Betting: Is the smart money on Rory McIlroy to impress at The Players?

Minty Bets is joined by Jay Busbee and The Action Network's Jason Sobel to give their top picks for The Players Championship.

Video Transcript

MINTY BETS: Before we get started, get $25 when you sign up for the Yahoo Sportsbook today.

The Player's Championship is this weekend at TPC Sawgrass in Florida. Joining me today is Yahoo's own Jay Busbee, as well as Action Network's Jason Sobel. Gentlemen, let's get started. Jay, who do you like to win this championship?

JAY BUSBEE: Well, pick a name and you can make a case for any one of them. I'm looking at a guy who learned to play this course by playing it on a video game, and he played it well enough that he's the defending champion. That's Rory McIlroy. Obviously there wasn't a tournament last year, but he was one back in 2019. He's coming in at 21-1 this year. He's got four top eight finishes in his last seven events at Sawgrass, and top 10 finishes in three of his last six tournaments, 10th last week at the Arnold Palmer. He's playing well.

JASON SOBEL: Jay, I will say that Rory sounded not just disappointed but dejected after his Arnold Palmer Invitational finish. So you and I might have to have a little side action on that. I'm fading Rory.

[LAUGHING]

MINTY BETS: Jason, who do you like? Do you like any sleepers or any top 10 finishes?

JASON SOBEL: Yeah, sure. I've got three guys actually who are each making their debut at this event. And I experience usually matters at TBC Sawgrass, but I've got three guys who are really good young players, under 25-ers who I think can make some noise with their ball striking this week.

The first one is Joaquin Niemann. We saw him as a runner-up finisher at both Kapalua and Waialae in Hawaii earlier this year. The guy's a tremendous ball-striker. At some point the casual fans out there, the people that only watch big events, you're going to know Joaquin Niemann's name. The 22-year-old is a tremendous talent.

Scottie Schaeffler is the second guy. I like him for top 10 plays this week. He's been fifth, 20th, and seventh in his last three starts. I think he is primed for another big week.

And my top-20 play, another debutante. Will Zalatoris, all this guy has done is get his PGA TOUR card based on sponsor exemptions, coming off the Korn Ferry Tour. And he's played 12 events in the big leagues since September. He's got eight top 20 finishes. I like him to make it nine with a big cash this week.

MINTY BETS: All right. Jay, any other guys you're eyeing on this weekend?

JAY BUSBEE: Well, obviously Jason mentioned this. It's been a couple of years since we've actually had this tournament finish. And so there have been some big names that haven't even played this tournament yet-- big names now that that weren't even professional the last time that we had a TPC. Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa-- they're coming in at 25-1 and 22-1 respectively. They're both playing well enough that they might be worth a look.

I'm going to go with the old school. I'm going to look at the old guys. Sergio Garcia, he's played this tournament 18 times. He's got six top 10s, including that win back in 2008, a generation, a lifetime ago. But based on how Lee Westwood showed up last week at the Arnold Palmer, I'm going to give the old guys are run, and he might be worth a look at a top five at 12-1.