The 52nd edition of THE PLAYERS Championship begins March 12 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, featuring a 123-player field headlined by defending champion Rory McIlroy and two-time winner Scottie Scheffler. The event offers a $25 million purse, with $4.5 million and 750 FedExCup points to the winner. Seven past champions are set to compete on the Stadium Course.
The PGA Tour's flagship event returns to the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, a par-72 layout measuring 7,352 yards. Rory McIlroy, who captured his second Players title in 2025 by defeating J.J. Spaun in a three-hole playoff following a weather delay, aims to defend his crown. That victory came after McIlroy birdied the par-5 16th hole, while Spaun's tee shot on the par-3 17th found the water, securing the win the next morning.
The field of 123 players includes top-ranked talent, expanded from an initial 120 to accommodate Brooks Koepka's return under the Tour's Returning Member Program. Koepka last played at TPC Sawgrass in 2022. Other notable entrants are 2024 champion Scottie Scheffler, major winners like Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, Hideki Matsuyama, and Brooks Koepka, as well as FedExCup winner Patrick Cantlay.
Past champions in the mix total seven, including Adam Scott, Justin Thomas, and Rickie Fowler. Qualification criteria encompass winners of PGA Tour events since the previous Players, top 100 from the prior season's FedExCup Fall points list, recent major champions from 2021-2025, and top performers in current FedExCup standings through the Cognizant Classic.
Winners of the concurrent Arnold Palmer Invitational and Puerto Rico Open will join if not already exempt, with the final two spots announced Monday at noon ET. The top 65 players and ties advance after 36 holes. Broadcast coverage spans Golf Channel, NBC, and Peacock from March 9-15.