Sports

Teeing Off for Treasure: The Players Championship’s Record-Breaking Purse

by
Mezzo Parks
March 12, 2025

Scottie Scheffler holds his two trophies

Despite not being an official “major” PGA event, the Players Championship is a coveted tournament with one of golf’s largest prize purses. This year, PGA golfers will battle it out for a share of the $25 million purse, with the winner taking the top share of $4.5 million (18%).

All eyes will be on the betting favorite Scottie Scheffler, who won the tournament in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Scheffler won the tournament by 5 strokes, the largest margin of victory in the last five years. In 2025, Scheffler is seeking a three-peat.

This year, 144 golfers are participating in the event, with 48 of the top 50 players in the world signed up to drive the green. However, older golf fans will be disappointed to see that Tiger Woods is not participating in the event. He has yet to tee off in 2025 due to injury and personal reasons.

How To Bet On The Players Championship

To bet on the tournament, you will have access to one of the legal online sportsbooks or one of America’s brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. Once you have funded your account, you can take action on the sportsbook futures offered for the event.

There are numerous PGA betting lines available for the event, including the overall winner, two chances, three chances, first-round leader, top 10 finish, stroke play, and more. Below are some odds offered at Bovada’s online sportsbook before the event tees off on Thursday, March 13th.

THE PLAYERS Championship – Winner

Scottie Scheffler +550
Rory McIlroy +1200
Collin Morikawa +1400
Ludvig Aberg +1600
Hideki Matsuyama +2500
Justin Thomas +2500
Tommy Fleetwood +2500
Xander Schauffele +2500

3 Chances

Scottie Scheffler / Rory McIlroy / Collin Morikawa +220
Scottie Scheffler / Rory McIlroy / Ludvig Aberg +240
Scottie Scheffler / Collin Morikawa / Ludvig Aberg +250
Scottie Scheffler / Rory McIlroy / Hideki Matsuyama +260

1st Round Eagle

Rory McIlroy +350
Scottie Scheffler +350
Xander Schauffele +450
Justin Thomas +475
Collin Morikawa +500

Top 5 Finish

Scottie Scheffler +110
Rory McIlroy +210
Collin Morikawa +225
Ludvig Aberg +275
Hideki Matsuyama +400

How To Make Smart Golf Bets

As you can see above, betting on golf is often translated to future odds, which is typically good as futures generally offer good value to bettors. However, with 144 possible winners, betting on the overall winner can be quite risky.

A smart golf bet would include multiple bets or a series of smaller bets. I am eying the top five finishes, three chances, and two chances, as those are my best options for hitting on good value.

However, if you choose to wager, make sure you only risk what you can afford to lose, as even the best golfers in the world have their bad days.