The Players Championship
Complete winners history · TPC Sawgrass · Est. 1974
The Players Championship is the PGA Tour's flagship event — not officially a major, but widely regarded as the sport's fifth most prestigious title. With the strongest field of any event on Tour, a $25 million purse, and one of golf's most iconic venues, the Players carries major-level weight even if it doesn't carry major status.
Held every March at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the tournament is defined by its famous island green on the par-3 17th — a hole that has broken hearts and launched legends in equal measure.
The "Fifth Major" Debate
No event outside the official four has more legitimate claim to major status than The Players. Here's why the debate persists:
- Strongest field — Unlike the majors, which require qualifying, The Players invites every top-ranked player in the world. No majors exemptions, no amateurs — pure Tour elite.
- Largest purse — At $25 million (2025), it pays more than any official major. The winner takes home $4.5 million.
- Iconic venue — TPC Sawgrass was built specifically for this event. The island green 17th is one of the most photographed holes in golf.
- Why it's NOT a major — It's run by the PGA Tour (not a governing body like the USGA or R&A), has only been played since 1974, and lacks the historical tradition of Augusta, St Andrews, or Shinnecock Hills.
Most Players Championship Wins
| Player | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Nicklaus | 3 | 1974, 1976, 1978 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 2 | 2023, 2024 (back-to-back) |
| Tiger Woods | 2 | 2001, 2013 |
| Rory McIlroy | 2 | 2019, 2025 |
| Hal Sutton | 2 | 1983, 2000 |
| Davis Love III | 2 | 1992, 2003 |
Note: Tournament cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Complete Players Championship Winners List (1974–2026)
| Year | Champion | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | TBD — in progress | — | — |
| 2025 | Rory McIlroy | 🇬🇧 NIR | −16 |
| 2024 | Scottie Scheffler | 🇺🇸 USA | −20 |
| 2023 | Scottie Scheffler | 🇺🇸 USA | −17 |
| 2022 | Cameron Smith | 🇦🇺 AUS | −13 |
| 2021 | Justin Thomas | 🇺🇸 USA | −10 |
| 2020 | Cancelled (COVID-19) | — | — |
| 2019 | Rory McIlroy | 🇬🇧 NIR | −15 |
| 2018 | Webb Simpson | 🇺🇸 USA | −21 |
| 2017 | Si Woo Kim | 🇰🇷 KOR | −10 |
| 2016 | Jason Day | 🇦🇺 AUS | −15 |
| 2015 | Rickie Fowler | 🇺🇸 USA | −12 |
| 2014 | Martin Kaymer | 🇩🇪 GER | −13 |
| 2013 | Tiger Woods | 🇺🇸 USA | −13 |
| 2012 | Matt Kuchar | 🇺🇸 USA | −13 |
| 2011 | K.J. Choi | 🇰🇷 KOR | −10 |
| 2010 | Tim Clark | 🇿🇦 RSA | −14 |
| 2009 | Henrik Stenson | 🇸🇪 SWE | −12 |
| 2008 | Sergio García | 🇪🇸 ESP | −13 |
| 2007 | Phil Mickelson | 🇺🇸 USA | −10 |
| 2006 | Stephen Ames | 🇹🇹 TRI | −14 |
| 2005 | Fred Funk | 🇺🇸 USA | −12 |
| 2004 | Adam Scott | 🇦🇺 AUS | −16 |
| 2003 | Davis Love III | 🇺🇸 USA | −21 |
| 2002 | Craig Perks | 🇳🇿 NZL | −11 |
| 2001 | Tiger Woods | 🇺🇸 USA | −14 |
| 2000 | Hal Sutton | 🇺🇸 USA | −15 |
| 1999 | David Duval | 🇺🇸 USA | −12 |
| 1998 | Justin Leonard | 🇺🇸 USA | −12 |
| 1997 | Steve Elkington | 🇦🇺 AUS | −17 |
| 1996 | Fred Couples | 🇺🇸 USA | −14 |
| 1995 | Lee Janzen | 🇺🇸 USA | −11 |
| 1994 | Greg Norman | 🇦🇺 AUS | −24 |
| 1993 | Nick Price | 🇿🇦 RSA | −14 |
| 1992 | Davis Love III | 🇺🇸 USA | −14 |
| 1991 | Steve Elkington | 🇦🇺 AUS | −13 |
| 1990 | Jodie Mudd | 🇺🇸 USA | −13 |
| 1989 | Tom Kite | 🇺🇸 USA | −11 |
| 1988 | Mark McCumber | 🇺🇸 USA | −10 |
| 1987 | Sandy Lyle | 🇬🇧 SCO | −6 |
| 1986 | John Mahaffey | 🇺🇸 USA | −6 |
| 1985 | Mark McCumber | 🇺🇸 USA | −10 |
| 1984 | Fred Couples | 🇺🇸 USA | −8 |
| 1983 | Hal Sutton | 🇺🇸 USA | −6 |
| 1982 | Jerry Pate | 🇺🇸 USA | −6 |
| 1981 | Raymond Floyd | 🇺🇸 USA | −11 |
| 1980 | Lee Trevino | 🇺🇸 USA | −10 |
| 1979 | Lanny Wadkins | 🇺🇸 USA | −4 |
| 1978 | Jack Nicklaus | 🇺🇸 USA | −6 |
| 1977 | Mark Hayes | 🇺🇸 USA | −12 |
| 1976 | Jack Nicklaus | 🇺🇸 USA | −9 |
| 1975 | Al Geiberger | 🇺🇸 USA | −7 |
| 1974 | Jack Nicklaus | 🇺🇸 USA | −7 |
* 1974–1981 played at various venues; TPC Sawgrass became permanent home in 1982.
TPC Sawgrass: The Island Green
The par-3 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is one of the most famous holes in golf. At just 137 yards, it requires nothing more than a short iron — but the green is almost entirely surrounded by water, and the wind at Sawgrass is unpredictable enough to turn a 9-iron into the most terrifying shot in professional golf.
Estimates suggest more than 120,000 balls have been hit into the water on 17 since the course opened. Tour pros average around 1.5 strokes on the hole — a number that hides a graveyard of tournament hopes lost to the splash zone.
Pete Dye designed TPC Sawgrass in 1980. The island green on 17 was reportedly an accident — Dye ran out of fill dirt and decided to leave the green isolated. It became the defining hole of the course and one of the most replicated designs in golf architecture.
Notable Players Championship Facts
- Jack Nicklaus holds the record with 3 wins (1974, 1976, 1978) — the only three-time winner
- Scottie Scheffler won back-to-back in 2023–24, the first to do so in the tournament's 50-year history
- Largest margin of victory: Greg Norman in 1994 by 4 shots (−24)
- Most prize money in golf: $25 million purse (2025); winner receives $4.5 million
- Rory McIlroy won in 2019 and 2025 — neither counts in his 5 official majors
- Tiger Woods won in 2001 and 2013 — despite 15 majors, never a 3-time Players champion
- Tournament cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 — the only year without a champion
Players Championship vs. The Majors
| Tournament | Organizer | Venue | Est. | 2025 Purse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players | PGA Tour | TPC Sawgrass | 1974 | $25,000,000 |
| The Masters | Augusta National | Augusta National | 1934 | $20,000,000 |
| PGA Championship | PGA of America | Rotating | 1916 | $18,500,000 |
| U.S. Open | USGA | Rotating | 1895 | $21,500,000 |
| The Open Championship | The R&A | Rotating (links) | 1860 | $17,000,000 |
Explore how Players Championship winners stack up in the major championship record books:
Tiger Woods — 15 Major Wins → |
Rory McIlroy — 5 Majors → |
All-Time Major Wins Leaders → |
2026 Masters Predictions →