The Players Championship 2026 FRL Tips: Can Fitz fire early at Sawgrass?

The eagerly anticipated 52^nd edition of THE PLAYERS Championship gets underway at TPC Sawgrass tomorrow. With wind on the cards throughout and rain expected later in the day, the players will have to battle the elements as well as this iconic venue on day one.

Our resident golf tipster Jamie Worsley is here with four picks he fancies to start fast in his THE PLAYERS Championship 2026 FRL Betting Tips, which you can check out below...

You can read Jamie's full THE PLAYERS Championship Preview here..

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Beginning at 7.40am, the morning wave should enjoy bright and reasonably warm conditions, which will be accompanied by a 9mph breeze that will gradually rise to 17mph by midday.

Those winds are forecast to persist for the afternoon players (who tee off at 12.30pm), whilst it is also predicted to be much more blustery, with gusts up to 27mph on the cards. In addition, thunderstorms are likely to be a feature for the later starters.

Not only will that make those afternoon conditions more attritional, but it could lead to delays in play which would mean they finish their first rounds on Friday morning, when it is scheduled to be just as windy and cooler.

That should hand the advantage to the early starters in this week’s first-round leader market, and I’ve got four selections who I’m hoping will get off to a flying start on Thursday.

1 pt Matt Fitzpatrick each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 40/1

Start time: 9.04am

Striking the ball beautifully in the opening months of 2026, Matt Fitzpatrick is my first pick. He’s got a mixed record at TPC Sawgrass, but that does include two top-10s in his last five and having also started quickly on each of those attempts, the Englishman can make the early running tomorrow.

Fitzpatrick has hit the top 25 in three of his five appearances this season, going best when 9^th in Phoenix, where he also made his strongest start, shooting a six-under 65 to sit 2^nd after round one.

He’s continuing to drive the ball well, ranking 22^nd in SG: Off-the-Tee in 2026, though it’s in approach that he’s truly thriving, ranking 12^th. Furthermore, with that usually trusty putter failing him over the first four events, it was encouraging to see him find his touch on the greens at Bay Hill, ranking 14^th.

After missing the cut on his 2016 debut around this layout, Fitz didn’t land a top-40 finish until 2021, when he was 9^th. He improved on that two years ago, finishing 5^th, and with a four-under 68 (2021) and six-under 66 (2024) taking him to a first-round top-five in each of those renewals, he knows what is required to make a swift start.

1 pt Ryan Gerard each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 55/1

Start time: 8.28am

Proven wind performer Ryan Gerard is up next. His superb early-year form has tailed off a touch in recent weeks, but with his irons remaining strong and performing encouragingly at TPC Sawgrass on debut 12 months ago, he has the game to bounce back in tomorrow’s opening round.

Gerard finished last year with a runner-up finish at a breezy Mauritius Open and carried that into the new season stateside, again finishing 2^nd at both the Sony Open and The AmEx. An 11^th-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open followed, but he’s recorded just one further top-25 in four outings since, finishing 23^rd at the Cognizant Classic.

His approach play has impressed most, ranking 7^th and, promisingly for this course, he’s been especially dialled in with his mid-irons, ranking 6^th from 150-175 yards. Meanwhile, the driver also looks solid, ranking 39^th in this field in 2026.

Gerard’s East Coast origins mean he’s at ease in Florida, evidenced by his 4^th-place finish at the 2023 Cognizant Classic. That comfort was again on show here on his debut last year, sitting 14^th entering the final round before a 78 on Sunday dropped him to 42^nd, and he can build on that by hitting the top of the leaderboard on day one.

0.75 pts Alex Noren each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 66/1

Start time: 8.16am

Alex Noren’s season has taken a little time to get going following his excellent end to last year, though, with two top-25s in his last two appearances, he looks to have finally got up to speed. He’s made several quick starts at TPC Sawgrass and, typically fantastic in the wind, he’s a lively contender to hit the front on Thursday.

The Swede missed his first two cuts of the season at The AmEx and Farmers Insurance Open, but he improved when 29^th at Pebble Beach. He’s kicked on since then, finishing 12^th at the Genesis Invitational two starts ago before ending the week in 24^th position at Bay Hill.

He’s been straight off the tee and has produced consistently solid approach play. However, it will come as no surprise that he’s excelling with his short game, ranking 25^th in SG: Around-the-Greens, which will come in handy in tomorrow’s tricky conditions.

His first-round form has been underwhelming in 2026, but he was shining in this regard at the end of the previous season, ranking 17^th in first-round performance across the last six months.

Noren’s ability to fly out of the blocks was on show at his PLAYERS Championship debut in 2017, when he fired a four-under 68 to sit 3^rd – an event at which he eventually finished 10^th. He went two better than that the following year, opening with a six-under 66 to share the first-round lead, and having shown he can still perform when 19^th on his latest appearance in 2024, he’s worth chancing in tomorrow’s suitable conditions.

0.75 pts Jhonattan Vegas each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 125/1

Start time: 8.16am

Every area of Jhonny Vegas’s game has been trending in the right direction, including his first-round form. He’s twice finished inside the top 10 at TPC Sawgrass and proving that he’s not scared of going low among elite company in the opening round of last year’s PGA Championship, he looks well priced to start in style.

Vegas missed the cut at The AmEx and Farmers Insurance Open to begin the campaign, but he’s got better with each start since, finishing 78^th at Pebble Beach, 44^th at Riviera, and 18^th at Bay Hill. His irons have come to life on his last two outings, and while the driver is not quite the weapon it usually is, he’s finding plenty of fairways – no negative around this layout.

As his general play has started to improve, so have his first-round displays. He shot a two-under 69 to finish day one in 14^th at Riviera and he was even better placed last week, beginning with a five-under 67 to sit 4^th after 18 holes.

Vegas produced his standout performance of 2025 at Quail Hollow in the PGA Championship, finishing 5^th, where he opened with a seven-under 64 to claim the first-round lead by two.

The Venezuelan made his best start to this tournament back in 2012, sitting 6^th thru 18 holes before eventually finishing 7^th. He’s shot two rounds of 66 and three 67s in following editions – two of which came when he finished 3^rd in 2019 – and with his game peaking at the perfect time, he’s an exciting contender in this market.

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