A year on from becoming the first player to defend The Players Championship title, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler tees off at Florida’s TPC Sawgrass on Thursday looking to put further distance between himself and his peers in golf’s history books.

Scheffler and McIlory have both won the tournament in the past. McIlroy won The Players back in 2019, while Scheffler has won the last tournaments, with Schauffele finishing tied for second in 2024. Scheffler is the first player ever to win The Players in consecutive years, and is a favorite to win it for a third straight year.

THE PLAYERS and it's season-high $25 million purse is really the kickoff to golf's majors — even if it doesn't technically qualify as one. The tournament has all the hallmarks of the biggest events of the season: An elite course in TPC Sawgrass with arguably the most iconic hole in golf (the island green No.