2024 THE PLAYERS Championship: Power Rankings, Defending Champion, Prize Money, and Major Details

THE PLAYERS Championship is all set to kick off at the TPC Sawgrass. The much-anticipated event will finally start on Thursday, March 14, and will see its final round being held on Sunday, March 17. Interestingly, the tournament will witness a lot of top athletes in the golfing world who will be duking it out for the title of champion.

The 12th event on the 2024 PGA Tour calendar will also see the golfers teeing it off for a winner’s cut from the prize pool of $25 million. However, only one of the lot can come out on top at the tournament, all the while raking in the much-coveted title and rewards. Who could it be?

The top contenders for THE PLAYERS Championship crown

The third event on the Jay Monahan-led circuit’s Florida Swing will see a total of 144 athletes participating for the win and its rewards in Ponte Vedra Beach. A standardized system, which is usually used for determining the fields of various events based on the Priority Ranking of the current season, has been used to decide the same for the 50th edition of the PLAYERS Championship. The list of golfers for the upcoming tournament has been filled with fully exempt PGA Tour athletes, along with those who have been given conditional categories. Thus, it is natural for the community to wonder who might come out on top.

1. Scottie Scheffler: Fresh off a win from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the current No. 1 in the world emerged victorious at the 2023 edition of the event with a 17-under 271 all the while claiming a cut of $4.5 million. Moreover, he has also managed to garner a total of five top-10 finishes in his six starts this season, following a win at the 2023 Hero World Challenge. The American Pro is truly a force to be wary of on the greens, as can be evident from the recently concluded signature event.

2. Rory McIlroy: Although the Northern Irishman has yet to make his mark on the 2024 PGA Tour calendar, he has had a phenomenal start to the year with a win and a runner-up finish on the European circuit at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and the Dubai Invitational, respectively. Meanwhile, he would also be hoping to reclaim his crown, which he won back in 2019 with a scintillating 16-under 272. With two top-10 finishes in 2024, he will be a fan favorite to win the upcoming tournament.

3. Xander Schauffele: Out of the six starts that the 30-year-old made in 2024, he has managed to finish a total of four times inside the top 10. Although he couldn’t make his mark at the recent signature event, the golfer was able to finish T4 and T3 at the Genesis Invitational and the American Express respectively. What’s more, the 7-time PGA Tour champ would be hoping to open his books at the upcoming tournament all the while hoping to jump back to 5th place on the OWGR.

4. Wyndham Clark: The 30-year-old, with a runner-up finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational behind Scheffler, was able to propel himself past Schauffele and claim the 5th spot on the world rankings for himself. Although the pro only has a total of two top-10 finishes in 2024, both of them have been nothing short of amazing, as he also emerged victorious at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after three rounds. Underestimating him would be a mistake on the part of the other athletes.

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5. Ludvig Aberg: The golfer is currently placed at No. 10 on the Official World Golf Rankings and has been a fan favorite among many in the community. From the six PGA Tour starts he had this year, the golfer has placed a total of three times inside the top 20 with his best, a runner-up position, at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Regardless of his recent performance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Swede is undoubtedly a top contender to claim the crown.

A par-72 challenge for the golfers

The idea for THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass was formed by Deane R. Beman, who was an ex-commissioner on the PGA Tour. The course, built in 1980, has been a permanent home to the upcoming tournament and is filled with long fairway bunkers, water hazards, and such to make the golfer’s experience more challenging.

Dubbed the ‘first true Stadium course, the grounds have been designed in such a way as to improve the overall fan experience for those on-site. Anyhow, many in the golf world will indubitably be eagerly awaiting the result of the upcoming event, which will take place in Florida and TPC Sawgrass will surely prove to be a treat for the fan’s eyes.

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