Handicapping contenders, picking winner

There is no horse for the diabolical Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

Only six players have won The Players Championship at least twice, with only Jack Nicklaus winning three times. The best player of his generation, Tiger Woods won in 2001 and ’13 but has only three other top-10 finishes among his 17 starts in the PGA Tour’s flagship event.

Phil Mickelson was the champion in 2007 and later said he couldn’t believe he won around the place. Jordan Spieth finished in a tie for fourth in his tournament debut in 2014 but has missed the cut the last three years. Rory McIlroy missed the cut in his first three appearances. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson doesn’t have a top-10 in nine starts.

The Pete Dye handiwork and all of its humps, bumps, doglegs, sharp edges and H2O simply doesn’t favor any player, so picking a winner is certainly not easy. But we’ll give it a go with our top players to watch and our selection of the champion.

Top players to watch

Jason Day: The 2016 Players champion is on a roll, with two victories this year, including last weekend’s Wells Fargo Championship. His blend of power and touch makes him a contender any week. He said he’s so close to being the player he was in 2015 when he won five times, including his first major, and became world No. 1.

Sergio Garcia: At least we know he’ll make it to the weekend — he’s made 14 consecutive cuts, the longest active streak for the event. He’s also won the most money in the tournament —

$5,319,153. The 2017 Masters champion and 2008 Players champion is a husband and father now so his priorities have changed. But he still has a passion for golf and remains one of the best ballstrikers of his generation.

Justin Thomas: All that firepower — length, birdie machine, strong putter — will carry him to the winner’s circle one of these years. His tie for third in 2016 is his best finish in three starts. He made

10 birdies in the third round in 2015 and has shot 65 twice. The world No. 2 and reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year has seven wins in his last 35 starts on the Tour, including two this season. And he lost in a playoff.

Patrick Reed: He’s never played well at TPC Sawgrass — two missed cuts and two ties in the 20s — but he’s never played better than he’s playing now. The reigning Masters champion has five consecutive top-10s and is again putting great after getting his eyes checked and getting contacts. Could join Woods as the only players to win the Masters and The Players in the same year.

Rickie Fowler: It’s hit or miss for him here at TPC Sawgrass. He won in

2015 and finished in a tie for second in

2012 but has missed the cut four times and finished north of 60th in two other starts. He’s in good form, having finished second in the Masters and getting into contention last weekend in the Wells Fargo. This year is a hit instead of a miss for Fowler.

And our winner

Dustin Johnson: His résumé here doesn’t scream winner, that’s for sure. While he’s won 17 PGA Tour titles and the 2016 U.S. Open, his best finish in The Players is a tie for 12th. But it came last year so let’s call it a mini-trend. The world No. 1 just has too much talent, too much length, too much of everything you need to contend here. He can keep the driver in his bag and still overpower the course. He’s won this season and he’s fresh off a three-week break where he spent time with his family in the Bahamas. He got over his major championship bugaboo in 2016. He gets over his Players Championship bugaboo this week.