The Players 2025: Ranking favorites, contenders, hopefuls

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler returns to the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass this week after becoming the first back-to-back winner in the event’s 50-year history in 2024.

This year, Scheffler will look to join Jack Nicklaus as only the second three-time winner; the Golden Bear won the Players in 1974, 1976 and 1978.

A year ago, Scheffler battled neck pain early in the second round and wasn’t sure he could keep playing. He battled through the injury and found himself six shots behind Wyndham Clark at the halfway point.

Scheffler was five behind Xander Schauffele after 54 holes, but found himself lifting a trophy again that Sunday by carding a bogey-free, 8-under 64 in the final round. Clark, Schauffele and Brian Harman had birdie tries on the 72nd hole to tie Scheffler and force a playoff — but all three missed.

Scheffler finished 20 under and beat them by a stroke.

Here’s a look at the 144-player field for this week’s Players Championship, from the clear favorite to the golfers hoping to make the cut:

Jump to a section:
The clear favorites | Guys who can win | If everything goes right
Long shots | Miracles happen | Happy to make the cut

Tier I: The clear favorites

Scottie Scheffler
Last year, Scheffler led the field in shots gained: off the tee (1.619) and tied for first in driving accuracy (45 of 56). He had just one bogey in his final 39 holes in 2024. He would be the first PGA Tour golfer to win an event three straight times since Steve Stricker did it at the John Deere Classic in 2009-11. He struggled with his putting at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, losing more than five strokes to the field over 72 holes.

Ludvig Åberg
The 25-year-old from Sweden posted three 67s to finish solo eighth at 14 under in his Players Championship debut in 2024. He led the field in driving distance (303.3 yards) and was ninth in strokes gained: approach (1.440). Oh, the former Texas Tech star moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in October and claims TPC Sawgrass as his home course.

Collin Morikawa
Morikawa has his world-class iron play dialed in again, and he was runner-up at the Sentry in Hawaii in the season opener and again at the Arnold Palmer Inviational. Morikawa was second in strokes gained: tee to green heading into last week’s API, and that skill is a necessity at TPC Sawgrass. Morikawa has putted much better this season. His best finish at the Players was a tie for 13th at 7 under in 2023.

Justin Thomas
The 2021 Players Championship winner has been playing much better golf, finishing second at the American Express in January, followed by top-10s at the WM Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational. He has been solid from tee to green, although his driving accuracy hasn’t been great. Last year, JT missed the cut at the Players, ending his streak of eight straight weekends played at TPC Sawgrass.

Rory McIlroy
Rory is a threat to win each time he tees off in a tournament, but it has been a bit of a struggle for him at TPC Sawgrass since winning the 2019 Players Championship. His four finishes since then: missed cut, T33rd, missed cut, T19th. Last year, McIlroy hit only 28 of 56 fairways and carded 11 bogeys and three double bogeys in 72 holes. He was toying around with a new driver and woods at Bay Hill, but went back to his old ones on the weekend.

Tier II: The guys who can win

Wyndham Clark
Clark had struggled off the tee and on approach this season until heating up at Bay Hill last week. He’ll probably never forget the 16-foot putt that spun out of the 72nd hole at The Players last year, which would have put him in a playoff against Scheffler. He was 11 under on par 5s at TPC Sawgrass last year. His game has been up and down for the past several months, but he’s difficult to beat when his mind is in a good place.

Xander Schauffele
Schauffele, who picked up his first two major championship victories at the PGA Championship and The Open in 2024, is still knocking off the rust from a rib injury that caused him to miss eight weeks before his start at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. He hit only 32 of 56 fairways at TPC Sawgrass last year but remained in the hunt until the 72nd hole by finishing seventh in scrambling (16 of 20) and fifth in strokes gained: putting (1.413).

Hideki Matsuyama
The 2021 Masters champion had three top-eight finishes in his past four starts at TPC Sawgrass, including a tie for sixth at 15 under in 2024. He might have won if he hadn’t lost more than a half-stroke (-.511) on the greens.

Maverick McNealy
The budding star had a breakthrough at The Players in 2024, tying for ninth at 13 under. He was four strokes behind Schauffele after 54 holes and carded an even-par 72 on Sunday.

Russell Henley
As straight as Henley hits a ball and as well as he putts — see last week’s win at the API, the fifth of his PGA Tour career — it seems his career results at TPC Sawgrass could have been better. He has more missed cuts (six) than made cuts (five). He turned things around in the majors the past two seasons and might be ready to do the same at The Players.

Tommy Fleetwood
TPC Sawgrass doesn’t seem to fit Fleetwood’s eye as well as other courses, but the Englishman has three straight finishes in the top 35. He went into last week’s API ranked first on tour in strokes gained: approach (1.178) this season.

Si Woo Kim
Kim was heating up in his past four starts on tour, and now he’s heading to a course where he won in 2017 and has four top-25s in nine events. He tied for sixth at 15 under last year, carding an 8-under 64 with seven birdies and an eagle on Sunday.

Daniel Berger
Berger has played lights-out since returning from a back injury that sidelined him for more than 18 months. He has a good track record at The Players, tying for 13th at 6 under in 2022 and for ninth at 8 under in 2021.

Laurie Canter
Few golfers in the world have been as hot as Canter, a former LIV Golf competitor who paid a fine to return to the DP World Tour in 2024. This year, he finished third in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, won a playoff at the Bahrain Championship and lost a playoff to finish second at the South African Open. He’s the first LIV Golf player to qualify for The Players.

Sepp Straka
The Austrian-born Straka captured his third PGA Tour victory at the American Express in January. He tied for 16th at 10 under at The Players last year and largely avoided mistakes (four bogeys and one double-bogey in 72 holes), but his putter didn’t cooperate much.

Brian Harman
Can the 2023 Open Championship winner find magic again at TPC Sawgrass? Last year, he tied for second at 19 under after opening with an even-par 72. He led the field in strokes gained: approach (2.252) and hit 60 of 72 greens.

Shane Lowry
The Irish golfer has played well this season, finishing solo second at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He had top-20 finishes in three of his past four starts in Ponte Vedra Beach and nearly aced the iconic 17th hole in the final round last year (he made one in 2022).

Sam Burns
“Bermuda Burns” typically heats up when the tour reaches its Florida Swing. He’s still looking for his first top-25 finish at TPC Sawgrass but made the cut in each of his past three starts.

Patrick Cantlay
After three straight missed cuts at The Players, Cantlay tied for 19th at 8 under in 2023. He tied for 68th at 2 over with only one sub-par round last year. The California native had two top-five finishes on the West Coast swing at the American Express and Genesis Invitational.

Sahith Theegala
Theegala isn’t very accurate off the tee, but he finds myriad ways to recover and get his ball on the green. Last year, he tied for ninth at 13 under, leading the field in strokes gained: putting (2.099). He made more than 360 feet of putts.

Min Woo Lee
After tying for sixth at 8 under in his Players debut in 2023, Lee had to make a 60-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole — the second-longest putt on that hole in the ShotLink era since 2003 — to make the cut last year. He tied for 54th at 2 under.

Min Woo Lee from 60 feet …

The second longest putt made on No. 17 since 2003 💪 pic.twitter.com/YNsSAYz4Ma

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 15, 2024

Jason Day
One of Day’s biggest PGA Tour victories came at the 2016 Players Championship, when he defeated Kevin Chappell by four strokes. His last top-10 finish in the event was a tie for eighth at 12 under in 2019. Day is working with swing coach Colin Swatton again, who helped him ascend to No. 1 in the world in 2015.

Tony Finau
Finau has putted better this season and picked up three top-25s on the West Coast swing, including a tie for fifth at 8 under at the Genesis Invitational. His best finish at The Players was a tie for 19th at 6 under in 2023.

Sungjae Im
The South Korean golfer has made four straight cuts at The Players, including a tie for sixth at 8 under in 2023. In the third round last year, he caught a terrible break when his approach shot on the par-4 seventh hole seemed to be spinning back in the hole, but was denied by his own pitch mark.

Unluckiest break of the week? 😮

Sungjae Im’s approach would’ve gone in had it not hit his own pitch mark. pic.twitter.com/n9YCQmDJKK

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 16, 2024

Harris English
English has played well this year, claiming his fifth PGA Tour victory at the Farmers Insurance Open on Jan. 25. It was his first win since undergoing hip surgery in February 2022. He overcame his TPC Sawgrass demons in 2024, ending a streak of seven straight missed cuts with a tie for 19th at 9 under.

Adam Scott
Few golfers in the field have played TPC Sawgrass as much (or well) as the 2004 Players Championship winner. He has recorded 10 top-25s in 23 starts; his last top-15 was a tie for 12th in 2019.

Justin Rose
The Englishman has a decent track record with six top-25s in 20 starts at TPC Sawgrass, including a tie for sixth in 2023. Last year, he missed the cut after hitting two shots into the water on the 17th hole and carded a quadruple-bogey 7.

Michael Kim
Kim has resurrected his career with a red-hot start this season, finishing in the top 25 in four of his first seven starts, including a tie for second at the WM Phoenix Open. Last year, he carded a 4-under 68 in the first round at The Players. But then he hit only six of 14 fairways and posted an 8-over 80 to miss the cut.

Tier III: If everything goes right

Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Given his putting prowess, the South African golfer might be a sneaky pick to win The Players. He tied for 13th in each of his last two starts at The Players. In 2024, he ranked fourth in the field in strokes gained: approach (1.744) and 29th in putting (.464).

Jordan Spieth
Spieth is still making his way back from wrist surgery and had encouraging results at the WM Phoenix Open (tie for fourth) and Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches (tie for ninth). He missed the cut at the 2024 Players Championship, hitting only 13 of 28 fairways in the first two rounds.

Keegan Bradley
The U.S. Ryder Cup team captain has played pretty well this season, tying for sixth at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January and finishing solo fifth at the API. He finished solo fifth at 9 under in the 2022 Players, then had back-to-back missed cuts. He lost more than 3½ strokes to the field in putting in 2024.

Corey Conners
The Canadian golfer hits a lot of fairways and greens, but he has struggled at times with his putter this season. He was solo third at the API and plays well on difficult golf courses. He tied for 13th at 11 under in 2024.

Cam Davis
The Australian golfer stepped up his game before a missed cut at the Genesis Invitational. He tied for sixth at the 2023 Players, then missed the cut after carding a 10-over 82 in the second round last year. He was seven over on Holes 4-8.

Aaron Rai
Rai, who has climbed to 25th in the OWGR, is perhaps best known for wearing two gloves on the course. He tied for fourth at the Mexico Open and made the cut in his first two starts at The Players.

Matt Fitzpatrick
The 2022 U.S. Open champion has struggled for much of the past two seasons, partly because of surprisingly inconsistent iron play. One of his best finishes came in last year’s Players Championship, where he was solo fifth at 16 under. He was second in the field in strokes gained: putting (1.824) and hit 39 of 56 fairways.

Viktor Hovland
The 2023 FedEx Cup champion has been searching for answers in his game for much of the past two seasons. He’s still one of the most talented golfers in the world but hasn’t yet put it all back together. He had back-to-back top-10 finishes at the Players before tying for 62nd at 1 under in 2024.

Tom Kim
The TGL superstar was forced to pull out of last year’s Players Championship because of illness. He was five over through eight holes in the first round.

Nick Taylor
The Canadian golfer is playing solid again, winning the Sony Open in Hawaii in January and piling up three top-25 finishes since then. He tied for 26th at The Players in 2024.

Tom Hoge
For a guy who’s name rhymes with bogey, Hoge’s game has been a nice fit at TPC Sawgrass. He set a course record with a 10-under 62 in the third round in 2023, carding 10 birdies, hitting 16 of 18 greens and needing only 27 putts. He tied for third at 10 under.

Will Zalatoris
It has been a long road back from surgery to repair two herniated discs in Zalatoris’ back in April 2023. There have been signs that he’s close to returning to his world-class form; he tied for 12th at the American Express and for 24th at the Genesis Invitational. His best finish at the Players was solo 21st in 2021.

Byeong Hun An
The South Korean golfer hasn’t done much at TPC Sawgrass, but he finished in the top 16 of two majors in 2024. He’s also coming off a nice stretch at the API.

Thomas Detry
The Belgium-born former world No. 1 amateur golfer claimed his first PGA Tour victory with a seven-stroke win at the WM Phoenix Open on Feb. 9. He made his first cut at The Players last year, tying for 62nd at 1 under.

Robert MacIntyre
The Scottish golfer has climbed to 19th in the OWGR, thanks to last year’s wins at the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open. He’ll be looking for his first made cut in three starts at TPC Sawgrass.

Denny McCarthy
One of the better putters on tour, McCarthy finished in the top 35 in his past two starts in the event. He tied for fifth at the Genesis Invitational and had two other top-20s this season.

Billy Horschel
Horschel doesn’t live far from TPC Sawgrass, so one would figure he’d have success at the course. He has only one top-25 finish in 12 starts-a tie for 13th in 2015.

Lucas Glover
His long history at The Players isn’t great with 10 missed cuts in 17 starts. He does have a couple of top-10 finishes but none since 2017.

Akshay Bhatia
Bhatia, 23, had back-to-back top-10 finishes at the Genesis Invitational and Mexico Open before struggling in the windy conditions at the API. He missed the cut in his Players Championship debut in 2024.

Andrew Novak
Novak might spray the ball from the tee too much to contend at The Players, but he has played well in 2025. He was solo third at the Farmers Insurance Open and tied for 13th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis.

Chris Kirk
Not much has gone right so far for the six-time PGA Tour winner this season. His best finishing heading into last week was a tie for 34th at the American Express. He has struggled with his irons and putting and ranked 152nd in strokes gained: total (-.836). He tied for 24th at The Players in 2024.

Tier IV: The long shots

Aldrich Potgieter
The 20-year-old from South Africa burst onto the scene when he tied for 15th at the Farmers Insurance Open and lost to Brian Campbell in a playoff at the Mexico Open in just his sixth PGA Tour start as a pro. Going into last week, Potgieter led the tour in both driving distance (326.9 yards) and strokes gained: putting (1.142). His iron play and touch around the greens remains a work in progress.

Max Greyserman
The former Duke star has been trending in the right direction with four top 25s in his first seven starts on tour this season. He’ll be making his debut at TPC Sawgrass.

Brian Campbell
Campbell picked up his first PGA Tour victory in a playoff at the Mexico Open. He’s making his Players Championship debut.

Nico Echavarria
Echavarria collected victories in each of the past two PGA Tour seasons, and nearly won again when he lost to Taylor in a playoff at the Sony Open in January. He’s making his Players debut.

Taylor Pendrith
After capturing his first PGA Tour victory at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Pendrith’s game has been trending up. His best finish in The Players was a tie for 13th at 6 under in 2022.

Davis Thompson
Last season, the 25-year-old tied for ninth at the U.S. Open and picked up his first PGA Tour victory at the John Deere Classic, setting the tournament scoring record at 28 under. If he gets his irons and putter dialed in, he’ll win a big event soon.

Ben Griffin
Griffin had a nice heater against non-elite fields, tying for fourth in both the Mexico Open and Cognizant Classic. He missed the cut in his second start at The Players in 2024.

Jake Knapp
Knapp is ultra-talented and showed it by winning the Mexico Open last year. He was 45th in the Players last year and might need another year to season before he’s a true contender.

Stephan Jaeger
The German golfer missed the cut in two of his past three starts at TPC Sawgrass. His form has been solid to start the season.

Matthieu Pavon
It’s been a bit of a slog so far this season for France’s most famous golfer, who missed the cut at the API, posting a 12-over 83 in the second round.

Adam Hadwin
Before missing the cut last year, Hadwin had back-to-back top-15 finishes at The Players.

Taylor Moore
He already picked up a couple of top-10s at the American Express and WM Phoenix Open. He made the cut in his past two starts at The Players.

Mackenzie Hughes
Hughes’ form wasn’t great until he turned it on at the API. He tied for 26th at The Players last year.

Doug Ghim
Ghim, Scheffler’s former teammate at Texas, has quietly put together a nice run at The Players. He tied for sixth at 13 under in 2022 and for 16th at 10 under in 2024.

Eric Cole
The well-traveled Cole missed the cut in 2024 after tying for 27th in his debut.

Tier V: Hey, miracles happen

Victor Perez
Rickie Fowler
Gary Woodland
J.J. Spaun
J.T. Poston
Patrick Rodgers
Sam Stevens
Joel Dahmen
Alex Smalley
Nick Dunlap
Keith Mitchell
Cameron Young
Max Homa
Jhonattan Vegas
Beau Hossler
Joe Highsmith
Karl Vilips
Nicolai Hojgaard
Lanto Griffin
Rasmus Hojgaard
Charley Hoffman
Greyson Sigg
Andrew Putnam
Mark Hubbard
Ryan Fox
Séamus Power
Sam Ryder
Isaiah Salinda
Erik van Rooyen
Justin Lower
Austin Eckroat
Adam Schenk
Jacob Bridgeman
Brice Garnett
Matti Schmid
Ryan Gerard
Max McGreevy
Kris Ventura
Camilo Villegas

This list includes some former PGA Tour winners who clearly aren’t on top of their games at this point for various reasons. Cameron Young looked like a future Ryder Cup player not long ago, but now he can’t make a cut on tour. He missed his third straight weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after carding a 10-over 82 in the first round (he was 11 shots better in the second round). Young hasn’t been accurate off the tee (50.4% of fairways hit heading into last week), and he has struggled mightily with his irons (176th in strokes gained: approach at -1.018).

Homa did play on the U.S. Ryder Cup team in Rome in 2023 and the Presidents Cup last year. Like Young, he can’t make a cut. He has missed three straight after posting a 9-over 81 in the first round at Bay Hill. Homa’s last top-25 finish on tour was a tie for 22nd at the Memorial Tournament on June 9. Homa has changed equipment and swing coaches, and he’s still clawing his way back.

Woodland is still fighting his way back from surgery to remove a benign brain tumor in September 2023. The 40-year-old said he’s feeling better and there were early signs of promise with three straight top 25s, followed by back-to-back missed cuts. He finished 72nd at The Players last year.

There are a few first-timers on this list who are arguably too talented to not be ranked higher. Remember that a first-timer hasn’t won the Players Championship since New Zealand’s Craig Perks, ranked 203rd in the world at the time, stunned the field to claim his first and only PGA Tour victory. Before Perks, the last golfer to win The Players in his first try was Hal Sutton in 1983.

Obviously, winning at TPC Sawgrass in your debut is difficult, so that’s why golfers like Highsmith and Rasmus Hojgaard aren’t ranked higher. Highsmith captured the Cognizant Classic two weeks ago, and Hojgaard was a five-time winner on the DP World Tour.

Tier VI: Happy to make the cut

Harry Hall
Victor Perez
Kurt Kitayama
Davis Riley
Carson Young
Patrick Fishburn
Rafael Campos
Henrik Norlander
Kevin Yu
Peter Malnati
Matt Kuchar
Chris Gotterup
Ben Kohles
Ben Silverman
K.H. Lee
Sami Välimäki
Mac Meissner
Chad Ramey
Chan Kim
Emiliano Grillo
Matt McCarty
Alejandro Tosti
Vince Whaley
Chandler Phillips
Luke List
Patton Kizzire
Hayden Springer
Ryo Hisatsune
Adam Svensson
C.T. Pan
David Lipsky
Will Gordon
Rico Hoey
Jackson Suber
Nate Lashley
David Skinns
Frankie Capan III
Kevin Roy
Bud Cauley
Trey Mullinax
Will Chandler

This group includes a few aging PGA Tour golfers who are trying to hang onto their cards, and several newcomers who are attempting to get more access to the tour.

Kitayama tied for 19th at The Players in 2024 but has struggled so far this season, missing three cuts in six starts. His best finish was a tie for 37th at the Sony Open. Malnati, 37, has four missed cuts in his first seven starts and has slipped to 151st in the world.

Kuchar, 46, is a nine-time winner on tour and an 18-time champion around the world. But he isn’t playing as much golf these days, and he missed the weekend in each of his past four starts at TPC Sawgrass.

Davis Riley, 28, was a budding star after claiming victories with teammate Nick Hardy at the 2023 Zurich Classic, then on his own at last year’s Charles Schwab Challenge, where he beat Scheffler and Bradley by five strokes. He has struggled to find his form this season, withdrawing after nine holes of the final round of The Sentry, then missing four straight cuts while struggling with a two-way miss. He played better in last week’s Puerto Rico Classic, an opposite-field event.

Source: espn.com