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A new year means another PGA The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. Out of the 144 competing players in the 51st year of the prestigious event, all eyes are on Scottie Scheffler.
Last year, Scheffler became the first golfer in the tournament’s 50-year history to win back-to-back. The No. 1-ranked golfer in the world came back in last year’s match with a 3-under-par 69 final round, the lowest final round a winner has ever scored.
Some in the golf world state Scheffler as the world’s first golfer to successfully master TPC Sawgrass. The par-72 course is notoriously unforgiving. Without patience, a player can be killed on any hole. There are no layups. Sawgrass weeds out lesser players, leaving just the best of the best atop the leaderboard. Since The players moved back to March, the last five winners were ranked top-10 worldwide.
While Scheffler may have figured out the course in previous years, it’s a bit of a clean slate for all this year, with a revamped course that adds 72 yards to the scorecard. Holes 15 and 18 are the only holes not revamped for this year’s contest. The biggest changes are new tees at the par-5 second, par-4 sixth, par-5 11th and par-5 16th, resulting in yardage increases of 23, 20, 15 and 14.
Will Scottie three-peat? Or will someone else take his place? Round one begins March 13 at 7:40 a.m. in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Let’s look at some other contenders for this year’s Championship.
A modified course means all golfers will get a feel for the added grass during live play. It’s a clear disadvantage for Scheffler, who has mastered the course in years past. It could open the floodgates for other pros to overtake and establish themselves this tournament, especially in the early rounds.
Favorites Besides Scheffler
Agree or disagree with @THEPLAYERS Power Rankings from @RobBoltonGolf?
1. Sepp Straka
2. Scottie Scheffler
3. Rory McIlroy
4. Collin Morikawa
5. Hideki Matsuyama
6. Ludvig Åberg
7. Shane Lowry
8. Russell Henley
9. Corey Conners
10. Jason Day— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 11, 2025
Sepp Straka – Straka ranks 13th in the world. If anyone is going to upset Scottie Scheffler, it might as well be the FedExCup points leader. Straka has started 2025 strong with three top 10s and six top 15s in 2025. He’s balanced throughout his bag, which is favorable for Sawgrass, and has been playing some of his best golf.
Roy Mcllroy – Never count Roy out. After an incredible 2024 season that includes two wins, one runner-up, seven top-10s, and 15 top-25s, Mcllroy sits second in the OWGR. He has appeared in the top-30 only twice in his last seven appearances at The Players, a prime example of Sawgrass hurting even the best golfers. The revamped course may play to Mcllroy’s advantage. Add that to his recent play and Mcllroy becomes a serious contender.
Gators On the Card
Three Gators Alumni are competing in this year’s championship: Billy Horschel, Alejandro Tosti and Camilo Villegas.
Honored to partner with two of the best—THE PLAYERS Championship and Billy Horschel. More coverage of the golf tournament ➡️ https://t.co/B4n23zM8gL#comcastbusiness #iworkforcomcast pic.twitter.com/wAEz1daAWp
— Rick Garza (@rickgarza212) March 12, 2025
Horschel is 20th in the OWGR, and has one top-10 finish in 2025. In his last seven trips to The players Championship, Horschel has averaged 4-under, with an average finish of 40th. In 2024, Horschel missed the cut. He looks to rebound this year.
Tosti and Villegas are both longshots to win the Championship.
