Although it’s not considered a major, the Players Championship is still one of the most eagerly anticipated tournaments in the golfing calendar. For many, it’s the perfect warmup for the bigger tournaments of the year and is a great way to get, if you’ll pardon the pun, into the swing of things.
Held at the TPC Sawgrass in Florida’s Ponte Vedra Beach, it’s the perfect way for players to get some much-needed tournament minutes under their belts, and for fans to enjoy the warm Florida sunshine and some truly fantastic surroundings in the process.
While it may not be as prestigious as The Open or The Masters, it’s still taken very seriously, and this is evident in the talent on the course. This year, all eyes will be on Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Collin Morikawa, who are currently favs among the Irish bookies to win the tournament. But can Rory keep up his momentum, or could we be in for an upset?
Here are a few favs and potential dark horses for the 2026 Players Championship, and what kind of odds you can expect.
Scottie Scheffler
As of this writing, most bookies have Scottie Scheffler as the favourite to win in Florida, and for good reason.
Scheffler began the season with a win to secure his 20th PGA Tour Title, picking up the dub at the American Express. This put him amongst elite company as he became the first player to secure 20 victories since a certain Rory McIlroy.
Despite looking extremely dangerous over the last 12 months, Scottie still has his weaknesses, as was evident at Bay Hill, which saw each round get gradually worse. Despite this however, he is still the fav at Sawgrass.
Ladbrokes are offering 4/1 odds on a Scottie victory, whereas Bet365 have him at 9/2.
Rory McIlroy
Until recently, Rory McIlroy was unanimously considered 2nd favourite to secure the win in Florida, but after sustaining a minor back injury and sitting out the remainder of the Arnold Palmer Invitational (API) last weekend, Morikawa has just pipped him to second.
2025 was one of McIlroy’s most impressive years in recent memory, and arguably in his entire career. He finally secured that career grand slam that had eluded him for so long after winning the Masters in April. Top that off with a Sports Personality of the Year crown and he’ll certainly have momentum on his side and will be looking to keep up his impressive form. A win in Florida will certainly help get him ready for the biggies ahead.
Ladbrokes and Bet365 both currently have Rory at 14/1.
Collin Morikawa
Collin Morikawa has also emerged as a surprising favourite to win the 2026 Players Championship.
2025 was very up and down for Collin. He showed glimpses of brilliance at times, especially off the tee, but at the same time his irons often let him down. Despite this, his game is perfectly suited for the TPC and statistically, his putting has never been better.
This is very much reflected in the odds. Ladbrokes have him at 12/1, whereas Bet365 are offering 16/1 odds.
Sepp Straka
Finally, if you fancy a bit of an outsider, with a very real chance of winning the tournament, Sepp Straka could be a great shout.
Straka looked very impressive at the API, though ultimately, he was letdown by a pretty abysmal final round where he shot 76 and fell way down the leaderboard. Straka always tends to perform well at events like this, evident in a T2 at Pebble Beach last month.
Bet365 are currently providing 45/1 odds of a Straka victory, whereas Ladbrokes have him at 33/1.