Sawgrass is the venue for the ‘unofficial’ fifth golf Major, as the world’s top stars gather in Florida for the Players Championship this week.

There will be 144 golfers battling it out for the $4.5million up for grabs for the winner, as Scottie Scheffler goes in search of a third consecutive victory

It promises to be a thrilling four days in the Florida sunshine, with four of the last five Players Championships having been won by just one shot and talkSPORT BET offers five places on each-way bets.

talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Get £20 in free bets*

The Players Championship betting tips

• Rory McIlroy to win E/W @ 10/1 with TalkSport Bet
• Justin Thomas to win E/W @ 22/1 with TalkSport Bet
• Corey Conners to win E/W @ 55/1 with TalkSport Bet

McIlroy showing good signs

Rory McIlroy has already got a title to his name in 2025, having won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and he is now looking for another confidence lift ahead of the Masters.

The world number two leads the PGA Tour in scoring, tee-to-green and off-the-tee stats and heads to Sawgrass after another solid week.

McIlroy was in contention at the halfway stage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, eventually finishing T15 and after rounds of 73 and 72 over the weekend.

There were positives to take out of that display at Bay Hill though and he now heads to a course he has won on previously.

The Northern Irishman was crowned the Players champion back in 2019 and secured a top-20 finish at Sawgrass last year, having shared the lead after round one.

McIlroy fired an opening 65 in 2024, but eventually finished 11 shots behind Scheffler, who failed to card a sub-70 round at Bay Hill last week.

Former winner Thomas finding his form

It’s fair to say Justin Thomas has endured a tough time over the last couple of years and has not won a tournament since 2022.

There have been some good signs though in recent months, with Thomas having already secured three top-10 finishes this year.

After finishing second at The American Express in January, the US Ryder Cup star was T6 at the Phoenix Open and then T9 at the Genesis Invitational.

Thomas was T36 at Bay Hill last week and currently ranks seventh in the PGA Tour stats, going into an event he won back in 2021.

Connors has chances at a big price

There have been five non-American winners of this tournament in the last 10 years and there are several contenders to quash home hopes.

One of those is Canada’s Corey Conners, who has moved into the world’s top-30 after a run of good results on the PGA Tour.

Conners’ performances have been steadily improving and a T24 finish at the Genesis Invitational was followed by third spot in the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week.

The 33-year-old, who ranks second on tour for approaches from 100 yards, finished T13 at Sawgrass last year, when he carded three rounds of 68.

talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Get £20 in free bets*

*18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10+ via mobile on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 4x £5 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments & Apple Pay only. T&Cs apply, see below. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• GamCare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org