Golf best bets: Long shots to target for the Players Championship

We weren't able to hit an outright bet at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but we had some success with long shots thanks to Tom Hoge cashing our top-20 ticket at +210 odds. Now we head to iconic TPC Sawgrass for the Players Championship, one of the toughest tournaments on the PGA Tour to predict. 

Course history doesn't mean much at TPC Sawgrass, so we're gravitating toward in-form players who will have the confidence to tackle this Pete Dye masterpiece. Here are two long shots we're targeting with outright and finishing position bets for the Players. 

Doug Ghim (+11000 FanDuel)

Doug Ghim missed four straight cuts just a few months ago, but he found something at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. Since then, he's recorded four straight top-16 finishes and has been striping the ball from tee to green.

Ghim gained strokes off the tee and on approach in all four starts during that stretch. He ranked fourth in the field at the Mexico Open in strokes gained on approach en route to a T8 finish. On the season, Ghim ranks 12th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approach, 13th in driving accuracy and third in total strokes gained. The key to surviving at TPC Sawgrass is to control your ball from tee to green and stay away from the water, and there aren't many players hitting it better than Ghim right now. 

Top-20 finish: +330
Top-40 finish: +100

Andrew Novak (+22000 FD)

Put some respect on Andrew Novak's name!

You might not be familiar with Novak, but he's been one of the best tee-to-green performers on the PGA Tour to start the season. He ranks fourth in strokes gained from tee to green, fourth in strokes gained on approach and sixth in strokes gained around the greens. The only players that have been better than Novak from tee to green this year are Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele. End of list.

Novak is coming off three straight top-10 finishes. He's never felt more confident on the golf course, so we're riding the hot hand on a course that rewards great ball striking. 

Top-20 finish: +550
Top-40 finish: +160