Steve Palmer's Players Championship final-round golf betting tips and predictions

Where to watch the Players Championship

Sky Sports Golf, 2pm Sunday

Best bets

Wyndham Clark to win the Players Championship
2pts each-way 3-1 BoyleSports

Wyndham Clark to win 5.40pm twoball
2pts 7-5 Betfair, Power

Jimmy Stanger to win 12.55pm twoball
1pt 9-4 BoyleSports

Story so far

Xander Schauffele produced an incredible chip from heavy rough at the final hole of round three to retain a slender advantage heading into the denouement of the Players Championship at Sawgrass.

Schauffele, a pre-tournament 22-1 chance, is a best-price 13-10 with 18 holes to play in the Florida showpiece. US Open champion Wyndham Clark is alone in second place, a shot behind, with Open victor Brian Harman in third spot.

Rory McIlroy has faded to a share of 12th place after a bright start to the week, but Scottie Scheffler is still close enough to the lead to harbour title aspirations. The world number one has endured a challenging week, with a neck injury developing suddenly on Friday, but Scheffler is only five shots off the pace.

Scheffler backers were given hope when he closed the third round with three consecutive birdies, but he has been struggling for driving distance, forced to play within himself because of the injury. The final twoball of Schauffele and Clark is scheduled to tee off at 5.40pm UK and Ireland time.

Players Championship leaderboard

-17 Xander Schauffele
-16 Wyndham Clark
-15 Brian Harman
-13 Maverick McNealy, Matt Fitzpatrick
-12 Sahith Theegala, Scottie Scheffler
-11 Nate Lashley

Best odds for the Players Championship

13-10 X Schauffele, 3 W Clark, 11-2 B Harman, 10 S Scheffler, 14 M Fitzpatrick, 33 M McNealy, S Theegala, 100 bar

Players Championship final-round predictions

Scottie Scheffler has not endured any neck problems since his college days, but early in his round on Friday morning he became extremely uncomfortable, changing the complexion of this great tournament.

Scheffler has been feeling pain on his backswing, relying on his hands more than ever, taking longer clubs to counter his loss of distance, and in his words “slapping it around out there”.

The positive for Scheffler supporters is that his hands are magic – and his heart is made of stern stuff. At no stage has Scheffler given up and he ranks third in the driving-accuracy statistics. He is playing Sawgrass in a different style to how he would fully fit, but it is still effective golf at a venue which severely punishes inaccuracy.

The Sunday weather forecast will please Scheffler – sunny and warm, with gentle breezes. Temperatures of 30C will aid his neck. A five-shot deficit can be overcome, but is obviously unlikely, so those ahead of him will have high hopes.

Pick of the outright prices of those in front of Scheffler is arguably the 3-1 about Wyndham Clark, who has taken his game to a new level, looking every inch the world number five. Confidence is coursing through Clark's veins and he looks well up to winning the Players Championship.

The key moment in this championship may have been when Clark managed to salvage a bogey at the 17th in round three, despite finding water with his tee shot. That gutsy bogey putt bodes well for his Sunday chances. Round three was a grind for Clark, but he has set himself up wonderfully for round four off the back of his superb 65-65 Thursday-Friday foundation.

Xander Schauffele's chip at the 54th hole was majestic, but the Californian was winless in 2023 and has not won a top-quality Stateside event since the 2017 Tour Championship. This would be the biggest victory of Schauffele's career, as he admitted in his pre-tournament media conference.

Brian Harman's approach-play and putting has been magnificent over the last two days. The gritty left-hander will feel he could upset the two big names ahead of him, but Clark, carrying the firepower to make mincemeat of the four par-fives, has the edge.

Scheffler, who will relish the opportunity to win an event while crocked, seems the most likely of the chasing pack to trouble the front three. He may choose to make this his final event before the Masters if doctors suggest rest, so will be keen to sign off on a high. Catching Clark looks a particularly difficult assignments though.

With each-way terms of a third the odds, the first two, Clark appeals at 3-1 outright, and also as outsider in the final twoball, while Viktor Hovland, working on swing changes and out of sorts, is worth opposing with Jimmy Stanger in the 12.55pm contest.

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