The 2023 Players Championship is next on the agenda for the PGA Tour, with the world's best converging on TPC Sawgrass this week for a chance at a record payday. The fight for the world's top ranking continues, and current No. 1 Jon Rahm faltered last week, so Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will be among those looking to take advantage. Both finished in the top five at the Arnold Palmer, and so did Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay, and all are among the many stars filling out the Players Championship 2023 field. The $25 million purse ($4.5 million to the winner) is the highest until the $75 million Tour Championship.

The event tees off Thursday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Rahm and McIlroy are the 17-2 co-favorites, with Scheffler right behind at 10-1, in the latest 2023 Players Championship odds from Caesars Sportsbook. The rest of the Players Championship 2023 field is much further back, with Cantlay (19-1), Justin Thomas (19-1) and Max Homa (19-1) the only others shorter than 20-1.

Before you lock in any 2023 Players Championship picks, make sure you check out the PGA Tour predictions and best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald.

After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. 

McDonald takes a measured approach to his outright selections and is having a profitable 2022-23 season. He is up almost 19 units this season, meaning a profit of nearly $1,900 for $100 bettors! 

McDonald NAILED the Farmers Insurance Open, backing Homa (25-1) as his top choice! The expert also just missed a MASSIVE 130-1 score at the Sony Open when Hayden Buckley finished as runner-up. He hit another 25-1 shot at the Houston Open, taking Tony Finau to win.

The expert finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on his outrights, including a MONSTER 250-1 payout on Hudson Swafford at The American Express. Anyone who follows McDonald's advice has been cashing in!

Now, McDonald has pored over the 2023 Players Championship field for the best value and locked in his best bets and favorites to avoid. One thing we can tell you is that McDonald is fading Thomas, the 2021 Players champion! The one-time world No. 1 and two-time major winner has been lingering around the top 25 all season, but he has rarely contended. McDonald doesn't see any reason that would change this week.    

Instead, McDonald is jumping on several several underdogs, including two longshots who come in at odds of more than 30-1! One of these golfers continues to find his form and "showed flashes of brilliance' last week at Bay Hill. This player could pull off a STUNNING victory and cash in HUGE for anyone who backs him! You ABSOLUTELY need to see who it is before locking in any Players Championship 2023 picks of your own!

So which 2023 Players Championship players should you target or avoid? And which golfer in the Players Championship 2023 field could bring a massive payday of around 40-1? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Patrick McDonald's top picks for the 2023 Players Championship, all from the expert up almost $1,900 for the 2022-23 season, and find out!