Brilliant 63 makes Simpson a massive favorite to win The Players
Webb Simpson's brilliant round of 9-under 63 has oddsmakers impressed, as the 32-year-old has been installed as a 7-4 favorite to win The Players Championship with 36 holes to play.
Simpson ended Round 1 in a six-way tie for the lead but sits atop the leaderboard by five strokes after tying the course record Friday afternoon.
While five strokes seems like a massive advantage, Simpson is just 1-for-10 in his career at converting 36-hole leads or co-leads into wins, so the rest of the field does have some hope entering the weekend.
Despite sitting seven shots off the pace, Jason Day is next on the betting board at 15-2, while Patrick Cantlay is 10-1 at 10-under. Dustin Johnson, certainly a man capable of posting a low round, is at 14-1 alongside Charl Schwartzel and Alex Noren.
Here's how the top of the betting board breaks down heading into Saturday.
| Player | Odds | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Webb Simpson | 7-4 | 1st |
| Jason Day | 15-2 | T8 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 10-1 | T2 |
| Dustin Johnson | 14-1 | T11 |
| Charl Schwartzel | 14-1 | T2 |
| Alex Noren | 14-1 | T5 |
| Chesson Hadley | 22-1 | T5 |
| Charles Howell III | 33-1 | T5 |
| Sergio Garcia | 33-1 | T11 |
| Henrik Stenson | 33-1 | T17 |
| Jon Rahm | 33-1 | T17 |
| Danny Lee | 33-1 | T2 |
(Odds courtesy: Bodog)