The Players Championship is also called the “fifth major”. It is the first highlight of the year and the tournament with the largest prize money on the PGA Tour. The field of participants is peppered with the absolute top players in the world and thus promises a tough fight for the title. From the top 50 in the world rankings, almost all players will compete in the Players Championship, so it is difficult to identify clear favourites. Nevertheless, we want to get an overview of the field’s strongest competitors.
Players Championship victory could affect world ranking
The tournament’s biggest favourites are, of course, the players in the top 10 of the official World Golf Ranking. All ten will be travelling to Florida in a bid to take the title from last year’s winner Justin Thomas. Thomas himself, currently number 7 in the world, will be there to try and defend the title. He won the 20-million-dollar tournament in 2021 and has already proven that he has the ability and the nerve to prevail against the strong field. A clear advantage.
Jon Rahm, currently number 1 in the world rankings, is under particular pressure. He is in danger of losing his leading position on the world ranking list after 34 weeks. No less than four players could pass him with a good result this week: Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler. They are all hot on the Spaniard’s heels and will leave no stone unturned to climb to the top of the world rankings.
Pressure on Jon Rahm
Viktor Hovland has been in particularly good form in recent weeks, winning once already this year, finishing second once and recording two more top-10 finishes. Scottie Scheffler is also a strong threat to Rahm: the American has already won two of five tournaments this year.
One of them was last weeks Arnold Palmer Invitational. But Patrick Cantlay, last season’s FedEx Cup winner, and Collin Morikawa, who has been lying in wait for Jon Rahm at number two in the world rankings for some time now, will also put Rahm under pressure. Morikawa currently leads several rankings on the PGA Tour and broke last years record with a 66 at the Players Championship.
Other players in the top 10 who will be competing at TPC Sawgrass are Rory McIlroy (winner of the 2019 Players Championship), Xander Schauffele, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith.
Sergio Garcia also has an impressive record. He has made the cut at TPC Sawgrass 17 times in a row, a feat many a golfer has despaired of. In addition to eight top-15 finishes, he has finished third once, second twice and won the tournament once. Not to be forgotten: his hole-in-one on the famous 17th hole in 2017.
It’s @THEPLAYERSChamp week! pic.twitter.com/3KFK6VZKHl
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 7, 2022
Even underdogs can surprise on the PGA Tour
Not only the winners can sow panic. This year, for example, four winners celebrated a victory on the PGA Tour for the first time before the start of March. They are Tom Hoge, Scottie Scheffler, Luke List and Sepp Straka. They will all be competing again this week.