Analysis: Six golfers best equipped to win the PGA's The Players Championship
Yes, this week is the week of The Player’s Championship in Jacksonville. This is the PGA’s prime event where the pros beat up on each other at the TPC Stadium course. This golf course itself provides a challenge being a Par 72 at 7,256 yards with very high roughs.
Trying to pick a winner is a difficult task with so many great players but here are my six picks and what you can learn from their game.
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Scottie Scheffler
I pick Scottie Scheffler to win. He hits more greens in regulation than anyone on tour. To do this you must have a great iron game. Great iron players know how to compress the ball. This means at impact his hands are ahead of the ball. In addition, he is strong enough to get the ball out of the heavy roughs they have at Sawgrass.
Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm would be my second choice. He virtually leads the tour in almost all categories. He makes more birdies than anyone on tour. He shows us that a fast, flat, shorter swing is best for most all-average players for more consistency. But, John has one thing most of us don’t have and that is he is strong as a bull.
Rory McIllroy
Rory’s best statistic is his driving distance where he is No. 1 on tour. For us common players, we can get more distance by making a good coiling action behind the ball with aggressive leg action coming down. If he cleans up his short putting he could win.
Tony Finau
Tony is the nicest guy on the PGA Tour. He is another short swinger. He never hits from the top. Just copy his tempo.
Jordan Speith
Jordan’s greatest asset is his ability to get the ball up and down from anywhere on the golf course. Copy his short game and you will drive your scores down.
Max Homa
Max is right there with John Rahm with the best stats on tour. His strength is working the ball left to right or right to left. For us mere mortals find one way to hit it and learn to repeat it.
So many other players are ready to win such as Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay. We will just have to wait and see this Sunday.
− Dr. Jim Suttie is a former National PGA Teacher of the Year and is rated in the Top 50 Teachers by Golf Digest, and Top 100 Teachers in America by Golf Magazine. He runs the Jim Suttie Academy at TwinEagles and writes occasional columns for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Which PGA players have the best shot of winning The Players Championship?
