With less than 24 hours to go until the action gets underway at the Players Championship, I’ve decided to dive back into the data in search of any hidden value among the markets.
When formulating my best bets for The Players Championship 2026, I focused solely on the outright winner markets as there was plenty of great options to side with.
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Players Championship 2026: First Round Leader Betting Tips
When looking to make a selection in the first round leader betting markets, I follow a simple process that has returned dividends in the past.
After assessing the weather and tee times to explore the probability of a more beneficial side of the draw in the AM/PM wave split, which I believe exists in favour of the early starters at TPC Sawgrass this year, I then jump into a few key measures.
Ultimately, I am looking for correlation between players performing well across birdie average, round one scoring average, sub par rounds and bogey avoidance. Below, I have found two selections that I believe fit the model well and are worth a punt.
Si Woo Kim
Si Woo Kim is a former winner of this event and a fast starter on the PGA Tour
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Si Woo Kim has a great record at this event and is a former champion at TPC Sawgrass.
His tee time is among the early starters on Thursday, heading out with Morikawa and Aberg at 8.40am (ET), but he also models well based on the stats I mentioned above.
Kim ranks 1st for sub par rounds, 5th for early round one scoring average, 13th for birdie average and 16th for bogey avoidance this season.
He has already opened with a 63, two 67s and a 68 this season – but has also opened with a round of 69 or better on Thursday in four of his nine appearances at The Players.
After five top-13 finishes in seven events this season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kim start well and challenge over the weekend.
Jacob Bridgeman
Jacob Bridgeman started quickly when winning the Genesis Invitational…
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