The Players Championship

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "redirect hatnote". Script error: No such module "other uses". Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The Players Championship (commonly known as simply The Players, stylized by the PGA Tour as THE PLAYERS Championship) is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour and is the tour's flagship event. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, it began in 1974.[1] The Players Championship at one point offered the highest purse of any tournament in golf (from $12.5 million in 2019 up to $25 million in 2023).[2][3] The field usually includes the top 50 players in the world rankings, but, unlike the major championships, it is owned by the PGA Tour and not an official event on other tours.

Despite not being a major, it has been promoted as such by the tour, dubbed the fifth major,[4] and is often regarded as the next most prestigious tournament in golf. This is because of the characteristics it shares with the majors, such as the high class field, challenging course conditions, and its large purse. It also has a renowned host course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course at which the tournament has been played since 1982, home of the iconic par-3 No. 17 "Island Green").[5][6]

Format

As of 2023, the victor receives $4.5 million, the winner's share (18%) of the largest purse in golf ($25 million),[7] and receives 80 points towards his world ranking, the largest share aside from the majors, for which winners earn 100 points. For comparison, the winners of other leading tournaments receive between 65 and 70 points.[8]

The winner also receives a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour (formerly ten years),[9] a three-year invitation to the Masters Tournament, and three-year exemptions for the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. The winner earns 600 FedEx Cup points, if a PGA Tour member.

Field

The field comprises 144 players who constitute:

  1. Winners of PGA Tour events since last Players
  2. Top 125 from previous season's FedEx Cup points list
  3. Top 125 (medical)
  4. Major champions from the past five years
  5. Players Championship winners from the past five years
  6. The Tour Championship winners from the past three years
  7. World Golf Championship winners from the past three years
  8. Memorial Tournament, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Genesis Invitational winners from the past three years
  9. Top 50 from the Official World Golf Ranking
  10. Senior Players Championship champion from prior year
  11. Korn Ferry Tour money leader from prior season
  12. Money leader during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, if not the regular-season money leader
  13. Top 10 current year FedEx Cup points leaders
  14. Remaining positions and alternates filled from the current season FedEx Cup standings

History

The Players Championship was conceived by the PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman; the inaugural event in 1974 was played at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia, concluding on Labor Day weekend in early September.[1] It moved to Texas in 1975, at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth in August, and then to south Florida in 1976 at Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill, at its East Course in late February.[10] In these first three years the event replaced existing events, the Atlanta Classic in 1974, the Colonial National Invitational in 1975 and the Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic in 1976, which each returned to the schedule the following year.[11][1]

In 1976 the PGA Tour agreed a multi-year deal to play the event up the coast at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach in mid-March, beginning in 1977.[12][13] Since 1982,[14][15] it has been played across the road to the west, at the Stadium Course at TPC at Sawgrass.[6] The word "Tournament" was dropped from the title following the 1987 event.

Following the 2006 event, the course underwent a major renovation, which received very positive reviews from the players in 2007. Included in the renovation was a new Script error: No such module "convert". Mediterranean Revival-style clubhouse.

The 2020 Players Championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]

Seven players have won The Players and a major championship in the same calendar year: Jack Nicklaus (1978, Open), Hal Sutton (1983, PGA), Tiger Woods (2001, Masters), Martin Kaymer (2014, U.S. Open), Cameron Smith (2022, Open), Scottie Scheffler (2024, Masters) and Rory McIlroy (2025, Masters).

Move to May

For the first thirty years at Ponte Vedra Beach, the championship was played in mid- to late March, several weeks before The Masters. (Three weeks prior for the first six seasons (19771982), then two weeks prior in 1983.) It was moved to May in 2007, to the weekend including the second Saturday, as part of a restructuring of the PGA Tour. This restructuring involved the introduction of the lucrative FedEx Cup, which concludes with The Tour Championship. The change gave the PGA Tour a marquee event in six consecutive months (The Masters in April, The Players in May, the U.S. Open in June, The Open Championship in July, the PGA Championship in August, and the Tour Championship in September).[17]

With the rearrangement of 2007, the final round of The Players Championship was usually on the second Sunday of May, Mother's Day in the United States. To mark this, most players wore pink shirts or accessories on Sunday, and many in the galleries also joined them in donning pink garb. (The two exceptions were in 2011 and 2016, when the final round was on Sunday, May 15.)Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

In August 2017, it was announced that The Players would return to March beginning in 2019, due to a realignment of the golf season that moves the PGA Championship from August to May.[18][19][20]

Playoffs

The playoff format was sudden-death through 2013, lately starting at the par-3 17th hole. The format was changed to a three-hole aggregate in 2014, similar to the PGA Championship, played over the final three holes, in order. If still tied, the playoff goes to sudden-death on the same three holes, but starts at the 17th.[21]

The only playoff prior to the Stadium Course was in 1981.[22] Since moving to the Stadium Course in 1982, there has been a playoff on five occasions (1987, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2025). The 1987 playoff started at the par-5 16th and went to a third extra hole at the par-4 18th, with three pars by the winner;[23] the next two were won with pars at the first extra hole (17). The 2015 playoff was the first for the three-hole aggregate; it went to sudden-death and became the first to be won with a birdie.

Venues

Years Events Venue City State
19822025 43 TPC Sawgrass, Stadium Course Ponte Vedra
Beach
Florida
19771981 5 Sawgrass Country Club
1976 1 Inverrary Country Club, East Course Lauderhill
1975 1 Colonial Country Club Fort Worth Texas
1974 1 Atlanta Country Club Marietta Georgia

Course lengths

Years Events Length Venue
20172022 6 Script error: No such module "convert". TPC Sawgrass
Stadium
Course
20072016 10 Script error: No such module "convert".
2006 1 Script error: No such module "convert".
19992005 7 Script error: No such module "convert".
1998 1 Script error: No such module "convert".
19901997 8 Script error: No such module "convert".
19821989 8 Script error: No such module "convert".
19801981 2 Script error: No such module "convert". Sawgrass CC
1979 1 Script error: No such module "convert".
19771978 2 Script error: No such module "convert".
1976 1 Script error: No such module "convert". Inverrary CC
1975 1 Script error: No such module "convert". Colonial CC
1974 1 Script error: No such module "convert". Atlanta CC
  • Par 72, except for 1975 (par 70)

Winners

Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Purse
(US$)
Winner's
share ($)
The Players Championship
2025 Template:Flagicon Rory McIlroy (2) 276 −12 Playoff Template:Flagicon J. J. Spaun 25,000,000 4,500,000
2024 Template:Flagicon Scottie Scheffler (2) 268 −20 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Wyndham Clark
Template:Flagicon Brian Harman
Template:Flagicon Xander Schauffele
25,000,000 4,500,000
2023 Template:Flagicon Scottie Scheffler 271 −17 5 strokes Template:Flagicon Tyrrell Hatton 25,000,000 4,500,000
2022 Template:Flagicon Cameron Smith 275 −13 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Anirban Lahiri 20,000,000 3,600,000
2021 Template:Flagicon Justin Thomas 274 −14 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Lee Westwood 15,000,000 2,700,000
2020 Canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic 15,000,000 2,700,000
2019 Template:Flagicon Rory McIlroy 272 −16 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Jim Furyk 12,500,000 2,250,000
2018 Template:Flagicon Webb Simpson 270 −18 4 strokes Template:Flagicon Xander Schauffele
Template:Flagicon Charl Schwartzel
Template:Flagicon Jimmy Walker
11,000,000 1,980,000
2017 Template:Flagicon Kim Si-woo 278 −10 3 strokes Template:Flagicon Louis Oosthuizen
Template:Flagicon Ian Poulter
10,500,000 1,890,000
2016 Template:Flagicon Jason Day 273 −15 4 strokes Template:Flagicon Kevin Chappell 10,500,000 1,890,000
2015 Template:Flagicon Rickie Fowler 276 −12 Playoff Template:Flagicon Sergio García
Template:Flagicon Kevin Kisner
10,000,000 1,800,000
2014 Template:Flagicon Martin Kaymer 275 −13 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Jim Furyk 10,000,000 1,800,000
2013 Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods (2) 275 −13 2 strokes Template:Flagicon David Lingmerth
Template:Flagicon Jeff Maggert
Template:Flagicon Kevin Streelman
9,500,000 1,710,000
2012 Template:Flagicon Matt Kuchar 275 −13 2 strokes Template:Flagicon Ben Curtis
Template:Flagicon Rickie Fowler
Template:Flagicon Zach Johnson
Template:Flagicon Martin Laird
9,500,000 1,710,000
2011 Template:Flagicon K. J. Choi 275 −13 Playoff Template:Flagicon David Toms 9,500,000 1,710,000
2010 Template:Flagicon Tim Clark 272 −16 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Robert Allenby 9,500,000 1,710,000
2009 Template:Flagicon Henrik Stenson 276 −12 4 strokes Template:Flagicon Ian Poulter 9,500,000 1,710,000
2008 Template:Flagicon Sergio García 283 −5 Playoff Template:Flagicon Paul Goydos 9,500,000 1,710,000
2007 Template:Flagicon Phil Mickelson 277 −11 2 strokes Template:Flagicon Sergio García 9,000,000 1,620,000
2006 Template:Flagicon Stephen Ames 274 −14 6 strokes Template:Flagicon Retief Goosen 8,000,000 1,440,000
2005 Template:Flagicon Fred Funk 279 −9 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Luke Donald
Template:Flagicon Tom Lehman
Template:Flagicon Scott Verplank
8,000,000 1,440,000
2004 Template:Flagicon Adam Scott 276 −12 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Pádraig Harrington 8,000,000 1,440,000
2003 Template:Flagicon Davis Love III (2) 271 −17 6 strokes Template:Flagicon Jay Haas
Template:Flagicon Pádraig Harrington
6,500,000 1,170,000
2002 Template:Flagicon Craig Perks 280 −8 2 strokes Template:Flagicon Stephen Ames 6,000,000 1,080,000
2001 Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods 274 −14 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Vijay Singh 6,000,000 1,080,000
2000 Template:Flagicon Hal Sutton (2) 278 −10 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods 6,000,000 1,080,000
1999 Template:Flagicon David Duval 285 −3 2 strokes Template:Flagicon Scott Gump 5,000,000 900,000
1998 Template:Flagicon Justin Leonard 278 −10 2 strokes Template:Flagicon Glen Day
Template:Flagicon Tom Lehman
4,000,000 720,000
1997 Template:Flagicon Steve Elkington (2) 272 −16 7 strokes Template:Flagicon Scott Hoch 3,500,000 630,000
1996 Template:Flagicon Fred Couples (2) 270 −18 4 strokes Template:Flagicon Colin Montgomerie
Template:Flagicon Tommy Tolles
3,500,000 630,000
1995 Template:Flagicon Lee Janzen 283 −5 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Bernhard Langer 3,000,000 540,000
1994 Template:Flagicon Greg Norman 264 −24 4 strokes Template:Flagicon Fuzzy Zoeller 2,500,000 450,000
1993 Template:Flagicon Nick Price 270 −18 5 strokes Template:Flagicon Bernhard Langer 2,500,000 450,000
1992 Template:Flagicon Davis Love III 273 −15 4 strokes Template:Flagicon Ian Baker-Finch
Template:Flagicon Phil Blackmar
Template:Flagicon Nick Faldo
Template:Flagicon Tom Watson
1,800,000 324,000
1991 Template:Flagicon Steve Elkington 276 −12 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Fuzzy Zoeller 1,600,000 288,000
1990 Template:Flagicon Jodie Mudd 278 −10 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Mark Calcavecchia 1,500,000 270,000
1989 Template:Flagicon Tom Kite 279 −9 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Chip Beck 1,350,000 243,000
1988 Template:Flagicon Mark McCumber 273 −15 4 strokes Template:Flagicon Mike Reid 1,250,000 225,000
Tournament Players Championship
1987 Template:Flagicon Sandy Lyle 274 −14 Playoff Template:Flagicon Jeff Sluman 1,000,000 180,000
1986 Template:Flagicon John Mahaffey 275 −13 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Larry Mize 900,000 162,000
1985 Template:Flagicon Calvin Peete 274 −14 3 strokes Template:Flagicon D. A. Weibring 900,000 162,000
1984 Template:Flagicon Fred Couples 277 −11 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Lee Trevino 800,000 144,000
1983 Template:Flagicon Hal Sutton 283 −5 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Bob Eastwood 700,000 126,000
1982 Template:Flagicon Jerry Pate 280 −8 2 strokes Template:Flagicon Brad Bryant
Template:Flagicon Scott Simpson
500,000 90,000
1981 Template:Flagicon Raymond Floyd 285 −3 Playoff Template:Flagicon Barry Jaeckel
Template:Flagicon Curtis Strange
440,000 72,000
1980 Template:Flagicon Lee Trevino 278 −10 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Ben Crenshaw 440,000 72,000
1979 Template:Flagicon Lanny Wadkins 283 −5 5 strokes Template:Flagicon Tom Watson 440,000 72,000
1978 Template:Flagicon Jack Nicklaus (3) 289 +1 1 stroke Template:Flagicon Lou Graham 300,000 60,000
1977 Template:Flagicon Mark Hayes 289 +1 2 strokes Template:Flagicon Mike McCullough 300,000 60,000
1976 Template:Flagicon Jack Nicklaus (2) 269 −19 3 strokes Template:Flagicon J. C. Snead 300,000 60,000
1975 Template:Flagicon Al Geiberger 270 −10 3 strokes Template:Flagicon Dave Stockton 250,000 50,000
1974 Template:Flagicon Jack Nicklaus 272 −16 2 strokes Template:Flagicon J. C. Snead 250,000 50,000

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Source:[24][25]

Multiple winners

Jack Nicklaus has the most wins, having won three of the first five events, in alternating years and on different courses. Since Players Championship moved to TPC Sawgrass in 1982, a further seven players have won twice, with Scottie Scheffler being the only player to successfully defend the title. In contrast to Scheffler, the 17 years between Hal Sutton's first and second titles is the longest period between wins in the competitions history, while three other players have waited more than ten years for their second title.

Tournament highlights

File:MickelsonTPCAwardCeremony.jpg
Phil Mickelson with the 2007 Players Championship trophy
  • 1974: Jack Nicklaus wins the inaugural edition of the tournament. He beats J. C. Snead by two shots near Atlanta.[26]
  • 1977: Mark Hayes wins by two shots over Mike McCullough at Sawgrass Country Club, despite shooting the highest winning score on the PGA Tour, 289, since Nicklaus at the 1972 U.S. Open.[27]
  • 1978: Jack Nicklaus wins his third Tournament Players Championship title. He edges Lou Graham by one shot.[28]
  • 1979: Bob Murphy, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, shoots a final round 92. Winds were gusting up to 45 miles per hour that day.[29]
  • 1980: Playing in a final threesome with Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino shoots a final round 70 to edge Ben Crenshaw by one shot.[30]
  • 1981: Raymond Floyd defeats Curtis Strange and Barry Jaeckel on the first hole of a sudden death playoff. In addition to the tournament title, Floyd collects an additional $250,000 bonus due to his win at the Doral-Eastern Open the week before.[31]
  • 1982: After winning the first tournament at the Stadium Course by two shots over Brad Bryant and Scott Simpson, Jerry Pate tosses PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman and course architect Pete Dye into the water adjacent to the 18th green before jumping in himself.[14][15]
  • 1983: Hal Sutton wins by one shot over Bob Eastwood. John Cook came to the 72nd hole tied for the lead with Sutton before hitting his tee shot in the water on his way to a double bogey.[32]
  • 1984: Fred Couples shoots a course record 64[33] during the second round of play on his way to a one-shot victory over Lee Trevino.[34]
  • 1986: John Mahaffey wins by one shot over Larry Mize after Mize makes bogey on four of the last five holes during the final round of play.[35]
  • 1987: Sandy Lyle defeats Jeff Sluman with a par on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff. At the playoff's second hole, Sluman stood over a Script error: No such module "convert". birdie putt to win, and a spectator jumped into the water surrounding the 17th green. He backed away, then missed.[36][37][23]
  • 1988: Jacksonville area resident Mark McCumber wins by four shots over Mike Reid.[38]
  • 1989: Tom Kite wins for the second consecutive week. He beats Chip Beck by one shot.[39]
  • 1991: Steve Elkington wins by one shot over Fuzzy Zoeller. Phil Blackmar had solo possession of the lead before hitting his tee shot into the water on the 71st hole resulting in a double bogey.[40]
  • 1992: Mark Calcavecchia and John Daly, the first pair on the final day of the tournament, are reprimanded by Deputy PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem "for failure to exert their best effort" after they finish their 18 holes of golf in only two hours and three minutes.[41]
  • 1994: Greg Norman shoots the 72-hole record score for the tournament, 264, on his way to a four shot victory over Fuzzy Zoeller.[42]
  • 1995: After Norman's record score, the course is made tougher by the creation of new, rock hard greens. Lee Janzen shoots 283 to win the tournament, the biggest one-year swing for a tournament played on the same layout in PGA Tour history.[43]
  • 1996: Twelve years after his first win at the TPC at Sawgrass, Fred Couples triumphs again. He shoots a final round 64 to beat Colin Montgomerie and Tommy Tolles by four shots.[44]
  • 1999: David Duval wins by two shots over Scott Gump. The win by Duval propels him to No. 1 in the World rankings.[45]
  • 2000: Hal Sutton wins at the TPC at Sawgrass for a second time. He edges Tiger Woods by one shot.[46]
  • 2002: Playing for the first time ever in The Players Championship, Craig Perks finishes eagle-birdie-par to win by two shots over Stephen Ames. It is the only PGA Tour win for Perks.[47]
  • 2003: Davis Love III wins The Players Championship for a second time. He shoots a final round 64 to win by six shots over Jay Haas and Pádraig Harrington.[48]
  • 2004: In spite of hitting his 2nd shot at the 72nd hole into the water, Adam Scott is able to get it up and down for bogey to win by one shot over Pádraig Harrington.[49]
  • 2005: Fred Funk becomes the tournament's oldest champion by edging Tom Lehman, Luke Donald, and Scott Verplank by one shot. During the final round, Bob Tway hits four balls into the water surrounding the 17th green, scoring a twelve on the hole.[50]
  • 2010: After 206 career PGA Tour starts, Tim Clark breaks through for his first Tour win.
  • 2011: K. J. Choi becomes the first Asian born golfer to win The Players Championship. He defeats David Toms on the first hole of a sudden death playoff.[51]
  • 2013: Roberto Castro ties the course record with a 9-under 63 in the opening round.[52] Sergio García, tied for the lead with Tiger Woods at 13-under par going to the par-3 17th hole in the final round, puts two balls into the water. Tiger Woods wins the event for the first time since 2001. It is his 78th career PGA Tour win in his 300th start.
  • 2014: Ongoing injuries prevent Tiger Woods from defending his title. In the first round, Martin Kaymer ties the course record with a 63 matching Fred Couples (1992), Greg Norman (1994) and Roberto Castro (2013).[53] Kaymer goes on to win wire-to-wire.
  • 2015: The tournament's first aggregate three-hole playoff over holes 16–18 was won by Rickie Fowler, who defeated Kevin Kisner on the first hole of sudden-death after Sergio García had been eliminated.[54]
  • 2017: 21-year-old Kim Si-woo becomes the event's youngest winner.
  • 2020: The tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[55] The first round had been played. Hideki Matsuyama led, having tied the course record with a score of 63 (−9).[56] Half of the $15 million purse was distributed to the players who played the first round, $52,000 each.[57]
  • 2024: Scottie Scheffler overcomes a five shot deficit heading into the final round to become the first back-to-back winner.[58]
  • 2025: Rory McIlroy wins his second Players Championship after defeating J. J. Spaun in a Monday three-hole aggregate playoff.[59]

Gallery

References

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  26. 'Hungry' Nicklaus wins
  27. Hayes uses wind in surprising win over talented field
  28. Nicklaus not up to par
  29. Wadkins survives elements to win by five-strokes
  30. Trevino tames Sawgrass
  31. Record payoff for Floyd
  32. Sutton gets lucky to win rich tour players' toruney
  33. Couples shoots 64 to take lead of two strokes
  34. Fred Couples shows he can handle the pressure
  35. Mahaffey tops $2-million
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  38. McCumber wins, sets record
  39. Players champion flying high
  40. Breakfast club putting advice gives Elkington the Players title
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  42. Norman storms to record in Players Championship
  43. Zullo, Allan, "Astonishing but True Golf Facts", Andrew McMeels Publishing, Forest Fairview, North Carolina, 2001.
  44. Couples finishes too strong to win Players Championship
  45. Perfect weekend for Duval
  46. Sutton holds on for one-stroke victory
  47. Perks wins Players Championships
  48. Love's incredible round of golf wins Players Championship
  49. Scott survives 18 to win Players Championship
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  51. Choi wins Players Championship
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External links

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