5 longshots to win The Players Championship

Few championships are more unpredictable than in golf. Mother Nature, mistakes, lapses in judgement, bad days - they all contribute to a round. You need four complete rounds of practically flawless golf to win a championship.

Surprises come out of the woodwork every weekend and a stage like The Players is the perfect place for a golfer to make his mark.

Here are five longshots with a chance to win The Players Championship:

Kevin Na

The one thing Kevin Na has been this season is consistent. He may be criticized and penalized for slow play on the course, but it's working for him. At 31 years old, Na has one PGA Tour win (2011) and four second-place finishes.

Na turned pro in 2001 and won his first tour championship 10 years later at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. A back injury halted him in 2013, but he's in fine form this season, finishing at par or better in 10 of 14 tour events.

Na's worst round of golf was during round four at the Valero Texas Open, when he carded a 76. He's missed only four cuts. His driving accuracy dropped down to 53.57 percent at the Wells Fargo Championship, although his drives have steadily been longer. He's also one of golf's top scramblers. 

The most encouraging part of Na's game is he averages a 35 on both the front and back nine. Consistency may win him The Players.

Rory McIlroy

While he's not a longshot at first glance, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy made the cut for the first and only time at TPC Sawgrass last year. He missed the cut in 2012, after making 22 consecutive cuts on tour. He famously skipped the tournament in 2011, frustrated at being unable to figure the tough course out. 

TPC Sawgrass and McIlroy are not the best of friends, and his 2014 season hasn't been kind either. He won four tour events in 2012, and was thought to be an emerging force on tour, but since then the best he's done is two runner-up finishes. After his third consecutive top-10 finish last week, McIlroy told reporters it was "... fine, whatever."

"Whatever" is never good. 

McIlroy has let himself down with errant tee shots, untimely bogeys, and a terrible short game. His season has been mediocre, but at some point something has to give. Beating his greatest enemy might get him back on track.

Jonas Blixt

Sweden's Jonas Blixt's best outing of the season came at the Masters. He finished tied for second after carding six bogeys on the back nine through four rounds. While it wasn't the finish he was hoping for, with a chance to win his first green jacket, Blixt enjoyed a solid final round, with two birdies and only one bogey, and shot a 35 on the back nine. 

Blixt has been cut five times through eight events this season. He's not had a great start but is a player that thrives off the pressure at large events. He finished fourth at the PGA Championship in August last season and his performance at his first Masters may serve him well at The Players.

Blixt as been on a full tour schedule for the last three years and is just getting in the swing of being invited to majors and high-profile events. At this point, what the 30-year-old needs is tour experience, which is exactly what he's getting.

Jason Kokrak

He may have the best last name on tour. And Canadian-born American Jason Kokrak has some game, too, finishing in the top 25 in nine of 15 events this season. His best finish to date was placing fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. 

Kokrak had just six top-25 finishes last season and, like Blixt, is beginning his fourth year on a full our schedule since turning pro in 2008.

He struggled with driving accuracy (32.14 percent) at the Wells Fargo Championship last weekend, but managed to finish tied for 23rd. He's finished over par at only four of his 15 events. Experience, again, will pay off for Kokrak.

Say 'krak again. 'Krak. 

Keegan Bradley

Keegan Bradley's flat-brimmed hat, his little dance, and a twirl of his club before he takes his shots shouldn't fool you. He's on his way to a promising career once he figures out the secret to golf: consistency.

Bradley's finished in the top 10 three times through 13 events this season. He's finished only three of this 13 events over par. He missed the cut at the Masters, but finished second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and tied for eighth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Three bogeys and a double-bogey on Sunday didn't help him in Louisiana, but Bradley's driving accuracy last weekend (67.86 percent), should he continue to hit the ball well, could put him in good position at TPC Sawgrass.