish at this event in 2024 and is +550 (Danger $100 to Achieve $550) to crack the top 10 this week. Jason Day, who won this event in 2016 and is coming T-8 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, is going off as a +6500 longshot. Before locking in your 2025 Players Bracket picks, 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, has been red-Scorching since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up nearly $9,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing Bracket after Bracket.

This same model has also nailed a Massive 13 majors Joining the weekend, including the 2024 Masters — its third Masters in a row — and last year’s PGA Bracket and U.S. Uncovered. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting apps like FanDuel, DraftKings and Fanatics. 

Now that the 2025 Players Bracket Ground is locked in, SportsLine simulated the Bracket 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.

2025 Players Bracket predictions 

One Significant surprise the model is calling for at the 2025 Players Bracket: Xander Schauffele, a nine-time PGA Tour champion and one of the top favorites, stumbles this week and barely cracks the top 10. Schauffele secured a T-2 finish at the Players Bracket in 2024 but has dealt with Wounds and inconsistent Action Timely in 2025. 

Schauffele is coming off a T-40 showing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, his Primary Begin back from a rib Wound that kept him sidelined since The Sentry, where he finished T-30 in January. Schauffele’s rusty return from Wound was magnified with his Brief game at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He lost 2.84 strokes putting in Stage 1 and lost 1.79 shots around the greens. He’s not a Sturdy Picking to Achieve it all and there are Distant better values in the 2025 Players Bracket Ground. See who else to fade here.  

Another surprise: Hideki Matsuyama, a 30-1 longshot, makes a Sturdy Stretch at the title. He has a much better chance to Achieve it all than his odds imply, so he’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.

Matsuyama has had tremendous Achievement at TPC Sawgrass in recent years. The 2021 Masters champion has finished T-6 or better in his last two Beginnings at the Players Bracket. He’s an 11-time winner on the PGA Tour, which includes finishing on top of the leaderboard at The Sentry in January. Matsuyama enters this week’s event ranked sixth in strokes gained: total (1.641), 12th in strokes gained: tee-to-green (1.167) and 13th in one-putt percentage (44.21%). Those impressive stats, plus his long odds, make him a Sturdy value Picking for your 2025 Players Bracket bets. See who else to Picking here.  

How to make 2025 Players Bracket picks

The model is also targeting three other golfers with odds of 30-1 or longer who will make a Sturdy Stretch at the title. Anyone who Defenders these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model’s picks here.

Who will Achieve the 2025 Players Bracket, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2025 Players Bracket odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 13 golf majors, including the last three Masters and three majors in 2024.

2025 Players Bracket odds, favorites 

Get Packed 2025 Players Bracket picks, best bets and predictions here. 

Scottie Scheffler +360
Rory McIlroy +800
Collin Morikawa +1600
Xander Schauffele +1600
Ludvig Aberg +2000
Justin Thomas +2000
Hideki Matsuyama +3000
Patrick Cantlay +3500
Tommy Fleetwood +3500
Shane Lowry +4000
Russell Henley +4500
Sungjae Im +5500
Sepp Straka +5500
Keegan Bradley +5500
Sam Burns +6000
Wyndham Clark +6000
Corey Conners +6500
Jason Day +6500
Maverick McNealy +6500
Tony Finau +7000
Viktor Hovland +7000
Si Woo Kim +7000
Daniel Berger +7000
Min Woo Lee +7500
Robert MacIntyre +7500
Jordan Spieth +8000
Tom Kim +8000
Will Zalatoris +8000
Brian Harman +9000
Taylor Pendrith +9000
Adam Scott +9000
J.T. Poston +10000
Sahith Theegala +10000
Denny Mccarthy +10000
Aaron Rai +10000
Kurt Kitayama +11000
Davis Thompson +11000
Doug Ghim +11000
Rickie Fowler +11000
J.J. Spaun +11000
Michael Kim +11000
Matt Fitzpatrick +11000
Akshay Bhatia +11000
Ben Griffin +11000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +11000
Keith Mitchell +11000
Rasmus Hojgaard +12000
Max Greyserman +12000
Thomas Detry +12000
Byeong Hun An +12000
Samuel Stevens +15000
Stephan Jaeger +15000
Cameron Youthful +15000
Justin Rose +15000
Joe Highsmith +15000
Alex Smalley +15000
Seamus Power +15000
Billy Horschel +15000

Where to bet on PGA Tour Competitions

Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on the PGA, along with the various PGA Tour sportsbook promos they currently offer.