The First Look: THE PLAYERS Championship

It’s the 50th anniversary of THE PLAYERS Championship.

And what a way to celebrate.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler returns to TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course looking to become the first golfer to go back-to-back at THE PLAYERS after his impressive triumph at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard – where he won by five shots.

With 750 FedExCup points on the line for the winner, it will take a special performance to claim THE PLAYERS trophy Sunday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Here’s everything you need to know as the PGA TOUR’s best prepare to tee it up at the 50th anniversary of THE PLAYERS.

FIELD NOTES: Scheffler leads the way as the first world No. 1 to tee it up at THE PLAYERS as defending champion since Rory McIlroy in 2020. With his win at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, he is also No. 1 in the FedExCup standings. He joins Tiger Woods as the only players to hold the FedExCup lead multiple times heading into THE PLAYERS… Reigning FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland returns to TPC Sawgrass following two straight top-10 finishes at THE PLAYERS, including a solo third last season… Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas – a pair of PLAYERS winners and former FedExCup champs – look to find the winners’ circle for the first time in 2024. Both are keen to improve on their results from a year ago at TPC Sawgrass. McIlroy missed the cut and Thomas finished T60… In total, there will be nine past PLAYERS champions in the field… It’s been a solid start to 2024 for Hideki Matsuyama, who won The Genesis Invitational and finished T12 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He returns to TPC Sawgrass after a fifth-place result a year ago… Ben Kohles, the leading points winner from last year’s Korn Ferry Tour, earned a spot in THE PLAYERS thanks to his season-long effort… He is one of 23 rookies set to tee it up at TPC Sawgrass in 2024, including Nick Dunlap (who won The American Express as an amateur), Jake Knapp and Matthieu Pavon (breakthrough winners in the early part of the season), and Ludvig Åberg – newly-minted top-10 player in the world and first PGA TOUR University alum to win on TOUR… Tiger Woods, who withdrew from The Genesis Invitational due to illness, is not in the field… Steve Stricker, the winner of the Kaulig Companies Championship on PGA TOUR Champions, earned a spot in THE PLAYERS thanks to his victory… By virtue of winning the Puerto Rico Open Sunday in a four-hole playoff, Brice Garnett punched the final ticket into the field.

SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: The 10 golfers who make up the Aon Next 10 remained unchanged after the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, with Pavon continuing to lead the way and Will Zalatoris making a big jump from No. 9 to No. 3 in the standings thanks to his T4 at Bay Hill… The next Signature Event on the PGA TOUR schedule is the RBC Heritage in mid-April. The Aon Swing 5 standings for that event run from the Puerto Rico Open through the Valero Texas Open… Thanks to his victory at the Puerto Rico Open, Brice Garnett jumped to the top of the Aon Swing 5… Erik Barnes, who Garnett defeated in a playoff, is second, with Victor Perez, Hayden Springer and Jimmy Stanger rounding out the group… The Aon Next 10 for the RBC Heritage is picked from the current FedExCup standings through the Masters Tournament.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: With his victory at Bay Hill, Scheffler jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 in the standings. Scheffler is the only golfer on TOUR to hold the No. 1 spot for at least a week in each of the last three PGA TOUR seasons… Wyndham Clark, the runner-up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, moved from No. 6 to No. 2… With their solid results at the Signature Event in Orlando, both Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala moved inside the TOUR TOP 10 for the first time this season. Zalatoris jumped from No. 27 to No. 10 with his T4, while Theegala moved from just outside the number, at No. 11, to No. 6 after finishing T6… Byeong Hun An zipped from No. 7 to No. 5 with a T8 at Bay Hill… Nick Taylor, the winner of the WM Phoenix Open earlier this year, now sits at No. 11, just seven points outside the TOUR TOP 10.

FEDEXCUP: The winner receives 750 FedExCup points.

COURSE: TPC Sawgrass (Stadium), 7,275 yards, par 72. Built in 1980, Pete Dye’s masterpiece underwent a renovation in 2016 and new for 2023 was a fresh tee box on the par-5 ninth, pushing the yardage past 600. Dye’s layout is truly balanced, while the cream always rises to the top – the last four winners, since THE PLAYERS moved back to March, were ranked top 10 in the world.

72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Greg Norman (1994)

18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Tom Hoge (Round 3, 2023)

LAST TIME: Scheffler made the difficult TPC Sawgrass seem easy, capturing THE PLAYERS Championship by five shots. Scheffler pulled away from the pack after a Saturday 65 and ran off five straight birdies in the middle of his Sunday round, building up a six-shot lead at one point. It was the largest margin of victory at THE PLAYERS since Stephen Ames won by six in 2006. Scheffler was just the third player to win at TPC Sawgrass with all four rounds in the 60s. Tyrell Hatton finished second after a Sunday 65 that featured birdies on his final five holes. Tom Hoge and eventual FedExCup champion Hovland finished tied for third.

HOW TO FOLLOW:

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday: 2-7 p.m. (NBC)
• Sunday: 1-6 p.m. (NBC)

PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+

PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: A combination of par 3s and iconic or pivotal holes

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free on PGATOUR.COM/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: noon-7 p.m.
• Saturday: 1-7 p.m.
• Sunday: noon-6 p.m.