Welcome to the 51st edition.
THE PLAYERS Championship
THE PLAYERS Stadium Course – TPC Sawgrass
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
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Top of the Board (odds via Bet365)
Scheffler, no chance of 3 straight, right?
McIlroy, how many drivers is he gonna use this week?
Schauffele has played four rounds since the first week of January.
Russell Henley going back-to-back?
I’ll start with the second choice, Collin Morikawa. The winners here roll in on form and he qualifies. On a course where target golf is the recipe, I’ll lean on one of the best drivers of the golf ball with a sour taste in his mouth.
Justin Thomas has already proven his worth here and has been ready to pop for months. Matsuyama, also with a win, has been healthy and lurking. Shane Lowry has a fantastic SG: Florida.
Players to consider for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action:
Daniel Berger returns from T13-T9 from 2022-21.
Si Woo Kim loves Pete Dye. That works.
Keegan Bradley is going to crash at some point. Not this week.
Who is hotter, without a win, than Michael Kim?
Brian Harman loves this layout.
Karl Vilips won’t be afraid.
Chad Ramey had the first-round lead here a couple of years ago.
Joel Dahmen slides in.
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | TPC Sawgrass |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,352 |
| Par: | 72 (36-36). |
| Greens: | TifEagle Bermuda; 5,500 square feet. |
| Stimpmeter: | 13-plus feet. |
| Rough: | Overseeded ryegrass at FOUR inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 78/18/18 |
| Architect(s): | Pete Dye (1980). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Scottie Scheffler (-20). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Scheffler (2024, 2023). |
| Course Record: | 62; Tom Hoge (Round 3, 2023). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record (post 2016): | 264; Greg Norman (-24; 1994). |
| Fact of the Week: | The event moved back to March for the 2019 edition. |
| Fact of the Week II: | The average attempts before winning is 7.4 |
Scoring Average: The PLAYERS Stadium Course – TPC Sawgrass
Career scoring averages from top players entered this week (minimum eight rounds played).
| Rank | Player | Rounds | Scoring Avg | Odds |
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | 14 | 69.57 | +400 |
| 4 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 12 | 70.33 | +12000 |
| 6 | Hideki Matsuyama | 32 | 70.41 | +3300 |
| 8 | Xander Schauffele | 18 | 70.44 | +2500 |
| 9 | Aaron Rai | 8 | 70.50 | +6500 |
| 10 | Si Woo Kim | 29 | 70.52 | +6500 |
| 11 | Tommy Fleetwood | 26 | 70.62 | +3000 |
| 12 | Joel Dahmen | 18 | 70.67 | +20000 |
| 13 | Corey Conners | 18 | 70.72 | +6000 |
| T14 | Min Woo Lee | 8 | 70.75 | +10000 |
| 16 | Justin Thomas | 33 | 70.79 | +2200 |
| 17 | Viktor Hovland | 14 | 70.86 | +7500 |
| 18 | Jason Day | 44 | 70.86 | +6500 |
| 20 | Sungjae Im | 18 | 70.89 | +6000 |
| 21 | Tom Hoge | 23 | 70.91 | +30000 |
Notables
- Tom Hoge is the only player to ever shoot 62 (Rd 3 2023).
- 2018 champion Webb Simpson and 2016 winner Day are two of nine players to post 63.
- Greg Norman squared one bogey, the record, in setting the tournament scoring record (-24, 260) in 1994.
- There are eight previous champions in the field, including Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, and Matt Kuchar.
- The overseeded fairways average 28 yards in the landing areas.
- TifEagle Bermudagrass greens average 5,500 square feet and will run 13 feet and up on the Stimpmeter.
- 92 bunkers, four inches of overseeded rough, and 18 water penalty areas are in play on all 18 holes.
- The last five winners have registered seventh or better SG: Approach the Green.
- Only one of the four Par-3 holes extends over 183 yards (No. 8, 236).
- Three of the Par-5 holes play less than 575 yards.
- Holes No. 15 and No. 18 are the only two on the card that were not adjusted for the 2025 tournament.
- The last five champions were 30 years old or younger.
- Since 2007, average amount of attempts required before winning for the first time is 7.4.
- The oldest winner is Fred Funk (48 years in 2002). Funk is the only local resident to win the event.
- Sam Ryder circled 27 birdies in 2024 and established the new tournament record.
- The Official World Golf Ranking is represented by 48 of the top 50 players and 86 of the top 100.
- There are no amateurs in the field.
Recent Winners
- 2025 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Nick Taylor |
| The American Express | Sepp Straka |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Harris English |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Rory McIlroy |
| WM Phoenix Open | Thomas Detry (first time) |
| The Genesis Invitational | Ludvig Aberg |
| Mexico Open at VidantaWorld | Brian Campbell (first time) |
| Cognizant Classic | Joe Highsmith (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Russell Henley |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray (Rest in Peace) |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes) |
| WM Phoenix Open | Nick Taylor |
| The Genesis Invitational | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Jake Knapp (rookie) |
| Cognizant Classic | Austin Eckroat (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Peter Malnati |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Stephan Jaeger (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Akshay Bhatia |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
| RBC Heritage | Scottie Scheffler (4) |
| Zurich Classic | Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Taylor Pendrith (first time) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| 106th PGA Championship | Xander Schauffele |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Davis Riley |
| RBC Canadian Open | Robert MacIntyre (first time) |
| The 49th Memorial Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (5) |
| 124th United States Open | Bryson DeChambeau |
| Travelers Championship | Scottie Scheffler (6) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Cam Davis |
| John Deere Classic | Davis Thompson (first time) |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Robert MacIntyre (2) |
| 152nd Open Championship | Xander Schauffele (2) |
| 3M Open | Jhonattan Vegas |
| 2024 Paris Olympics | Scottie Scheffler (7) |
| 3M Open | Jhonattan Vegas |
| Wyndham Championship | Aaron Rai (first time) |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Hideki Matsuyama (2) |
| BMW Championship | Keegan Bradley |
| The TOUR Championship | Scottie Scheffler (8) |
| FedEx Cup Fall | |
| Procore Championship | Patton Kizzire |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Kevin Yu (first time) |
| Black Desert Championship | Matt McCarty (first time) |
| Shriners Children’s Open | JT Poston |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Nico Echavarria |
| World Wide Technology Champ | Austin Eckroat (2) |
| Butterfield Bermuda Champ | Rafa Campos (first time) |
| The RSM Classic | Maverick McNealy (first time) |
Recent Winners – THE PLAYERS Championship
Italics – not entered this week; March winners only.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2024 | Scottie Scheffler (-20) | Becomes the first player to defend the title. |
| 2023 | Scottie Scheffler (-17) | Won by five shots in his third attempt. |
| 2022 | Cameron Smith (-14) | Needed a Monay finish and closed with 66 to come back from two shots and win. |
| 2021 | Justin Thomas (-14) | Posted 64-68 to win by a shot. |
| 2019 | Rory McIlroy (-13) | Chased down Jon Rahm on Sunday to win the first event in the return to March. |
One and Done – Spotter’s Game
1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy get kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).
1 use per year.
| Event | Selection | Place | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Sungjae Im | 3rd | $1,360,000 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Russell Henley | T10 | 195,025 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | MC | |
| Farmers Insurance | Jason Day | T32 | 52,080 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Ludvig Aberg | WD | |
| WM Phoenix Open | Rasmus Hojgaard | T12 | 195,500 |
| Genesis Invitational | Will Zalatoris | T24 | 168,857 |
| Mexico Open | Patrick Rodgers | T25 | 59,350 |
| Cognizant Classic | Daniel Berger | T25 | 73,721 |
| Arnold Palmer | Keegan Bradley | T5 | 800,000 |
LAST WEEK – Arnold Palmer Invitational
MY CHOICE: Keegan Bradley
Course horse, check. Need to get on it before the Ryder Cup Captain needs to focus more on captaining than golf. Hope I haven’t missed my window.
Back nine 29. Record-setting performance. 64 on Sunday.
T5.
76 on Sunday was the doom.
Overall, pleased as punch. I did NOT have any of the four above him on my radar. BECAUSE I SUCK THAT’S WHY.
THIS Week – THE PLAYERS Championship
Biggest purse.
No need to hang on to a longshot.
THE CHOICE: Collin Morikawa
Others to consider:
Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg, Hideki Matsuyama,
Glass Houses 