2025 The Players Championship
The PGA Tour heads to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, this week for one of the most prestigious events in golf, The Players Championship at the world-famous TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course. Fans will be able to watch some of the best golfers in the game compete for the golden trophy and a massive $25 million purse, in what is considered by many as the “fifth major”. The Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course provides one of the most well-rounded tests in professional golf, rewarding precision and penalizing mistakes with deep bunkers, water hazards, and undulating greens. The spotlight will be on some of the biggest stars in the game this weekend as they battle for one of the most coveted non-major titles in professional golf.
Tournament Details
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Dates: March 13th-16th, 2025
Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler
Purse: $25 million
FedEx Cup Points: 750
Event Type: Signature Event
Course Week Breakdown
TPC Sawgrass is a 7,352-yard, par 72 course designed to test every aspect of a golfer’s game. It doesn’t favor one particular playing style, which is why so many different types of players have won here in the past. The course’s most famous hole, the par-three 17th island green, is one of the most iconic and nerve-wracking tee shots in all of golf. It continually provides high and low lights all week long. The closing par–four 18th is just as challenging, with water running all along the left side and trees all along the right. It forces players to be precise off the tee and on approach.
The weather on Thursday and Friday will be pretty tame, with highs in the mid-70s, low chances of rain, and winds peaking at around 10 mph. Saturday and Sunday may be a bit more challenging for the players when it comes to the weather. While the temperature highs will be in the high 70s, there’s a 40% chance of rain on Sunday, and winds will reach up to 20 mph and potentially swirling. The weekend weather can certainly shape the outcome this week, and any rain could soften the typically firm and fast conditions that TPC Sawgrass can offer. Accuracy and mental toughness will be key in avoiding high scores, especially at one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour.
Featured Players to Watch
Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler - World Number One
Scottie Scheffler enters The Players Championship as the back-to-back champion and the number one player in the world. His ball-striking remains one of the best on Tour, consistently gaining strokes on the field with his elite approach play and tee-to-green consistency. Last year, he shot an incredible 20-under par to edge out Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark, who both finished at 19-under par. Scheffler has already shown some strong play this season, though he’s yet to find himself in the winner’s circle in 2025. If he can clean things up off the tee and around the green, we could be seeing him lift the golden trophy for the third year in a row.
Powerhouse: Ludvig Aberg - World Number Five
Ludvig Aberg is quickly going from a rising star to an absolute powerhouse in the game, showcasing a rare combination of power, precision, and clutch play. The young Swede already secured a signature event win earlier this season at the Genesis Invitational, proving he can compete with the best in high-stakes tournaments. His distance, accuracy, and aggressive iron play make his game an ideal fit for TPC Sawgrass. In fact, in his Players Championship debut last year, he finished eighth, and hopefully, with more course familiarity, he can improve on that this year. Watch for Aberg to finish in the top three, if not win the trophy this week.
Bounce Back Player: Collin Morikawa - World Number Four
Collin Morikawa enters The Players Championship coming off a heartbreaking runner-up finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He looked poised to win at Bay Hill, holding the lead deep into Sunday, only to stumble late and fall one shot short. Despite the disappointment, he’s been playing some of the best golf of anyone and ranks second in strokes gained total and in strokes gained tee-to-green. Morikawa continues to be one of the best approach players in the world, and TPC Sawgrass is certainly a course that rewards those who can dial in their mid and short irons. He hasn’t had his best stuff at this tournament in the past, with his best finish being a tie for 13th in 2023. He finished tied for 45th last year. If Morikawa can find some magic and consistency with his putter, he could find himself in contention again and potentially redeem himself after last week’s heartbreak.
Wild-Card Winner: Tommy Fleetwood - World Number 10
Tommy Fleetwood has been one of the best and most popular players on the PGA Tour since he joined in 2018, yet he is still searching for his first PGA Tour victory. It would be one for the storybooks if he could finally break through at The Players Championship. His elite ball-striking, accuracy, smooth putting stroke, and ability to handle all kinds of weather conditions make him an interesting dark-horse choice this week. His best finish at The Players came in 2019, where he finished tied for fifth. He finished tied for 35th in the 2024 event. Be on the lookout for some Fleetwood magic at TPC Sawgrass as he goes after his first PGA Tour win and The Players Championship trophy.
