PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The weather is finally warming up on the East Coast, and the PGA Tour heads to The Players, its main event on Pete Dye's Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
While there has been much debate about whether The Players should be considered the sport's fifth major, there is no doubt that there will be a lot at stake for the 123-man field starting Thursday.
The Players have a purse of 25 million dollars, of which 4.5 million and 750 FedEx Cup points will go to the winner.
Rory McIlroy is the defending champion after defeating JJ Spaun in a tiebreaker on Monday last year.
There will also be a lot of attention on what happens off the field this week. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp will address the media on Wednesday, when he is expected to reveal some of his vision for the tour's future.
Here are the top contenders to win The Players:
The world's No. 1 golfer earned his 20th PGA Tour victory in his first start of the season at the American Express on Jan. 22. He'll try to become the Players' second three-time winner – he would join Jack Nicklaus (1974, 1976 and 1978) – after becoming the first back-to-back champion in 2023 and 2024. The four-time Major champion has four consecutive opening rounds of 70 or worse. Maybe he's just giving the rest of the field a chance?
The defending Players Championship winner appeared to be building momentum for his upcoming defenses at both TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National Golf Club with a tie for second at the Genesis Invitational. But he was then forced to withdraw before the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday due to lower back spasms. McIlroy said he felt a twinge in the gym and the condition worsened while hitting balls on the field. Your health will be an important topic this week. McIlroy can also join the Golden Bear as the only other three-time winner.
After earning his first PGA Tour victory at last season's Tour Championship, Fleetwood picked up where he left off by tying for fourth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and seventh at the Genesis Invitational. His last top-10 finish at TPC Sawgrass was a solo fifth-place finish in 2019.
A painful rib injury derailed Schauffele's 2025 season, but the two-time major champion's game showed signs of life as he tied for seventh at the Genesis. So far this season, he has been inaccurate off the tee. Schauffele is a two-time Players runner-up in 2018 and 2024.
The two-time major champion won at Pebble Beach on Feb. 22, his first tour victory since October 2023. A switch to a mallet putter (Morikawa said he “stole” it from his good friend Kurt Kitayama) helped him finally return to the winner's circle. He tied for 10th at 7 under par at the 2025 Players Championship, his best finish at TPC Sawgrass.
Knapp had an excellent start this season (finishing no worse than 11th in each of his first five starts) until he was forced to withdraw before the first round of the 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 distance traveled (319.4 yards). He tied for 12th at the 2025 Players Championship, his second start in the event.
Even before Bhatia earned his third PGA Tour victory at Bay Hill, he seemed headed toward potential stardom. After missing consecutive cuts at the start of the season, Bhatia's form has been tremendous over the last month. He had three top-10 finishes in his last four starts, including a tie for third at Phoenix. He tied for third in last season's Players Championship at 10 under in just his second start at TPC Sawgrass.
Personal reasons caused Straka to sit out for a stretch towards the end of the 2025 season, but he has been warming up lately. He was runner-up at Pebble Beach and tied for 13th at Bay Hill. Also, TPC Sawgrass seems to fit your eye. He finished 16th or better in three of his last four starts at the Players.
The Scottish golfer had some moments during the West Coast swing, tying for fourth at the Sony Open in Hawaii and 20th at the Genesis Invitational. His game with the iron has not been very good. He ranked 141st in strokes gained: approach (-.575) heading into Bay Hill. But MacIntyre has been playing very well and enjoyed a breakthrough in the Players last season, tying for ninth at 8 under par.
The 45-year-old continues to play some of the best golf of his career. He earned his 13th victory on the PGA Tour with a 7-stroke victory at the Farmers Insurance Open on January 29. His iron play has been stellar. The English golfer missed the cut in three of his last five starts at TPC Sawgrass, but he also posted 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 a one-stroke victory, his first on tour. The 26-year-old former Clemson star has six top-25 finishes in as many starts this season. He led the tour in strokes gained: putting (1,276) heading into Bay Hill last week. It will be his second start at The Players.
Just when it looked like Gotterup might be cooling off after his torrid start, in which he won the Sony Open in Hawaii and the WM Phoenix Open, he returned to near the top of the leaderboard at Bay Hill. Gotterup has been one of the tour's best golfers off the tee, ranking fifth in distance covered (322 yards) heading into the Arnold Palmer. He missed the cut in his first start for the Players in 2025.
Åberg withdrew from American Express due to illness in his first start this season and had a mixed start into 2026. He has 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 only eighth at 5 under par in his first Players start in 2024. He'll have home field advantage this week after moving close to the Stadium Course.
Matsuyama cooled off a bit after a hot early stretch of the season. He finished no worse than 11th in his first four starts, including a playoff loss to Gotterup on the first hole of a playoff at Phoenix. Matsuyama has a good track record at TPC Sawgrass, where he has seven top 25s in 11 starts. He missed the cut last year, after tying for sixth in 2024 and finishing solo fifth in 2023.
Lowry was probably still smarting from his late collapse at the Cognizant Classic (he had a three-shot lead with three holes left and lost to Nico Echavarría by two) and when he missed the cut at last week's Arnold Palmer. The Irish golfer has otherwise performed well in 2026, especially with his irons and putter, and has four top-20 finishes in his last five starts at Players.
Kim, winner of the 2017 Players Championship, is off to a great start this season. He had five top-13 finishes, including a tie for second at the Farmers Insurance Open and third at the WM Phoenix Open. His last victory on tour came at the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii.
The winner of the 2022 US Open has once again been one of the best strikers in the world. Entering the Arnold Palmer, he ranked fourth in strokes gained – approach (1,120) and fifth in tee-to-green (1,731). He missed the cut in three of his last five starts at Players and was in the top 10 in the other two.
Hovland didn't wait long to make significant changes this season, moving from swing coach Grant Waite to TJ Yeaton, his former coach, according to Golfweek. Hovland was also using his old Ping controller at Bay Hill. Hovland reportedly became frustrated after failing to compete in two signature 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 is off to a so-so start this season, with a tie for 24th at the Sony Open in Hawaii as his highest mark. Still, the Canadian golfer has been one of the best iron players in the world and can turn things around. He finished 13th or better in three of his last five starts at TPC Sawgrass.
Young finally won on the PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship in August and then was one of the best players on the American team at the Ryder Cup. His form appears to be improving with consecutive top 10s at the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer. TPC Sawgrass has stumped him so far; he has not finished in the top 50 in four starts.
At TPC Sawgrass there seem to be almost two certainties: a lot of balls will hit the water on the island-green 17th, and Hoge will be somewhere in the standings. Although he has fallen to No. 95 in the Official World Golf Rankings, players seem to bring out the best in Hoge. He tied for third place in 2023 after shooting a 10-under 62 in the third round, a tournament record. Hoge tied for third again last year, two strokes away from a playoff.
The reigning US Open winner has had a slow start this season, missing three cuts in five starts. He finished no better than tied for 40th in the other two. Spaun is capable of turning things around at TPC Sawgrass, where he lost to McIlroy in a three-hole aggregate playoff at the end of the 2025 Players Championship on Monday.
It's been another resurgence for Fowler, who played well in two FedEx Cup playoff events at the end of 2025. This season, he has four top 20s and has not finished lower than 28th. He tied for ninth in the API. He is hitting his irons well and ranks in the top 25 in strokes gained: putting (.701). Fowler has only one top-45 finish in the Players since winning in a playoff in 2015.
English's results this season have been as steady as his play: He hasn't finished outside the top 28 in each of his first six starts. The Players had been a nightmare for the English until the last two years. He missed the cut in seven consecutive tournaments before tying for 19th in 2024 and 30th last year.
Henley, ranked seventh in the world, had a good swing on the West Coast, tying for 19th at Pebble Beach and eighth at American Express. Henley's performance at TPC Sawgrass has also been mixed. He missed seven cuts in his first 13 starts; their best finish was a tie for 13th in 2022.
