Guide to The Players Championship

Players Championship: 48th edition
Where: TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
When: March 9-12

How to watch

All streaming on ESPN+ (United States), TSN+ (Canada)

Featured groups

See the full tee sheet for Thursday and Friday.

3 storylines to watch

The drama Sawgrass brings

There are few courses in the world that can punish a poor shot more than the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Tiger Woods, who has won the event twice, was very clear on his thoughts about the challenge Pete Dye created for the top players in the world.

"It's a very simple formula here: Hit it good. The golf course is one that Pete has set up to intimidate you visually. You have to overcome that part of it. And no, you can't really play poorly and win this event. I think we all have to accept that you're going to hit good shots … (and) some weird hops, get some really, really funky lies, whether it's off the fairway or around the greens. Stuff where you're standing on your head and hitting shots, which is not normal, but on a Pete Dye course, it is."

The closing stretch of the reachable par-5 16th, the island green at the par-3 17th, and the treacherous par-4 18th are arguably the toughest on the PGA TOUR, with water playing a significant role at all three.

Big-name battles

The Players is never lacking for a loaded field, but the addition of the elevated events this season has brought the top players in the world together more often. That's created an incredible three-man battle for World No. 1 between Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy. That trio just happens to be grouped together for Rounds 1 and 2 this week, with all three in a position to be the top-ranked player in the world at the end of the event if things break their way. There are blockbuster groups all over the leaderboard, including the All-American triple of Max Homa, Justin Thomas, and Jordan Spieth. Here are five big-name groups to keep an eye on.

Lack of LIV

It's impossible to escape the chatter of the ongoing battle between the PGA TOUR and LIV Golf, but that might get cranked up an extra level this week at TPC Sawgrass. The defending champion's face was noticeably absent on all advertisements for the event, as Cameron Smith is not in the field due to his move to LIV Golf last year. Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey, Harold Varner, and Dustin Johnson all finished in the top 10 last year but are among the 31 players from the 2022 Players Championship banned from participation due to their move to LIV. How the broadcast handles their absence will be interesting to watch.

Last year's result

There's never been a repeat winner of the Players Championship, and the ongoing battle between the PGA TOUR and LIV Golf will ensure this year won't be any different. Smith, Lahiri, and Casey were the top three at last year's event, meaning the top of the leaderboard will look greatly different this time out.

The 2022 edition presented arguably the biggest weather challenge in the history of The Players with torrential rain wreaking havoc on the tournament. The first round alone took over 54 hours to complete with a Monday finish required to crown a champion. The weather looks much more promising this year with light rain in the forecast Friday to Sunday.

Previous winners

2022: Cameron Smith (-13)
2021: Justin Thomas (-14)
2020: Event canceled
2019: Rory McIlroy (-16)
2018: Webb Simpson (-18)
2017: Si Woo Kim (-10)
2016: Jason Day (-15)
2015: Rickie Fowler (-12)
2014: Martin Kaymer (-13)
2013: Tiger Woods (-13)

Betting odds

Jon Rahm +900
Rory McIlroy +900
Scottie Scheffler +1,100
Patrick Cantlay +1,600
Justin Thomas +1,800
Xander Schauffele +2,000
Max Homa +2,200
Collin Morikawa +2,500
Jordan Spieth +2,500
Tony Finau +2,500
Viktor Hovland +2,500
Cameron Young +3,300
Jason Day +3,300
Sungjae Im +3,300
Tyrrell Hatton +3,300
Will Zalatoris +3,300

Odds via theScore Bet