Players Championship 2019: Preview and Predictions

The Players Championship is widely regarded as golf's fifth major, and the season has had a slight reshuffle, meaning that we see the action at TPC Sawgrass in March this year rather than May.

It means that golf is restored to the wider conscious before the Masters in April, and we're very excited about it at Superbru.

Our fantasy golf game is a lot of fun - quick and simple to play, and it will make every shot important! Here's how things work.

Bands

Our golf game is designed to reflect how people watch golf - everyone has a few favourite players that they follow, and pay particular attention to during the coverage. We ask you to pick four golfers for each day, and their score will determine your score.

But you can't just pick the top four golfers in the world, where would the fun be if everyone had the same players? We have divided the field into four groups, which reflect their likelihood of winning the tournament - Band 1 contains the favourites, whilst Band 4 has players with an outside chance.

You will need to pick one player from each band, and for every stroke they score under par, you will receive 1 point. You'll also lose a point for every stroke over par...



For example, you pick Jordan Spieth and he shoots -8 on Day 1. That's 8 points for you, well played. But you have also picked Sergio Garcia who keeps finding the water and shoots a round of +3 (-3 points for you), Phil Mickelson who picks up a 2-stroke penalty and finishes on +2 (-2 points for you), and Charel Schwartzel who scores Even par (0 points). That would give you a total of 8 - 3 - 3 + 0 = 2 points.

The Players Championship 2019

TPC Sawgrass is a very difficult track, and previous form at the event doesn't necessarily indicate future success. Players will need a consistent all round game and accuracy off the tee, particularly with approach shots to the narrow greens; holing a few putts wouldn't hurt either.

In truth, picking a winner is very difficult to do, but that will make for a very exciting fantasy game this week.

Here are my picks for Round 1:

Justin Rose: Recently toppled as the World No. 1 by Dustin Johnson, but Johnson is too inconsistent for me to pick him here.

Sergio Garcia: Showing some strong form with two top-tens in his last two outings.

Hideki Matsuyama: Another player with two top tens already this year, and ranks second for strokes gained with his approach shots.

Gary Woodland: Picks are tough in band 4!

At the end of each day's golf, it's a good idea to head back to Superbru and see how you've got on in comparison to others in your pool! After all, how you're getting on against your mates will help to determine who you select for Day 2.



Best of luck to all!