'Rory ready to win at Sawgrass'

Rory McIlroy ... is ready to win at TPC Sawgrass. Source: Mike McCarn / AP

It?s the unofficial fifth Major this week as the best players in the world head to the Stadium course at the TPC Sawgrass complex for The Players Championship.

Each year this event boasts one of the strongest line ups with the biggest first prize in professional golf going to the winner: a whopping 1.7 million dollars.

The defending champion is Matt Kuchar who last year staved off a host of contenders including young gun Rickie Fowler who won the Wells Fargo a week earlier and also the current World No.1 at that time Luke Donald.

This year Tiger Woods will start the favourite off the back of his three wins so far in 2013.

For me, I can’t see him winning this event. Since his victory in 2001 he’s only posted one top 10 and that came in 2008 where he finished in a tie for eighth. The past three editions he has withdrawn from two of them with injury and last year finished well back in a share of 40th. It just seems to be one of the courses that he has trouble with contending at on a regular basis.

We have nine Aussies in the field this week. Here is a quick form guide on them:

Up first is Robert Allenby. It’s been a torrid year for the Victorian, making just his second cut of the year last week at the Wells Fargo Championship. Our most capped Aussie at the Players and will be making his 17th appearance. Best finish was runner up in 2010. Just making his second cut in a row will be a positive.

Aaron Baddeley has been up and down the past four years at The Players mixing two top 10’s with two missed cuts. He hasn’t been in that good of form of late posting a tie for 42nd at the Heritage and then a missed cut in his last event in New Orleans.

It will be Greg Chalmers' eighth appearance at The Players with a tie for ninth his best back in 2000 when he first teed it up at Sawgrass. After a tie for fourth at the Tampa Bay Championship in the middle of March it’s been slim pickings for the lefty. In his last five starts this year he has only been inside the top 40 once.

It will be Jason Day’s fourth time at Sawgrass and sandwiched in between two missed cuts was as at tie for sixth in 2011. His last start at Hilton head resulted in a share of 30th but the week before at Augusta was in seriously good form. Has had plenty of time to reflect over the disappointment at the Masters and should be fresh and ready to go.

Matt Jones has only teed it up twice before at The Players with with a missed cut in 2008 and a top 20 result in 2011. He’s made his last five cuts on tour but failed to finish inside the top 30 in any of them.

Marc Leishman hasn’t played since back to back top 10’s at the Masters and the Heritage in consecutive weeks. The Victorian has only played the Players three times missing the cut twice and finishing 45th last year. 

It will be Geoff Ogilvy’s 12th time teeing it up at Sawgrass and amazingly he has only two top 20 finishes in that time. Since finishing runner up at the Honda Classic at the start of March the Victorian has been out of touch playing five events with a tie for 38th at the Wells Fargo last week the best.

It will be Adam Scott’s first appearance since winning the Masters three weeks ago. He has been the best performed Aussie at Sawgrass out of this current crop. He won around here in 2004 and since then has posted a further three top 20’s. He is a serious threat again this year and it wouldn’t surprise me if he won. He is so full of confidence right now. I have him as my top Aussie.

Being one of the best ball strikers on tour it's strange to see John Senden post only one top 30 finish in 10 starts. The big Queenslander was well in contention last week at the Wells Fargo before fading in the final round to finish in a share of 22nd.

My Picks:

I think Rory McIlroy is ready to return to the winners circle this week. He led the ball striking category at the Wells Fargo and if it wasn’t for his putting on the dodgy greens he would have been right there at the end.

I also like Jim Furyk as well. He lives pretty close to the course and is always in the mix at Sawgrass. The veteran has also posted two top 10’s lately.

Just like Furyk, Billy Horschel is a local resident. He is one of the form players at the moment coming off his win in New Orleans and is on a string of 24 straight cuts made. I think he can continue his good run and he will be long odds as well.

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