The Players Championship

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. 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). 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", 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").

Format As of 2023, the victor receives $4.5 million, the winner's share (18%) of the largest purse in golf ($25 million), 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.

The winner also receives a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour (formerly ten years), 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 750 FedEx Cup points, the same amount of points a winner earns in a major championship, if a PGA Tour member.

Field The field comprises 120 players who constitute:

Winners of PGA Tour events since last Players Top 100 from previous season's FedEx Cup points list Top 100 (medical) Major champions from the past five years Players Championship winners from the past five years PGA Tour winners from the past year World Golf Championship winners from the past three years Memorial Tournament, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Genesis Invitational winners from the past three years Top 50 from the Official World Golf Ranking the week prior to the event Senior Players Championship champion from prior year Korn Ferry Tour money leader from prior season Money leader during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, if not the regular-season money leader Top 10 current year FedEx Cup points leaders 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. 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. 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.

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. Since 1982, it has been played across the road to the west, at the Stadium Course at TPC at Sawgrass. 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 Mediterranean Revival-style clubhouse.

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

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 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).

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.)

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.

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.

The only playoff prior to the Stadium Course was in 1981. 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; 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 State1982–202644TPC Sawgrass, Stadium Course Ponte VedraBeach Florida1977–1981 5 Sawgrass Country Club 1976 1 Inverrary Country Club, East Course Lauderhill1975 1 Colonial Country Club Fort Worth Texas1974 1 Atlanta Country Club Marietta Georgia

Course lengths Years Events Length Venue 2017–2022 6 TPC SawgrassStadiumCourse 2007–2016 10 2006 1 1999–2005 7 1998 1 1990–1997 8 1982–1989 8 1980–1981 2 Sawgrass CC 1979 1 1977–1978 2 1976 1 Inverrary CC 1975 1 Colonial CC 1974 1 Atlanta CC Par 72, except for 1975 (par 70)

Winners YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-upPurse(US$)Winner'sshare ($)The Players Championship2026 Cameron Young 275 −13 1 stroke Matt Fitzpatrick 25,000,000 4,500,0002025 Rory McIlroy (2) 276 −12 Playoff J. J. Spaun 25,000,000 4,500,0002024 Scottie Scheffler (2) 268 −20 1 stroke Wyndham Clark Brian Harman Xander Schauffele 25,000,000 4,500,0002023 Scottie Scheffler 271 −17 5 strokes Tyrrell Hatton 25,000,0004,500,000 2022 Cameron Smith 275 −13 1 stroke Anirban Lahiri 20,000,0003,600,000 2021 Justin Thomas 274 −14 1 stroke Lee Westwood 15,000,0002,700,000 2020 Canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic 15,000,0002,700,000 2019 Rory McIlroy 272 −16 1 stroke Jim Furyk 12,500,0002,250,000 2018 Webb Simpson 270 −18 4 strokes Xander Schauffele Charl Schwartzel Jimmy Walker 11,000,0001,980,000 2017 Kim Si-woo 278 −10 3 strokes Louis Oosthuizen Ian Poulter 10,500,0001,890,000 2016 Jason Day 273 −15 4 strokes Kevin Chappell 10,500,0001,890,000 2015 Rickie Fowler 276 −12 Playoff Sergio García Kevin Kisner 10,000,0001,800,000 2014 Martin Kaymer 275 −13 1 stroke Jim Furyk 10,000,0001,800,000 2013 Tiger Woods (2) 275 −13 2 strokes David Lingmerth Jeff Maggert Kevin Streelman 9,500,0001,710,000 2012 Matt Kuchar 275 −13 2 strokes Ben Curtis Rickie Fowler Zach Johnson Martin Laird 9,500,0001,710,000 2011 K. J. Choi 275 −13 Playoff David Toms 9,500,0001,710,000 2010 Tim Clark 272 −16 1 stroke Robert Allenby 9,500,0001,710,000 2009 Henrik Stenson 276 −12 4 strokes Ian Poulter 9,500,0001,710,000 2008 Sergio García 283 −5 Playoff Paul Goydos 9,500,0001,710,000 2007 Phil Mickelson 277 −11 2 strokes Sergio García 9,000,0001,620,000 2006 Stephen Ames 274 −14 6 strokes Retief Goosen 8,000,0001,440,000 2005 Fred Funk 279 −9 1 stroke Luke Donald Tom Lehman Scott Verplank 8,000,0001,440,000 2004 Adam Scott 276 −12 1 stroke Pádraig Harrington 8,000,0001,440,000 2003 Davis Love III (2) 271 −17 6 strokes Jay Haas Pádraig Harrington 6,500,0001,170,000 2002 Craig Perks 280 −8 2 strokes Stephen Ames 6,000,0001,080,000 2001 Tiger Woods 274 −14 1 stroke Vijay Singh 6,000,0001,080,000 2000 Hal Sutton (2) 278 −10 1 stroke Tiger Woods 6,000,0001,080,000 1999 David Duval 285 −3 2 strokes Scott Gump 5,000,000900,000 1998 Justin Leonard 278 −10 2 strokes Glen Day Tom Lehman 4,000,000720,000 1997 Steve Elkington (2) 272 −16 7 strokes Scott Hoch 3,500,000630,000 1996 Fred Couples (2) 270 −18 4 strokes Colin Montgomerie Tommy Tolles 3,500,000630,000 1995 Lee Janzen 283 −5 1 stroke Bernhard Langer 3,000,000540,000 1994 Greg Norman 264 −24 4 strokes Fuzzy Zoeller 2,500,000450,000 1993 Nick Price 270 −18 5 strokes Bernhard Langer 2,500,000450,000 1992 Davis Love III 273 −15 4 strokes Ian Baker-Finch Phil Blackmar Nick Faldo Tom Watson 1,800,000324,000 1991 Steve Elkington 276 −12 1 stroke Fuzzy Zoeller 1,600,000288,000 1990 Jodie Mudd 278 −10 1 stroke Mark Calcavecchia 1,500,000270,000 1989 Tom Kite 279 −9 1 stroke Chip Beck 1,350,000243,000 1988 Mark McCumber 273 −15 4 strokes Mike Reid 1,250,000225,000 Tournament Players Championship1987 Sandy Lyle 274 −14 Playoff Jeff Sluman 1,000,000180,000 1986 John Mahaffey 275 −13 1 stroke Larry Mize 900,000162,000 1985 Calvin Peete 274 −14 3 strokes D. A. Weibring 900,000162,000 1984 Fred Couples 277 −11 1 stroke Lee Trevino 800,000144,000 1983 Hal Sutton 283 −5 1 stroke Bob Eastwood 700,000126,000 1982 Jerry Pate 280 −8 2 strokes Brad Bryant Scott Simpson 500,00090,000 1981 Raymond Floyd 285 −3 Playoff Barry Jaeckel Curtis Strange 440,00072,000 1980 Lee Trevino 278 −10 1 stroke Ben Crenshaw 440,00072,000 1979 Lanny Wadkins 283 −5 5 strokes Tom Watson 440,00072,000 1978 Jack Nicklaus (3) 289 +1 1 stroke Lou Graham 300,00060,000 1977 Mark Hayes 289 +1 2 strokes Mike McCullough 300,00060,000 1976 Jack Nicklaus (2) 269 −19 3 strokes J. C. Snead 300,00060,000 1975 Al Geiberger 270 −10 3 strokes Dave Stockton 250,00050,000 1974 Jack Nicklaus 272 −16 2 strokes J. C. Snead 250,00050,000 Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records. Source:

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. Additionally, Nickaus, McIlroy, and Scheffler are the only players to repeat as champion in less than 5 years (no 2020 tournament). 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 Couples and Woods each waited 12 years, and Love III had an 11 year pause between his two wins.

3 wins Jack Nicklaus: 1974, 1976, 1978 2 wins Fred Couples: 1984, 1996 Steve Elkington: 1991, 1997 Hal Sutton: 1983, 2000 Davis Love III: 1992, 2003 Tiger Woods: 2001, 2013 Scottie Scheffler: 2023, 2024 Rory McIlroy: 2019, 2025

Tournament highlights