5 golfers who over-performed at The Players Championship 2024, ft. Maverick McNealy

THE PLAYERS Championship - Round Three
Maverick McNealy during the Players Championship

The Players Championship 2024 concluded on Sunday, March 17, after Scottie Scheffler became the first player in the tournament's history to defend his title. He aggregated at 20-under over the four days and 72 holes to beat Brian Harman, Xander Schauffele, and Wyndham Clark by one stroke.

Although the Players Championship 2024 had the usual names at the top of the leaderboard, a few players punched above their weight and stunned many oddsmakers this week.

In this article, we will look at five players who overperformed at the Players Championship 2024.


5 golfers who outperformed at The Players Championship 2024

#1 Maverick McNealy

Maverick McNealy during the final round of the Players Championship
Maverick McNealy during the final round of the Players Championship

Before entering this week, Maverick McNealy was +18,000 to win the title. In CBS' odds list, he was placed at T66. However, over the four days, he carded 67, 68, 68, and 72 to finish joint-ninth at TPC Sawgrass. It could have been much better if he had not slipped five spots below after shooting an even-par round on Sunday.

This was McNealy's second-best finish of the season after having finished T6 at the WM Phoenix Open last month.


#2 Joel Dahmen

Joel Dahmen had a good week at the TPC Sawgrass
Joel Dahmen had a good week at the TPC Sawgrass

Joel Dahmen was not even expected to make the cut at the Players Championship 2024, let alone perform any better. This was understandable given his recent results, where he had already missed three cuts and none of the finishes were inside the top 40.

Dahmen started on expected lines and shot 74 in the first round. He needed a great second round to save himself. However, he had a turnaround from here as he fired back-to-back 67s before shooting 68 on Sunday to finish T11 this week.


#3 Nate Lashley

Nate Lashley during the The Players Championship Final Round
Nate Lashley during the The Players Championship Final Round

Ahead of this week, Nate Lashley had a T3 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open this season. However, he had missed the cut in the six other events he appeared in, including four back-to-back missed cuts in his last four starts. So, being in the bottom half of the favorites at TPC Sawgrass was not a surprise in Lashley's case.

However, Lashley surprised all the experts as he finished at T13 after aggregating at 11-under. He also bagged $489,583 for his incredible efforts at the Players.


#4 Dylan Wu

Dylan Wu during the Mexico Open at Vidanta
Dylan Wu during the Mexico Open at Vidanta

Dylan Wu was another player with no expectations at the Players Championship. He had missed three out of six cuts ahead of this week and was +80,000 for the event.

Wu started well with a 69 on Thursday, but a 74 in the second round put him among the names who were able to make the cut by just one stroke. However, he made sure it was the only blemish this week, as he went on to fire 69 and 67 to conclude the event at T19.


#5 Matt NeSmith

Matt NeSmith at the American Express: Final Round
Matt NeSmith at the American Express: Final Round

Matt NeSmith was another player who outperformed many heavyweights at TPC Sawgrass. With scores of 73, 67, 38, and 72, he finished T26 at an aggregate of 8 under. It could have been even better if he had not made two bogeys and a double in the last seven holes on Sunday.

The joint-26th finish at the Players Championship 2024 is NeSmith's best result since the Zozo Championship last October.

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Edited by Shobhit Kukreti
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