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 selected sort of participant, though strong ball-striking and accuracy off the tee are important. The course additionally challenges a participant’s thoughts and baits the participant into making poor choices 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 greatest compete alongside one another can result in an array of outcomes that no one may have foreseen. Nobody may have predicted that 21-year-old Si Woo Kim would take down the likes of Louis Oosthuzien and Ian Poulter in 2017. Nor may anybody have anticipated a 48-year-old Fred Funk to win in 2005. Keep 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. File Scoring Threatened

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

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

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

Getty Pictures

2. Pair of High-10 Gamers Miss the Lower

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 at the moment 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 seemed rusty after getting back from his rib damage, slapping his manner round Bay Hill to put up a T-40.

One other participant to be careful for is Russell Henley, who simply received the Arnold Palmer Invitational in dramatic trend. Henley’s type is just not a difficulty; quite, it’s typically tough for a participant to comply with up an emotional victory with one other strong 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 may very properly miss the lower are Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, however time will inform if this prediction holds. But, it’s price 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 received at TPC Sawgrass, however so have Ok.J. Choi of South Korea, Stephen Ames of Canada, and Martin Kaymer of Germany over the previous 25 years.

The latest worldwide winner is Cameron Smith, who conquered TPC Sawgrass in 2022 earlier than profitable 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.

Photograph by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour by way of Getty Pictures

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 received 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 People 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 received all of the others, together with three of the 4 Signature Occasions performed up to now. That pattern continues this week in Northeast Florida.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying Via. Observe him on X @jack_milko.