PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The weather is finally warming up on the East Coast, and the PGA Tour is heading to The Players, the main event at Pete Dye’s Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
While there has been much debate about whether The Players should be considered the fifth major championship in the sport, there will no doubt be a lot at stake in the 123-player field starting Thursday.
Players have a $25 million purse, of which $4.5 million and 750 FedEx Cup points go to the winner.
Rory McIlroy is the defending champion after defeating JJ Spawn in a playoff on Monday last year.
There will be a lot of interest in what happens off the track this week as well. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp will address the media on Wednesday, where he is expected to reveal part of his vision for the future of the tour.
Here are the main contenders to win The Players:
The world No. 1 golfer notched his 20th PGA Tour win in his first start of the season at American Express on January 22. He will attempt to become only the second three-time Players winner – joining Jack Nicklaus (1974, 76 and 78) – after becoming the first back-to-back champion in 2023 and 24. The four-time major champion has four straight opening rounds of 70 or worse. Maybe he’s simply giving the rest of the field a chance?
The defending Players Championship winner appears to be gaining momentum for his upcoming defenses at both TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National Golf Club with a tie for second place at the Genesis Invitational. But he then had to withdraw before the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday due to lower back spasms. McIlroy said he felt tingling in the gym and his condition worsened while hitting balls at the range. His health will be a major story this week. McIlroy could also join the Golden Bear as the only other three-time winners.
After earning his first PGA Tour win at the Tour Championship last season, Fleetwood picked up where he left off by tying for fourth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and for seventh at the Genesis Invitational. His last top-10 finish at TPC Sawgrass was a solo fifth place in 2019.
A painful rib injury derailed Schauffele’s 2025 season, but the two-time major champion’s outing showed signs of life when he tied for seventh in the Genesis. He has been inaccurate from the tee so far this season. Schauffele is a two-time runner-up at the Players Championship in 2018 and 2024.
The two-time major champion won at Pebble Beach on February 22, his first win on Tour since October 2023. Switching to using a hammer — which Morikawa said he “stole” from his good friend Curt Kitayama — eventually helped him get back into the winner’s circle. He tied for 10th at 7 under at the 2025 Players Championship, his best finish at TPC Sawgrass.
Knapp was off to a great start this season – finishing worse than 11th in each of his first five starts – until he was forced to withdraw before the opening round for Arnold Palmer due to illness. Heading into that tournament at Bay Hill, Knapp ranked third in strokes gained: total (2,183), fourth in putting (1,095) and eighth in driving distance (319.4 yards). He tied for 12th at the 2025 Players Championship, his second start in the event.
Even before Bhatia claimed his third PGA Tour win at Bay Hill, he seemed headed toward potential stardom. After back-to-back missed cuts to start the season, Bhatia’s form has been tremendous over the past month. He has three top-10 finishes in his past four starts, including a tie for third at Phoenix. He tied for third at the Players Championship last season at 10 under in just his second start at TPC Sawgrass.
Personal reasons caused Straka to be out for an extended period until the end of the 2025 season, but he has started to catch on as of late. He was runner-up at Pebble Beach and tied for 13th at Bay Hill. Additionally, TPC Sawgrass seems to fit his eye. He has finished 16th or better in three of his past four starts at The Players.
The Scottish golfer had some moments during the West Coast swing, finishing fourth at the Sony Open in Hawaii and 20th at the Genesis Invitational. His iron play wasn’t great. He was 141st in Strokes Gained: Close (-.575) heading to Bay Hill. But McIntyre has been playing great, and he moved up the charts last season, finishing ninth at 8 under.
The 45-year-old continues to play some of the best golf of his career. He earned his 13th PGA Tour win with a 7-shot win at the Farmers Insurance Open on January 29. His iron play was excellent. The English golfer has missed the cut in three of his past five starts at TPC Sawgrass, but has also had a pair of top-10s.
Bridgeman made his breakthrough at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club near Los Angeles, holding off McIlroy and Kitayama for one win, his first on Tour. The 26-year-old former Clemson star has six top-25 players in as many games this season. He led the tour in Strokes Gained:Put (1,276) heading into Bay Hill last week. It will be his second start for The Players.
Just when it looked like Gotterup might cool off after his hot start, in which he won the Sony Open in Hawaii and the WM Phoenix Open, he is back near the top of the leaderboard at Bay Hill. Gotterup has been one of the best golfers to ever hit the Tour off the tee, ranking fifth in driving distance (322 yards) to Arnold Palmer. He missed the cut in his first start in the Players in 2025.
Åberg withdrew from American Express due to illness in his first start of the season and had an uneven start to 2026. He turned things around by tying for 20th at the Genesis Invitational and tying for third at Bay Hill. His stats haven’t been great so far, but he finished solo eighth at 5 under in his first start with the Players in 2024. He’ll have home-field advantage this week after getting closer to the fairway.
Matsuyama has cooled off a bit after a hot opening period to the season. He never finished worse than 11th in his first four starts, including a playoff loss to Gotterup on the first hole of the playoff in Phoenix. Matsuyama has a good record at TPC Sawgrass, with seven top-25 finishes in 11 starts. He missed the cut last year, having tied for sixth in 2024 and finishing solo fifth in 2023.
Lowry was probably still hurting from his late collapse at the Cognizant Classic — he had a three-stroke lead with three holes to play and lost to Nico Echavarria by two — and when he missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer last week. The Irish golfer has performed well in 2026, especially with his irons and putters, and has earned four top-20 finishes in his past five starts at The Players.
Kim, the 2017 Players Championship winner, is off to a great start this season. He had five finishes in the top 13, including a tie for second at the Farmers Insurance Open and for third at the WM Phoenix Open. His last win on the tour came at the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii.
The 2022 US Open winner is back to being one of the best ball strikers in the world. Entering Arnold Palmer, he ranked fourth in strokes gained: approach (1,120) and fifth in tee-to-green (1,731). He has missed the cut in three of his past five starts at Players and was in the top 10 in the other two.
Hovland did not wait long to make big changes this season, as he moved from swing coach Grant White to his former coach TJ Yeaton, according to Golfweek.com. Hovland was also using Bay Hill’s old Ping driver. Hovland was apparently frustrated after failing to compete in two marquee events, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational. Although he missed the cut at TPC Sawgrass last year, he tied for third in 2023 and ninth in 2022.
Conners got off to a good start this season by tying for 24th at the Sony Open in Hawaii for a career high. However, the Canadian golfer is still one of the best iron players in the world, and he could turn things around. He has finished 13th or better in three of his past five starts at TPC Sawgrass.
Young finally won the PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship in August, then was one of the top players on the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup. His form appears to be heating up with back-to-back top 10 finishes at the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer. TPC Sawgrass has puzzled him so far. He has not finished above 50 in four starts.
Two things seem almost certain at TPC Sawgrass: a lot of balls will be hit into the water on the 17th island green, and Hoge will be somewhere on the leaderboard. Despite falling to 95th in the Official World Golf Rankings, players seem to be bringing out the best in Hogg. He tied for third in 2023 after carding a 10-under 62 in the third round, a tournament record. Hogue tied for third again last year, two strokes out of a playoff.
The US Open champion has gotten off to a slow start this season, losing three times in five starts. He finished no better than tied for 40th in his other two matches. Spaun is able to turn things around at TPC Sawgrass, losing to McIlroy in a three-hole playoff at Monday’s finale in the 2025 Players Championship.
It was another comeback for Fowler, who played well in two FedEx Cup qualifying events at the end of 2025. This season, he has four top 20s and has finished no higher than 28th. He is tied for ninth in the API. He hits his irons well and ranks in the top 25 in strokes gained: putting (.701). Fowler has had just one top-45 finish since winning a playoff spot in 2015.
English’s results this season have been as consistent as his game: he has finished outside the top 28 in each of his first six starts. Players were a nightmare for the English until the last couple of years. He missed the cut in seven straight tournaments before finishing 19th in 2024 and 30th last year.
Henley, ranked seventh in the world, did well on the West Coast, finishing 19th at Pebble Beach and eighth at American Express. Henley’s performance at TPC Sawgrass was also mixed. He had seven missed cuts in his first 13 matches. His best finish was a tie for 13th in 2022.
