2025 Gamers Championship: 3 daring predictions for TPC Sawgrass

Yearly, one thing bizarre takes place at The Gamers Championship.

Perhaps it’s as a result of TPC Sawgrass doesn’t essentially cater to a particular kind of participant, though stable ball-striking and accuracy off the tee are important. The course additionally challenges a participant’s thoughts and baits the participant into making poor selections with its quite a few hazards. This explains why TPC Sawgrass went 41 years with out having a repeat winner. Scottie Scheffler, in fact, modified that final 12 months.

Unusual issues additionally occur as a result of The Gamers boasts one of many strongest fields year-in and year-out. Having the world’s finest compete alongside one another can result in an array of outcomes that no one might have foreseen. Nobody might have predicted that 21-year-old Si Woo Kim would take down the likes of Louis Oosthuzien and Ian Poulter in 2017. Nor might anybody have anticipated a 48-year-old Fred Funk to win in 2005. Bear in mind how Paul Goydos virtually beat Sergio Garcia in a playoff in 2007? Goydos was not on anybody’s radar that week too.

At any fee, listed here are three daring predictions for this week at TPC Sawgrass:

3. Document Scoring Threatened

After opening with a 9-under 63, which matched the course report on the time, Greg Norman went on to win The 1994 Gamers Championship at 24-under par. ‘The Shark’ adopted up his good 63 with three straight 5-under 67s, setting the 72-hole scoring report that also stands immediately. He gained the match by 4 pictures over Fuzzy Zoeller.

This 12 months’s Gamers Championship requires picture-perfect climate with sunny skies, gentle winds, and temperatures within the low-to-mid seventies, which is a part of why somebody will threaten Norman’s report this week. The Jacksonville-area obtained heavy rain on Sunday night time and into Monday, thus softening TPC Sawgrass a bit bit and making it simpler on the sphere. The course is in supreme situation, excellent for scoring.

Scottie Scheffler additionally gained the match at 20-under final 12 months, which noticed no rain and dry climate. Contemplating the course will play a bit softer this week, the 20-under threshold needs to be reached after which some. Prepare for a birdie barrage in Ponta Vedra Seashore.

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2. Pair of High-10 Gamers Miss the Reduce

Family names appear to overlook the lower yearly. In 2024, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas missed the lower, though, on the time, neither participant had the shape or pedigree of a top-10 participant. The 12 months earlier than, in 2023, Rory McIlroy missed the lower, as did reigning U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick.

Our second daring prediction is that two gamers presently ranked among the many top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings will miss the lower. One participant we’re involved about is Xander Schauffele, who returned to competitors final week for the primary time in two months at Bay Hill. The World No. 3 barely made the lower, doing so on the quantity, thus extending his consecutive made cuts streak to 58 in a row. However he nonetheless regarded rusty after getting back from his rib harm, slapping his method round Bay Hill to put up a T-40.

One other participant to be careful for is Russell Henley, who simply gained the Arnold Palmer Invitational in dramatic trend. Henley’s type will not be a problem; reasonably, it’s usually tough for a participant to observe up an emotional victory with one other stable efficiency the week after. Henley has the expertise to contend and win this week at TPC Sawgrass. However will the psychological exhaustion of securing an enormous win on a difficult course be an excessive amount of to beat?

Two different top-10 gamers who might very properly miss the lower are Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, however time will inform if this prediction holds. But, it’s value repeating that unusual issues occur at TPC Sawgrass yearly.

1. Non-American Winner

TPC Sawgrass has seen all kinds of worldwide winners since 2000: from a younger Adam Scott in 2004 to a good youthful Si Woo Kim in 2017. Spaniard Sergio Garcia, Swede Henrik Stenson, and South African Tim Clark have all gained at TPC Sawgrass, however so have Okay.J. Choi of South Korea, Stephen Ames of Canada, and Martin Kaymer of Germany over the previous 25 years.

The newest worldwide winner is Cameron Smith, who conquered TPC Sawgrass in 2022 earlier than successful The Open 4 months later at St. Andrews. Shortly thereafter, he was off to LIV Golf. Smith has but to play at The Gamers Championship since.

Picture by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour through Getty Photos

With Scottie Scheffler conquering TPC Sawgrass in back-to-back years, the match is because of produce one other worldwide winner. Perhaps it’s Ludvig Åberg, the Swedish phenom who lately gained the Genesis Invitational. Or does Canadian Corey Conners lastly get that career-changing victory? His recreation matches up properly with TPC Sawgrass. Different worldwide gamers to be careful for embrace Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Sepp Straka, and Shane Lowry.

One more reason we like a non-American winner is as a result of worldwide gamers have dominated the PGA Tour to this point in 2025. It’s been one of many huge themes of the season. Solely 4 Individuals have emerged victorious, with Russell Henley being the latest participant to take action. The opposite three are Harris English (Farmers Insurance coverage Open), Brian Campbell (Mexico Open), and Joe Highsmith (Cognizant Traditional). Worldwide gamers have gained all of the others, together with three of the 4 Signature Occasions performed thus far. That pattern continues this week in Northeast Florida.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.