This PLAYERS Stat Will Make Bettors Fade Rory, Scottie and Schauffele

The PGA Tour is at TPC Sawgrass for the 2025 Players Championship this week, and for those looking to place some bets, there is one statistic that may sway your choices.

Before picking Scottie Scheffler to three-peat, Rory McIlroy to win or even a guy like Xander Schauffele, this trend might change people’s minds.

Golf betting is unique in itself, but the things people find to decide how they will make those decisions are wild.

At The Players, there is a stat about early-late and late-early starts for the eventual winners.

Those with the early-late tee time rotations for Thursday and Friday are more likely to win the tournament, at least over the last two decades.

Granted, Scheffler bucked that trend the trend in 2024.

McIlroy had the winning rotation when he won the tournament in 2019.

All told, 14 of the last 17 winners of The PLAYERS went out early on Thursday, and late on Friday.

This year, though, Scheffler, McIlroy and Schauffele, one of the featured groups for the Players, have the late-early rotation.

To no one’s surprise, Tiger Woods was one of the few to win despite the alternate tee times. Woods did it in 2013, and Martin Kaymer the following year. However, it is highly unlikely.

McIlroy, Scheffler and Schauffele are popular betting choices at the Players this week. McIlroy is playing well to start the season, including a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am and two top 20s in three starts.

Scheffler has two top 10s and has not finished outside the Top 25 in his four starts.

Schauffele has only played twice this year due to a rib injury, but a T3 at the Sentry is nothing to dismiss. He did finish T40 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, but it was the two-time major winner’s first tournament back.

Betting on these guys may not be the best move this week because of this statistic, so consider selecting someone in the early-late rotation.

PGA Tour Pros to Bet on at The PLAYERS

Some notable names in that ideal draw are Ludvig Åberg, Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas, who are paired together in the 8:24 a.m. ET tee time on Thursday. They will tee off on the 10th hole to start the tournament.

The young Swedish phenom won the Genesis Invitational in 2025, so he could be a good pick. Matsuyama, who won the Sentry in historic fashion, is another player who has played well.

Russell Henley, Shane Lowry and Viktor Hovland tee off together at 8:35 a.m. ET on the 10th tee Thursday. Henley just won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Lowry collected his second Top 10 of the year in Orlando. He is a sneaky choice, but he could bring value to your betting card.

Wyndham Clark, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth tee off at 8:46 a.m. off the 10th tee. This is another group that has people in it who could dethrone Scheffler for the title. Clark finished runner up to the former Texas Longhorn at TPC Sawgrass last year and is in good form this season.

Sepp Straka is another who drew the early-late rotation. He has three top 10s and a win at the American Express. The former Georgia Bulldog was also T5 last week in Orlando.

So there are plenty of options to bet on this year if you are one to follow trends. However, it is Scheffler who has shown the golf world time and time again, and if he is in the field, he will contend.

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