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The 2025 Players Championship heads for the weekend beginning with Round 3 on Saturday morning at TPC Sawgrass, just outside of Jacksonville, Fla. Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia are atop the leaderboard at 11 under, with J.J. Spaun one shot back at -10. Those three players combine for just three career PGA wins. Rory McIlroy (-9), Collin Morikawa (-9), Will Zalatoris (-8), Tommy Fleetwood (-7) and Scottie Scheffler (-5) are among the big names with striking distance.

McIlroy is the +360 favorite (risk $100 to win $360) to win heading into the weekend, according to the latest 2025 Players Championship odds, followed by Morikawa (+400), Bhatia (+600), Lee (+700) and Spaun (+1000). With several big names near the top of the Invitational leaderboard, what are the best bets and prop picks for the weekend? Before making any 2025 Players Championship weekend picks, be sure to see the PGA predictions from SportsLine’s proven model.

Cohen is an avid golf bettor who correctly predicted the pre-tournament outright winner in seven tournaments over the last two seasons. He correctly identified Aaron Rai at +3300 odds in the 2024 Wyndham Championship, as well as Davis Thompson (2024 John Deere Classic, +2200), Bryson DeChambeau (2024 U.S. Open, +2000), Scottie Scheffler (2024 Players Championship, +550), Rickie Fowler (2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic, +1400), Brooks Koepka (2023 PGA Championship, +2000), and Chris Kirk (2023 Honda Classic, +3500). Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.

Now that the Cohen has had a chance to break down the latest weekend PGA Tour odds for the Players Championship 2025, he has locked in his betting picks. You can only see all his picks by heading to SportsLine.

Top Players Championship PGA Tour weekend picks
For the Players Championship 2025 weekend, Cohen is backing Zalatoris to finish in the top-five. Zalatoris is in the T7 group at 8 under after an impressive second-round 66 on Friday. The 28-year old American has three finishes of T26 or better this season.

In his three Round 3s so far in 2025 he’s shot 65, 69, 68 and 71, so if he keeps that trend up, he’ll be in top-five contention heading into Sunday.

“Zalatoris hasn’t secured a top-five finish since last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational but that changes this week,” Cohen told SportsLine. “He leads the field on approach by a wide margin having gained more than three shots on the field in each of the first two rounds. While the American has never had a tournament in which he’s gained more than ten shots on the field with his irons, this week he’s certainly on pace.” See the rest of Cohen’s weekend picks at SportsLine.

Zalatoris finishing top-five (with ties) is available at +220 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

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21+ (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY) and present in AZ, CO, CT, DC, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WY, and WV. Void in ONT/OR/NH and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. $5+ first-time bet req. Max. $150 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets that expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 3/16/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK. Data & text rates may apply. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD).21+ (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY) and present in AZ, CO, CT, DC, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WY, and WV. Void in ONT/OR/NH and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. $5+ first-time bet req. Max. $150 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets that expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 3/16/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK. Data & text rates may apply. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD).21+ (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY) and present in AZ, CO, CT, DC, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WY, and WV. Void in ONT/OR/NH and where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. $5+ first-time bet req. Max. $150 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets that expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 3/16/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK. Data & text rates may apply. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD).
How to make 2025 Players Championship weekend picks
Cohen has also locked in three outright winner picks, including a longshot going off higher than +5000, in addition to another plus-money prop. You can only see the picks at SportsLine.

So who wins the 2025 Players Championship, and what picks should you jump on this weekend? Visit SportsLine now to get Eric Cohen’s picks, all from the golf expert who has called seven outright winners since 2023, and find out.

2025 Players Championship weekend odds, contenders
See picks at SportsLine.

Rory McIlroy +360
Collin Morikawa +400
Akshay Bhatia +600
Min Woo Lee +700
J.J. Spaun +1000
Scottie Scheffler +1200
Alex Smalley +1800
Will Zalatoris +1800
Tommy Fleetwood +1800
Lucas Glover +2800
Sepp Straka +4000
Jake Knapp +5500
Patrick Cantlay +7000
Justin Thomas +8000
Billy Horschel +10000
Harris English +11000

Where to bet on the PGA Tour
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on the PGA Tour, along with the various PGA sportsbook promos they currently offer.

Moving Day at the 2025 Players Championship has arrived, and with it comes a number of star-studded pairings. Golfers will need to keep their games in order around TPC Sawgrass as an uptick in wind and a spicy golf course will give them everything they can handle as they aim to position themselves for final-round contention.

Fresh off his course record-tying performance on Friday, Justin Thomas will experience a quick turnaround and jump back onto the golf course alongside Davis Riley at 11:55 a.m. ET. Thomas will need more of the same in Round 3 if he is to continue his march up the leaderboard.

Meanwhile, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler remains in shouting distance as he searches for his third straight Players Championship title. Scheffler starts his third round at 1:10 p.m. with big-hitting Canadian Taylor Pendrith. Rickie Fowler will precede Scheffler’s tee time while FedEx Cup No. 1 Sepp Straka will follow it.

As for the final two pairings, they will go off at 2:25 p.m. and 2:35 p.m. respectively. The penultimate group will see 2019 champion Rory McIlroy looking to make his move while young studs Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia bring up the rear just 10 minutes later.

Check out the full slate of tee times below, and find out how to watch as much action as you can through our 2025 Players Championship TV schedule and coverage guide. Also take a look at how the Players will distribute the prize money and purse payouts to the golfers who made the cut.

2025 Players Championship: Rounds 3 tee times, pairings
All times Eastern

No. 1

8:25 a.m. — Shane Lowry, Danny Walker
8:35 a.m. — C.T. Pan, Justin Lower
8:45 a.m. — Tom Kim, Mac Meissner
8:55 a.m. — Daniel Berger, Xander Schauffele
9:05 a.m. — Rico Hoey, Jesper Svensson
9:15 a.m. — Aaron Rai, Sungjae Im
9:25 a.m. — Russell Henley, Corey Conners
9:35 a.m. — Matt Kuchar, Joel Dahmen
9:50 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, Keegan Bradley
10 a.m. — Matthieu Pavon, Camilo Villegas
10:10 a.m. — Byeong Hun An, Kurt Kitayama
10:20 a.m. — Ryan Fox, Denny McCarthy
10:30 a.m. — Hayden Springer, Will Chandler
10:40 a.m. — J.T. Poston, Chris Kirk
10:50 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, Tom Hoge
11 a.m. — Ryan Gerard, Joe Highsmith
11:15 a.m. — Jhonattan Vegas, Trey Mullinax
11:25 a.m. — Chandler Phillips, Si Woo Kim
11:35 a.m. — Isaiah Salinda, Sami Valimaki
11:45 a.m. — Sahith Theegala, Davis Thompson
11:55 a.m. — Davis Riley, Justin Thomas
12:05 p.m. — Cameron Young, Carson Young
12:15 p.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Bud Cauley
12:25 p.m. — Matt McCarty, Stephan Jaeger
12:40 p.m. — Max McGreevy, Beau Hossler
12:50 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Sam Ryder
1 p.m. — Taylor Moore, Rickie Fowler
1:10 p.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Scottie Scheffler
1:20 p.m. — Sepp Straka, Charley Hoffman
1:30 p.m. — Harris English, Billy Horschel
1:40 p.m. — Jacob Bridgeman, Emiliano Grillo
1:55 p.m. — Tommy Fleetwood, Jake Knapp
2:05 p.m. — Lucas Glover, Will Zalatoris
2:15 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Alex Smalley
2:25 p.m. — Rory McIlroy, J.J. Spaun
2:35 p.m. — Min Woo Lee, Akshay Bhatia

Young finished with 22 points and 11 assists on the night, and he iced the game with a clutch shot down the stretch.

Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson was asked about Young’s gesture after the game, and Brunson’s reply was somewhat unexpected if you don’t know what kind of competitor and person Brunson is.

“We should win the game if we don’t want him to do that,” Brunson curtly replied to a question about Young’s dice roll.

Longtime analyst Mike Golic was impressed with Brunson’s answer, posting to X:

“refreshing. couldn’t agree more.”

In a professional sports sphere heavily influenced by social media and hot takes these days, Brunson’s answer was indeed a changeup. Rather than make excuses or antagonize Young, Brunson simply re-directed the question back to the basic elements of sport — winning and losing.

Brunson’s approach to the game is a huge reason why the Knicks have become contenders under his lead over the last year and a half.

The Warriors’ four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry struggled, finishing with 19 points and five assists.

In the aftermath of the loss, it became apparent that Golden State could heavily benefit from more offensive firepower from their reserve guards and size at the center position.

Brandin Podziemski’s 7.9 points on an atrocious 46.4% true shooting percentage has been a far cry from the potential development as a scorer that his front office envisioned prior to the season.

Pairing this issue with Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr’s proclivity to not give ample minutes to their promising young center Trayce Jackson-Davis creates several roadblocks to the team’s path to contention.

As a result of Podziemski’s efficiency issues and De’Anthony Melton missing the rest of the season due to an ACL injury, a drastic change could be made.

In the wake of these developments, the Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy may be tempted to pick up the phone and contact the Detroit Pistons to land budding star guard Jaden Ivey and rising dominant center Jalen Duren in an unprecedented trade.

In a potential deal that would remedy both their bench scoring and size issues, Golden State’s acquisition of Ivey and Duren could be instrumental to extending the championship window for Curry and Green.

In 25 appearances for Detroit, Ivey’s contributed a career-best 17.6 points with an improved 50.3% effective field goal percentage while Duren’s 8.9 points on 67.5% true shooting accuracy and 1.3 blocked shots positions the 21-year-old to become the Warriors’ center of the future.

Pairing the 22-year-old Ivey next to Curry in the backcourt would be extremely effective, as Ivey’s improved scoring also comes with a career-best 116 defensive rating.

As for the 6-foot-10 Duren, his athleticism for his position and pure strength make up for any height deficiencies.

To acquire the pair, Golden State would likely have to include Podziemski and Jackson-Davis in the deal along with another prospect like forward Moses Moody and draft compensation.

Between Cade Cunningham, Holland, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey, the Pistons have an underrated young core, although it’s safe to say that they are still a star away from competing in the Eastern Conference. The conventional train of thought has them drafting a premier player in 2025 to complement Cunningham as a star player, although the Pistons could get busy before the trade deadline.

With Isaiah Stewart, Paul Reed, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris all rostered, the Pistons could make a deal for a star, and recent murmurings have them in the mix for Jimmy Butler.

“I do think adding someone like Butler, with a strong coach (Bickerstaff) in tow, could really help them ascend up the East,” wrote The Athletic’s Zach Harper on Friday. “Sometimes, we get too concerned with everybody being on the same timeline. I think it would be good for Cunningham, 23, to get a crash course in doing whatever it takes to extract wins out of tough moments.”

Hunter Patterson, who is the Pistons’ beat writer for the outlet, thinks adding a pick-and-roll threat around Cunningham makes more sense rather than chasing after Butler.

With legitimate contenders like the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns all showing some interest in Butler, a rebuilding, small-market team throwing their hat in the ring is very interesting.

The day before Thanksgiving, the current face of the Wolves franchise, Anthony Edwards, called his team soft as well, although they have since gone on a 4-1 run. However, during that stretch, newcomers Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo have still struggled to fit in, shooting 42.6% from the floor and 30.4% from 3-point range, respectively.

In an effort to bring in someone who matches Edwards’ energy, the Wolves could target Butler on the trade market, sending Randle, DiVincenzo and Mike Conley to Miami for Butler, Alec Burks and Kevin Love, reuniting the Wolves with two former players.

Miami wouldn’t get any draft picks but would add three win-now players who could push the Heat into the postseason behind Bam Adebayo. The Wolves, meanwhile, go all-in on getting Edwards a real co-star who can be a locker room leader, and Love ending his career on a winning Wolves team would be incredibly poetic.

After the loss and in the wake of Stephen Curry’s subpar 19-point performance, it was clear to see that Golden State could have benefited from more reserve guard production.

The Warriors’ First-Team All-Rookie guard from a season ago Brandin Podziemski contributed just 8 points while connecting on 33.3% of his attempts from the floor, clearly not offering plenty of support for Curry.

Podziemski’s offensive struggles have been a storyline throughout the season, as his 7.9 points on 38.0% shooting from the field marks a major regression from his first season.

To remedy this situation, the Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy could very well be tempted to contact the Washington Wizards to inquire about a proven veteran guard that could be available for trade.

Washington’s 32-year-old Malcolm Brogdon looks to be a perfect candidate to be traded once again in his nine-year career prior to the deadline this season, and Golden State could be a perfect fit.

The 2017 Rookie of the Year and 2023 Sixth Man of the Year winner is currently boasting averages of 13.8 points and 4.3 rebounds with a 49.5% field goal percentage for the lowly 3-19 Wizards.

Though he’s only appeared in nine contests for Washington this season, Brogdon recently discussed his expected return in the next few games and his reputation as a mid-season trade target when he sat down with Monumental Sports Network’s Rachel Nichols during an episode of her Hometown interview series.

“It’s part of what you sign up for, I think, in the NBA,” Brogdon shared Tuesday. “Honestly what I’ve worked for is being so good that different teams want you.”

Brogdon’s composed nature and intelligence as a 6-foot-4 point guard have been invaluable commodities that he’s provided to competitive teams for the majority of his career, and bringing those qualities to Golden State could partially lead to the extension of Curry’s championship window.

In order to acquire Brogdon from the Wizards, Golden State would likely ship Podziemski and sufficient draft compensation out to help accelerate Washington’s rebuilding efforts.

While the pair of NBA 75th Anniversary Team members have been producing at a spectacular rate, the team as a collective has struggled on both ends of the floor.

Their No. 26 ranked 117.0 defensive rating specifically calls for a drastic change, and the Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka may be tempted to remedy the issue by contacting the New Orleans Pelicans to inquire about their gifted perimeter defender.

The 26-year-old Herb Jones is already an All-Defensive First Team selection and fifth-place finisher in Defensive Player of the Year voting as he enters his fourth NBA season. Coming off of his incredible 2023-24 season, the Lakers have been named as the leading suitor to acquire Jones in recent reports.

“While Davis is an incredible defensive player…the nine-time NBA All-Star needs some help,” shared Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Hanna Wednesday.

“Fortunately, there is a player who would be a great addition to help the Lakers out on defense, and it looks like they’re a frontrunner to land him.”

“According to a report from Bovada (per NBACentral) the Lakers are one of the favorite NBA franchises to land forward Herb Jones in a potential trade.”

While he had been contributing to previous iterations of Pelicans teams that were somewhat competitive, the franchise currently resides at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 5-21 record through 26 games.

Jones has contributed 10.3 points and a career-high 1.8 steals to the injury-riddled Pelicans, and their wasted season has turned the defensive prodigy into a likely trade candidate.

The potential acquisition of Jones for Los Angeles would immediately help the team climb the defensive rating ladder towards the conclusion of the season, as the pairing of Jones on the perimeter and Davis protecting the paint would be an unstoppable defensive formula.

To acquire Jones, Los Angeles would likely ship out names like Gabe Vincent or D’Angelo Russell paired with a young prospect like Max Christie and first-round draft compensation.