The Players Championship Preview 2025 — Sawgrass (March 13-16)

When the Players Championship rolls around, it means major season is just around the corner. It’s time to get excited!

Will Scottie tame Sawgrass again and claim his third Players in a row? Or can Rory continue his brilliant start to the year and win his second? Or is this the year we witness another gobsmacking Craig Perks-style underdog victory?

Bring on the 17^th at Sawgrass, we say!

What makes the Players Championship special?

The PGA Tour like to hype up the Players as their flagship FedEx Cup event, but the tournament is really defined by Sawgrass’ absurd island green 17^th hole. Yes, it’s one of golf’s most famous holes — and plainly one of the most ridiculous — but it serves up the kind of drama that is so on-brand for the Players Championship. The short par three plays around 125m during the tournament, leaving no more than a pitching wedge into a tiny 24m-long island green that is guarded by wooden bulkheads. With no bailout option, it’s one of the most terrifying par threes on tour.

Why’s the 17^th hole so tricky, then?

Just keeping the ball dry will be the players' aim, but the fans want to see carnage. Rinsed tee shots, balls ricocheting wildly off bulkheads, double bogies and “others” on scorecards; it's all part of the 17th hole’s "charm". The stress of the island green is compounded by the amphitheatre surrounding the tee, which creates a coliseum-like atmosphere aided by spectators who want to see blood spilled. Last year, a total of 47 balls were dunked at 17 across four rounds, however, burly Kiwi Ryan Fox did shake off the bad juju with a first-round ace (image below). Yes, the 17^th is like rubbernecking a car crash, but it’s mandatory viewing.

Is the 17^th the “better than most” hole?

Yes it is! Tiger’s “better than most” putt in 2001 is one of Big Cat’s most famous, notably aided by Gary Koch’s dramatic description. Facing a slippery 60-foot downhill triple breaker off the fringe in the third round, Tiger started his ball to the right of the hole, watched it drift left down the slope then snap hard right to catch the edge of the cup. The action was accompanied by Koch’s “better than most” analysis, which he repeated three times during the ball’s journey. It’s now a Tiger classic and the “better than most” putt ultimately proved the difference: TW won the Players by a stroke that year.

So, is Tiger playing this year?

Not this year, unfortunately. Tiger bypassed his Genesis Invitational tournament last month after the death of his mother, Kultida. He did tee it up for his Jupiter Links team in the TGL last week but admitted his “heart is really not into practising right now”. This was the final year of Tiger's exemption into the Players, which he gained after winning the 2019 Masters. But expect the top dogs at Ponte Vedra Beach to come up with a “special” new category to allow the GOAT to still compete next year. If he still wants to, that is.

Is the Players Championship golf’s unofficial fifth major?

The PGA Tour’s flagship event is a decent tournament with a decent field. Nothing more. Next question…

What’s on the line this week?

As a signature event, the Players Championship carries a $25 million purse. The winner earns $4.5million and receives a three-year exemption to all four majors.

Who is the defending champion?

Scottie Scheffler. The American world No.1 has won the last two Players. Last year, he matched the biggest final round comeback and lowest final round at the Players after firing an 8-under 64. He beat Xander Schauffele, Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark by a stroke and will be hard to beat again.

Who is Laurie Canter and why is he playing this week?

Canter becomes the first ex-LIV player to compete at a PGA Tour event in this week’s Player’s Championship. The Englishman, who played for the Cleeks in 2022, won in Bahrain last month. After losing the South African Open in a play-off last week he moved inside the OWGR top 50, which triggered an invitation to the Players Championship. Canter is in the hottest form of his career right now, but it’d be a Craig Perks circa-2002 kind of upset if he went all the way.

Aside from the 17^th hole, how does the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass stack up as a tournament course?

Florida golf courses are mostly flat, featureless and full of water, which is the perfect recipe for bland and boring target golf. However, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is so bonkers and brash that, somehow, it just works. If the wind is blowing unseasonably cold and hard in early March, like it was three years ago, scoring at Sawgrass can be brutal. But the reinvented 12^th, now a cool risk/reward driveable par four, can shake up the complexion of the Players in an instant. And the water-lined 18^th finishing hole is the kind of nerve-jangling, knee-knocker that makes any lead unsafe. Sure, you wouldn’t want to play Sawgrass every day, but once a year it’s a must watch. 

What about Rory McIlroy?

Sawgrass obviously suits Rory’s game, with his long, high-launching drives and approach shots an ideal tactical weapon to navigate the course. Rory won the Players in 2019 when it was wet and cold. But if the wind gets up, Rory needs to control his spin — the one aspect of his game that is a little hit and miss. However, if he can keep out of his way like he did at Pebble Beach in January, Rory is the only player who, at his best, can possibly match a rampant Scottie Scheffler.

If it’s not Scottie or Rory, then who?

Ludvig Aberg. The Swedish birdie machine won the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines last month and finished eighth last year at his Players debut. With his near flawless swing, few in the game can catch fire like Ludvig can. Expect him to be near the top of the leaderboard all week.

Who’s due to win this week?

Not sure if a two-time major winner can ever really fly under the radar but Collin Morikawa has been spectacular without winning so far this year. Runner-up at the Sentry season opener, Collin followed up with a couple of steady T17 finishes at Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines. He seemed on track at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday until Russell Henley stole the win. But a victory is never too far away for a flusher like Col.

Which player appeals as a Players smokey?

Jordan Spieth is never out of the question but we’re going to take Tom Hoge as the outsider who is going to get close to the action at the Players Championship. The American holds the course record at Sawgrass, firing an incredible a 10-under 62 in the third round two years ago on his way to a third-place finish. Despite having just one PGA Tour event on his resume — the 2022 Pebble Beach Pro-Am — our man Tom doesn’t seem to back down when in contention. Hoge will be at long odds, but a breakout Players performance shouldn’t be entirely discounted, particularly in light of his solid T11 finish at Torrey Pines last month.

What about the Aussies?

Five Australians are in the Players field this year: Jason Day, Adam Scott, Cam Davis, Min Woo Lee and Karl Vilips, who won the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday to secure the last spot in the field. Aussies have an excellent record at the Players, with Day and Scott both past champions, in 2016 and 2004, respectively. Cam Smith also won the Players in 2022 but hasn’t been back since after joining the LIV Tour. Jason Day is arguably the best Aussie chance this year. He finished eighth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after reuniting with coach Col Swatton and the small tweaks he has made to his swing appear to be working.