Another elevated event and the biggest purse of the year so far is on tap this week with the 2023'PLAYERS Championship.
The Pete Dye design at TPC Sawgrass will test players' ability to navigate water on 17 holes and hit precise approach shots while pushing their around-the-green game to its limits. The 7,275-yard Par 72 has 43 of the top 50 players in the world participating this week, including two favorites as recent champions — Rory McIlroy (2019) and Justin Thomas (2021).
Following wins by dark horse picks Max Homa in the'Farmers Insurance Open'and Adam Svensson in the'RSM Classic, there are opportunities to cash in on other players behind the leading favorites, including for a top-10 or top-20 finish.
THE PLAYERS Championship Dark Horse Picks 2023
Beyond the favorites, there are plenty of capable longshots and dark horses that could make a run at th e leaderboard and come away with a higher finish or victory on Sunday. After all, did you see Kurt Kitayama win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at 220/1 odds or greater last week?
Check out THE PLAYERS Championship odds'to win along with finishing position odds, tournament matchups and golf props on FanDuel Sportsbook.
1. Tommy Fleetwood (+8500)
Fleetwood ranks No. 11 in Around the Green and No. 18 in Approach stats over his last 36 rounds with top-25 Short Game and Tee-to-Green stats as well. The 32-year-old Englishman finished T-22 here last year in difficult and wet weathe r while still displaying elite Tee-to-Green play. Incredibly, Fleetwood has yet to win on the PGA Tour, but with 5 top-10 finishes in 110 events, he's capable of challenging the frontrunner here on Bermuda grass.
2. Matt Fitzpatrick (+4100)
Like Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick is top 5 in Approach stats over his last 36 rounds with strength in Short Game and Tee-to-Green play as well. He also ranks No. 1 in this field in Good Drives Gained on Pete Dye courses (36 rounds, per Fantasy National database). The 28-year-old Englishman and 2022 US Open winner finished T-9 here in 2021, and a T-14 last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational was his best in four starts as his game is coming together at the right time.
3. Jason Day (+3700)
Day's play has really moved forward this year after struggling with some injuries. The 35-year-old Aussie and 12-time PGA Tour winner has an affinity for this Pete Dye course, as Day is among the very best over his 36 rounds played at TPC Sawgrass. The 2016 winner of THE PLAYERS ranks top 5 at this course in Around the Green and Short Game, top 10 in Tee-to-Green and Off the Tee and top 21 in Ball Striking and Putting. He's also been on fire lately with his last five PGA Tour events this year reading T-10, T-9, 5th, T-7 and T-18. Another top finish on Sunday should come as no surprise.