By Chris Havlicek
Updated 3/13/24 3:36am ET
Basketball isn’t the only place where fans will witness March Madness, as the PGA Tour heads north from Orlando to Jacksonville for the 50th edition of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Golf’s “Fifth major” boasts a $25 million purse for the second straight year, and that means the world’s No. 1 ranked player and defending champion Scottie Scheffler has a chance to win the whopping $4.5 million first-place prize. He’ll be challenged by 12 of the top golfers in the world, according to the World Golf Rankings, and a host of capable contenders on the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course.
Scheffler enters TPC after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational by five shots – the same number of strokes he won The Players by last year. He dominated the field on Sunday in Arnold Palmer’s event with a final round 66 to capture his 7th PGA Tour title.
The winner from the 144-player field at The Players Championship earns much more than money. The winner also receives a five-year Tour exemption, as well as exemptions into all the majors for the next three years.
Dates/Location:
What: The Players Championship
Where: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra, FL
When: Thursday-Sunday, March 14- March 17
Purse: $25 million ($4.5 million/winner)
Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler
The Course:
The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass features water on 17 holes, including the famous short par 3 island shot at No. 17. The Pete Dye design is universally considered one of the world’s most challenging and iconic courses. TPC Sawgrass is a par-72 measuring 7,245 yards, featuring Bermuda grass greens. With trouble lurking at every turn, and the challenging last three holes looming, golfers will have a chance to make up strokes or ruin their tournament. With a par-5 16th that is a true risk-reward hole, the famous par-3 17th island green, and water running the entire length of the 18th hole, TPC has provided for some memorable and fantastic finishes.
Odds/Top 10: (Courtesy of FanDuel)
Scottie Scheffler (+550)
Rory McIlroy (+1200)
Xander Schauffele (+1800)
Justin Thomas (+2200)
Victor Hovland (+2200)
Max Homa (+2500)
Partick Cantlay (+2800)
Colin Morikawa (+3000)
Will Zalatoris (+3300)
Jordan Spieth (+3300)
Keys to Victory:
The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is one of the most iconic courses in the world. The Pete Dye design has always been a course where no particular type of player has a true advantage. This tournament, considered the “fifth major” is the ultimate test of consistency, patience, aggression on key holes, and bogey avoidance. Players who manage the course’s many water features and scramble well should find themselves at or near the top of the leaderboard.
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock
