There are essentially two categories of tournaments in the context of gaming.

The more common experience requires deeper knowledge of the field, how the rank and file can contribute and an understanding of the majority of your opponents’ basic strategy. To draw parallels to the real thing, it’s course management – knowing where to attack, accepting where to miss and maintaining a fair sense of what constitutes a zero-sum balance like any Strokes Gained metric. Put in enough time and you’ll develop the sense.

The other is what’s presented at THE PLAYERS Championship this week. The PGA TOUR’s flagship event boasts the best field of all tournaments operated by the PGA TOUR, if not anywhere. With a surplus of household names, it’s the prototypical entry-level offering for anyone who wants to dive in.

For PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live, this means that we’re treated to some of the most favorable odds for some of the most recognizable talents. Sure, algorithms have merit, but they’re generally in place to keep books in business. The dispersion of investment this week allows for the windows to fly open as well.

Go ahead and reach, especially in the weeklong position bets because you can make changes. What’s more, because of the same interdependency that allows for the warm welcome, odds should remain longer than what you’ve experienced in the first three events since the game launched.

Rob and Glass not only share their takes, but they’ve also included links to other published work that goes into even greater detail, which, naturally, helped steer them into the selections that have captured their attention for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live.

Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor their progress as Influencers.

For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here.

WEEKLONG

Outright to win

Glass … Mother Nature (-100000), er, Keegan Bradley (+8000)

I get to lead off the proceedings this week because I collected more gold coins than Rob last week. Big shout out to First Round Leader Rory McIlroy for helping pad the coffers!

This week I've struggled to get a grip on the weather and how this is going to play out over four days. Our game is ABSOUTELY PERFECT for this dilemma, so let's embrace the tools we get to use.

I'm going to send mudder Keegan Bradley to the starting gate. He won the BMW Championship in the slop at Aronimink and rolls in on five straight paydays on both the PGA TOUR and TPC Sawgrass. Gotta start somewhere, and a veteran ball-striker in these conditions makes sense.

Rob … Tom Hoge (+8000)

I had to let Glass win one last week, but I made him sweat it out. All the more rewarding for both of us.

I started reviewing the outrights in the +20000 range and I went in with one swipe-thought – bad-weather player.

I also love me a Northerner in the kind of wind and cold on tap this weekend for a traditional PLAYERS in March. Of course, Hoge just broke through for his first PGA TOUR title at Pebble Beach a month ago, albeit in pristine conditions. He's also 3-for-3 at TPC Sawgrass with a T22 last year, so he knows his way around already.

Hoge also leads the TOUR in red numbers (37), sub-70s (33) and par-3 scoring. Possesses the kind of tee-to-green confidence needed in conditions like this and with so much danger at every railroad tie.

Top 10

Glass … Talor Gooch (+500)

Growing up in Oklahoma and playing college golf in Stillwater should have him ready to flight his ball through whatever Mother Nature serves up.

Played in the final group last week at Bay Hill and was T5 here in his second appearance last year. Usually I'd dig deeper, especially in our format, but the tougher the conditions, the better the ball-striker I need. I've found form, function and value here. And if not, I'll abandon ship and reload! BREAKFAST BALLS FOR EVERYONE!!!

Rob … Kevin Kisner (+1400)

This is strictly a value play. He's in the late-early draw, which might have the edge, but he's has the kind of temperament you want – and need – in the elements.

Performance pending, of course, I don't know how much I'll consider moving off him. The top 10 at TPC Sawgrass always is reflective of the Who's Who that comprises the majority of the field.

Top 20

Rob … Dylan Frittelli (+700)

If an Open Championship is going to break out by Saturday, this could look like a genius move. Of course, I'm prepared (and experienced) to expect the alternative, but the South African is one of my Sleepers for a reason. I advised a top-30 prop in there, but this is what we get here. That's fine because we can modify in-tournament.

He finished T22 in his debut last year and he's popped for a slew of top 20s and top 30s on multiple tours for a few months. That indicates enough form to warrant the selection, but that solo fifth in seriously breezy conditions at Royal St. George's last summer is the clincher.

Glass … Matt Wallace (+850)

Every year, there is a player who pops up on the leaderboard and we all scratch our heads collectively. I get he's missed three straight cuts, but I'm hoping the Englishman embraces the conditions like he did at Bethpage Black at the PGA when he was T3. He's hit the top five at a windy Valero, at monster Quail Hollow and has had plenty of success with target golf in the deserts of the Middle East. T30 on his debut in 2019 included three rounds in the red for T30.

ROUND 1

3-Ball

Glass … Alex Noren (-102) over Peter Malnati and Anirban Lahiri

Not sure I connect the dots here and it always scares me when something looks too good to be true!

Malnati hasn't played the weekend here in three tries and has nothing better than T25 to show on the season. Lahiri's best paycheck is T46 and has MC in four of his five visits. Noren has cashed T5-T48-T6 in his last three on TOUR and has a 10th and T17 here from four visits. Ok, I'll bite!

I don't see most guys finding form in a rain-soaked, potentially delayed, long and wet TPC Sawgrass. (Please let me out of the trap if I become ensnared, Rob!)

Rob … Brooks Koepka (+200) over Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele

When a matchup looks like a misprint when put to my eye test, I'm in. Besides, Koepka might take this week's challenge personally, and I hope he does.

Scheffler is just a sophomore on the course, so I'm not put off by his recent wins, but Schauffele is so consistent that I might pivot if something rattles me in the interim. That said, as I explained in Draws and Fades, I'm going to swing for the fence at every opportunity, especially in R1 props that likely won't make the difference between success and failure, anyway.

Leader

Rob … Tommy Fleetwood (+8000)

Although Rory McIlroy doesn't surprise anyone when he's the R1 leader, as he was at Bay Hill last week, it is impressive that Glass handed him to you in last week's Pick 'Em Preview. (It's also evidence that Glass learned to remember to save his picks. See: Niemann, Joaquin; 3-ball; Genesis).

Fleetwood's short but impactful history at THE PLAYERS includes a share of the R1 lead in 2019, but I'm sold on the fact that he goes out in the second threesome off the 10th tee on Thursday morning. He'll be among the first to post, but even before that, I'll have flexibility to play the field if he's not in contention to lead.

Glass … Hideki Matsuyama (+4000)

Closed with one of the few rounds in the red at Bay Hill in tough conditions after being beaten up most of the week. His last five rounds here are 66 and 67 (in 2019), the course-record-tying 63 to open the canceled 2020 edition, and 76 and 69 last year, so four of his last five rounds have been stellar in March. That's enough of an angle in a field of this depth and the conditions at hand. With a 7:40 a.m. tee time, I'm even more encouraged! I'm hoping to add to my FRL bounty from last week!

Excellent point about going early and pivoting as well, Rob. Perfect theory when weather, delays and truncated rounds could be in play.

Make the Cut

Glass … Chris Kirk (-174)

Thumbed his nose at the conditions at Honda (T7) and API (T5), and wasn't bothered. In Horses for Courses, I pointed out that he's cashed in his last four visits and has MC twice in only 10 overall. Time to improve on T12 as his best finish!

Rob … Chris Kirk (-174)

There's no such thing as a sure thing at TPC Sawgrass, but as the wise man once said, this ain’t rocket surgery.