Good afternoon! Welcome to Shanks. It’s Players Championship week. The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and it finally feels like golf season has arrived. We can feel our seasonal depression lifting as we type. Winter is finally over.

Here's what we've got for ya today:

• Preview and Bets: The Players Championship

• Jay Monahan, The Politician

• Shots Heard Round The World

• The Best Golf Teacher?

• Five Iron Golf Raises $20 Million

• Thing We’d Buy If We Weren’t Broke

Preview and Bets: The Players Championship

🚩 Location: TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course

💰 Purse: $25M - $4.5M to first.

👑 Previous Winner: Scottie Scheffler

👀 Watch On: Golf Channel, NBC, ESPN+

The Players Field & How To Watch

The world’s golf spotlight shines on Ponte Vedra, Florida this week.

Yes, come one, come all, to the home of PGA Tour Headquarters and hot local cougars in your area who want to meet you.

The occasion? The 50th edition of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

We’ve got a full field of 144 golfers, a historic venue, and a lot of money on the line.

It is the unofficial 5th major, after all, and the hype is real.

Although, a more cynical writer would point out that it’s not really the “strongest field in golf” anymore. That title belongs to the four majors alone these days, due to the LIV exodus.

It’s still “one of the best fields in golf” although that’s not nearly as marketable of a phrase for the PGA Tour. So they continue to roll with the original tagline.

Tee Times and Pairings For The First Two Rounds

Pro Tip: The tee times are worth paying attention to this week as 14/16 recent winners had AM/PM times. Interestingly, Scottie Scheffler is a PM/AM guy this week.

The Players Favorites

Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, and Max Homa.

How To Watch The Players Championship

Thursday, March 14: 1-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Friday, March 15: 1-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday, March 16: 2-7 p.m. ET (NBC)
Sunday, March 17: 1-6 p.m. ET (NBC)

Previous Winners 

2021 - Justin Thomas

2022 - Cam Smith

2023 - Scottie Scheffler

Weather Report

As you can see, there’s a chance of rain & thunderstorms on Saturday. Weather Channel says they could develop later in the day.

Shanks Picks

The Caddyshanks Braintrust is back with another week of picks.

Shanks is up 38.79 Units on the year. All odds via Fanduel.

Winner: Will Zalatoris +3300

Monday, we said we think he’s gonna win something soon. He’s been putting better for sure, but Sawgrass does seem to get the better of him. According to Justin Ray on X, nobody has missed more putts from 5-10 feet at Sawgrass than Will over the last three years. So, why are we picking him?

Because this is comeback season baby! The broomstick will tame the Sawgrass greens and the pain of dropping a four stroke lead last week will strengthen his resolve. Okay, if you’re not sold… You can also hedge with Max Homa +2500 if you want.

Top-Five: Hideki Matsuyama +800

The recent form pick of the week. Hideki has been on a bit of a tear lately.

Top-Ten: Doug Ghim +800

Here’s a fun fact for you. Doug Ghim has four straight top-twenty finishes.

Top Twenty: Min Woo Lee +200

Min Woo has been hot lately and we think the Chef can easily land top-twenty this week.

Longshot: Jason Day +6000

Maybe it was the hype video he posted earlier today, maybe it’s the fact that he’s won The Players before, maybe it’s just because he feels like a great buy low candidate this week.

Make The Cut Parlay: Ben An, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, and Rory McIlroy to all make the cut. +336

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Jay Monahan, The Politician

As I was watching his annual presser yesterday and reading through the reactions on social media, a thought popped into my head.

“I’ve seen this behavior before, every time I see a politician on TV”.

You know, where they talk a lot, but don’t actually say a damned thing?

Of course, the same accusation could be made about Jay Monahan’s contemporaries - Roger Goodell of the NFL and Rob Manfred of the MLB.

Jay is not unique in this way.

They all have the same fork-tongued, slimy, energy as a career politician and all three are detested by fans, the only voters who should matter.

In the case of Jay Monahan, the guy only talks to the media twice a year and the things he said yesterday could’ve been pulled straight from any political candidate you’ve heard jabber over the course of your life.

He even called golf fans a “constituent”.

“I want to speak directly to our fans, our most important constituent, and ones that maybe haven’t felt their voices heard lately,” he said. “All of this talk about investment and growth, I want you to know that we’re focusing that energy on bringing forth the most competitive and entertaining Tour possible for you. It’s my commitment and it’s our players’ commitment.”

Vague, rosy words without any specifics. How familiar.

He also said he couldn’t really talk about the Saudi PIF deal, because negotiations are ongoing. So he said this instead.

“We have a shared vision to quiet the noise and unlock golf's worldwide potential.” He also added that discussions with PIF were “accelerating”.

Was there any positives? Yes, he acknowledged one fact.

“Fans are tired of hearing about conflict, money, and who is getting what. They want to watch the world’s best golfers compete in tournaments with history, meaning, and legacies on the line at venues they recognize and love.”

Shots Heard Round The World

RORY MCILROY AND XANDER SCHAUFFELE DISAGREE OVER JAY

GOLF DIGEST ASKED FANS FOR THEIR OPINION ON LIV VS. PGA

MY GOLF SPY: MOST WANTED DRIVERS 2024

Five Iron Golf Raises $20 Million

For those unfamiliar, Five Iron Golf is a really fun concept. It’s indoor simulator golf, but with a full bar, a bunch of TV’s inside, and good food.

They have locations in Philly, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, Vegas, and DC.

The Best Golf Teacher?

Pay attention Marooch!

Thing We'd Buy If We Weren't Broke

Okay, this one’s funny.

Metalwood has been featured in this section a bunch of times because they are constantly releasing new stuff, most of which is really fun and unique.

Like the bright orange “Mojo Hat” they just dropped.

But this tee? This one is for all the married dudes out there.

Order Now.

That’s all folks! See you Saturday Morning.