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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

PGA Tour’s flagship event, the Players Championship, is up and running. One of the many ‘elevated’ events on the brand-new schedule, the tournament is considered by many to be on equal footing to the major championships. And with a bump in purses and prize money, the Players Championship is on course to break existing records.

What makes this year’s Players Championship special?

Debuting in 1974 on the tour, the Players Championship has always been one of the special events on the PGA Tour. One of the biggest attractions has been its purses, which, at one point, were higher than any other golf tournament in the world.

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The tournament has only added to its glamour in recent years, with the world’s best players vying for a share of the lucrative prizes. But the increase in purses has been unprecedented, which can be observed from the recent rise.

Merely three years earlier, Rory McIlroy won the title and was awarded prize money of $2.25 million. To put that figure in context, the winner of this year’s Players Championship will receive an eye-watering $4.5 million, which is double that of the winner’s share three years ago.

Incredibly, this year’s runner-up will cash in $2.725 million, which is more than what Justin Thomas earned after winning the 2021 Players Championship.

USA Today via Reuters

The purse also receives a significant bump from the last edition of the tournament. The purse for the 2022 Players Championship stood at $20 million. Most of the elevated events on the tour this year possess the same figure.

Yet, this year’s Players Championship will have a purse of $25 million, which stands on equal footing to the lucrative LIV Golf Series’ events. It remains the highest amount offered by the tournament organizers ever.

As usual, the competition will be played at the iconic TPC Sawgrass and will feature Official World Golf Ranking points on offer. The winner is set to receive 80 points, which is merely 20 points off the major championship stake.

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Prize money breakdown at the 2023 Players Championship

POSITIONMONEY
1st$4,500,000
2nd$2,725,000
3rd$1,725,000
4th$1,225,000
5th$1,025,000
6th$906,250
7th$843,750
8th$781,250
9th$731,250
10th$681,250
11th$631,250
12th$581,250
13th$531,250
14th$481,250
15th$456,250
16th$431,250
17th$406,250
18th$381,250
19th$356,250
20th$331,250
21st$306,250
22nd$281,250
23rd$261,250
24th$241,250
25th$221,250
26th$201,250
27th$193,750
28th$186,250
29th$178,750
30th$171,250
31st$163,750
32nd$156,250
33rd$148,750
34th$142,500
35th$136,250
36th$130,000
37th$123,750
38th$118,750
39th$113,750
40th$108,750
41st$103,750
42nd$98,750
43rd$93,750
44th$88,750
45th$83,750
46th$78,750
47th$73,750
48th$69,750
49th$66,250
50th$64,250
51st$62,750
52nd$61,250
53rd$60,250
54th$59,250
55th$58,750
56th$58,250
57th$57,750
58th$57,250
59th$56,750
60th$56,250
61st$55,750
62nd$55,250
63rd$54,750
64th$54,250
65th$53,750

Who do you think will reign supreme at the Players Championship this week? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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