Top 12 Golfers And Leading Stats And Trends At 2026 Players Championship

The heart of the PGA Tour schedule from March through May includes multiple Majors, Signature Events and the big money $25 million PLAYERS Championship. The biggest names and best golfers on the PGA Tour will tee it up on Pete Dye’s famed TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida – home of PGA Tour headquarters. As The Players Championship celebrates its 52nd year, here is a list of 12 top golfers with stats and profiles and 18 other players to consider as you prepare for the huge watch and wager event. 

A total of 123 players, the fewest in tournament history and down from 144 players each of the last four years, will navigate Pete Dye’s hazards and water on 17 holes at the 7,352-yard Par 72 Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. That includes the famed island Par 3 at No. 17. Over the last five years, TPC Sawgrass has ranked between the 12th and 16th toughest scoring course on Tour with a scoring average of 72.39 and 71.42 the last two years. The cut line has been -1 the last two years and +2 the two years prior. 

The winner of The Players Championship cashes in $4.5 million, and the top five finishers all earn more than $1 million. Ten of the last 12 Players Championship winners are also major champions with only Si Woo Kim (2017) and Rickie Fowler (2015) without a major championship title. Rory McIlroy is the defending champion having defeated J.J. Spaun in a playoff last year. 

Leading Favorites To Win The Players Championship

Leading favorites and contenders golf odds from BetOnline sportsbook refresh periodically and
are subject to change, including on props and live betting.

1. Scottie Scheffler (+450) – The 2-time Players Championship winner (2023, 2024) makes his sixth PLAYERS start. The 29-year-old No. 1-ranked player and 4-time major winner never threatened last year, finishing T20 and 8 shots behind the winner. Since the Sony Open this year, Scheffler ranks top 3 in this field in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee, Tee-to-Green, Around the Green, Total and top 5 in Putting.  
2. Rory McIlroy (+1800) — The 36-year-old won The Players a second time last year after missing the cut in 3 of his previous 6 starts at TPC Sawgrass. The 5-time major winner did finish top 12 at The Players four straight years from 2012-2016. Since the Sony Open, McIlroy is top 10 in SG: Approach, Around the Green and top 3 in Off-the-Tee and Tee-to-Green. 
3. Collin Morikawa (+1600) – The 29-year-old won the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to move up to No. 4 in the world rankings. He was contending at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational before a final round 70 to finish solo 5th. Morikawa is playing with more confidence and control again, and he had his first top 10 in this event last year and was top 5 through 36 holes, and also in 2023. Since the Sony Open, he’s top 5 in Tee-to-Green and Approach, and top 10 Off-the-Tee.
4. Tommy Fleetwood (+3000) broke through for his first PGA Tour win in last year’s playoffs and won the Tour Championship. The 35-year-old has been riding high since and up to No. 3 in the world. He finished T5 (2019) and T7 (2018) in this event and T14 last year. Since the Sony Open, Fleetwood ranks top 10 in Tee-to-Green and Around the Green. 
5. Russell Henley (+2800) is No. 6 in the world and usually ranks highly in SG: Approach stats (top 20 this year). He has a pair of top 15 finishes at The Players (2021, 2023) and two top-30 finishes the past two years. 
6. Si Woo Kim (+3300) won The Players in 2017 and added two more top 10’s in 2021 and 2024. The 30-year-old is playing some of his best golf again this year while ranking No. 1 in SG: Approach, No. 2 in Tee-to-Green and top 5 Total. He was 65/1 to win the event last year, and now 33/1, or +3300 to win this year. 
7. Hideki Matsuyama (+3500) missed the cut last year, but the 34-year-old Japanese star has four top 10 finishes in the event, including T6 in 2024 and 5th in 2023. He’s top 10 in SG: Approach, Tee-to-Green and top 5 Around the Green and Total. 
8. Ludvig Aberg (+2200) missed the cut at The Players last year after finishing 8th in his Players Championship debut in 2024. The 26-year-old Swedish star had an early-season illness but found his groove last week finishing T3 in The Arnold Palmer Invitational with strong top 3 stats in Approach, Tee-to-Green and Off-the-Tee. The Ponte Vedra Beach resident practices regularly at TPC Sawgrass.  
9. Cameron Young (+3500) is up to No. 15 in the world, and his strong driving and shot-shaping skills led him to a win at The Wyndham Championship last year on another positional Bermuda setup. The 28-year-old enters in top form with a T7 and T3 in two recent Signature Events. He’s yet to crack the top 50 in four Players Championship starts, but his combined driving will have him performing better after leading the API in SG: Off the Tee last week.  
10. Sepp Straka (+5500) is up to No. 9 in the world rankings after a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach and top 15 last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He’s top 10 in Tee-to-Green and Approach stats since the Sony Open. Straka has a top 10 and two other top 16 finishes in The Players in five starts. The 32-year-old Austrian has won twice in the Sunshine State on similar Bermuda Poa Trivialis greens. Straka also ranks top 10 in this field the past six years on Pete Dye courses. 
11. Viktor Hovland (+4000) rallied on the weekend for a top 15 finish at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. He missed the cut at last year’s Player Championship, but finished T9 in 2022 and T3 in 2023. Ranks No. 2 in SG: Approach this year.   
12. Matt Fitzpatrick (+3500): Two top 10’s and three missed cuts the last 5 years at The Players. The 31-year-old Englishman is posting solid Approach stats while off to the best ball-striking season of his career. Fitzpatrick has also won at Pete Dye-designed Harbour Town.
    

Notable players who missed the cut last year at The Players Championship include:
Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Rose, Ben Griffin, Sam Burns, Ludvig Aberg, Nick Taylor, Adam Scott, Chris Gotterup, Nico Echavarria, Viktor Hovland, Brian Harman, Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa, Maverick McNealy. 

Other Players To Watch

• Shane Lowry (+7500): T20 last year and 3 top 20’s at The Players since 2018 including a best T8 in 2021. Top 10 in SG: Total this year. 
• Xander Schauffele (+3300): He’s fallen from top 5 to No. 10 in the world rankings this year. Finished T2 in the 2025 Players Championship shooting a pair of 65’s. 
• Akshay Bhatia (+4000): Tied for 3rd in last year’s Players Championship opening with 67-66. Won last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in a playoff. 
• Chris Gotterup (+4500): Two-time winner this year with top 10 stats SG: Tee-to-Green and Off-the-Tee. Missed the cut on Players Championship debut last year.  
• Jacob Bridgeman (+7000) – Won his first PGA Tour title at the 2026 Genesis Invitational and finished T50 in his Player Championship debut last year. Leads the field in SG: Putting this year and top 3 in SG: Total. 
• Daniel Berger (+5500): Lost in a playoff last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after leading most of the tournament. Tied for 9th in 2021 and T20 in last year’s Players Championship. 
• Corey Conners (+9000: Top Canadian thrives with accuracy and finished T7 in 2021, T13 in 2024 and T6 in last year’s Players Championship. 
• Min Woo Lee (+3300): The 27-year-old Australian has finished T6 (2023) and T20 (2025) at The Players, and enters with strong form and finishes of T2, T12 and T6 over his last three starts. 
• Jason Day (+13500): Won The Players Championship in 2016 and two other top 10’s followed. Best T19 the past 5 years. 
• Adam Scott (+5500) makes his 25th Players Championship start – most in this field. He won the event in 2004. The 45-year-old Australian has fallen to No. 50 in the world, but he has a terrific record at TPC Sawgrass that also includes four-straight top-12 finishes from 2016-2019, but no top-30 finishes in his last five appearances.
• Tom Hoge (+22500): Top 3 finish at The Players in 2023 and 2025. 
• Justin Rose (+9000): Stellar iron play again this year has also led to a 7-shot win at The Farmers Insurance Open. The 45-year-old Englishman has two top 10’s at The Players, but three missed cuts the last five years.  
• Robert MacIntyre (+6000): The Scotsman is No. 8 in the world
• Maverick McNealy (+5500): Tied for 9th at The Players in 2024, missed cut last year. 
• Aaron Rai (+8000): Tied for 19th in 2024 and T14 last year’s Players Championship. 
• Rickie Fowler (+5000): Won The Players in 2025 and T13 in 2023. Continuing resurgence with four top 20’s this year including top 10 last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.  
• J.J. Spaun (+11000): Breakthrough season last year including a runner-up finish at The Players after losing in a playoff to Rory McIlroy. Slower start to 2026 with three missed cuts in five starts.  
• Jordan Spieth (+10000): The 32-year-old 3-time major champion says his game is close to being very good. He’s been missing in action among the Tour leaders in recent seasons and has a best finish of T12 at this year’s Genesis Invitational. His best finish is T19 at The Players in the past decade. 

Stats And Trends At TPC Sawgrass

TPC Sawgrass is considered a positional and second shot golf course where strong iron players and elite ball-strikers excel. Patience is required, along with strong course management skills with precise iron play. The tight Pete Dye design can be tricky with sightlines, and hazards await for players that are not accurate from the tee or precise with their irons and on approach. The quirky greenside bunkers and undulations put an emphasis on scrambling and short game, and the runoff areas around the greens allow players more options and creativity.

Notable Trends

• 9 of the last 11 winners were of age in their 20’s. 
• The last six winners since the event was moved back to March were ranked top-10 in the world. 
• 10 of the last 12 winners were ranked top 16. 
• 12 of the last 13 winners have had a top 20 finish in their previous two starts ahead of The Players.
• 10 of the last 12 winners had won a major championship.
• 12 of the last 13 winners had a top-25 finish in the Players prior to winning (only Scheffler in 2023).
• 10 of the last 13 winners had posted a top-15 finish in the event.
  

Bet on the Action

Golf continues to be one of the most popular sports to bet on. Beyond watching and wagering on the outright player to win a golf tournament, betting on golf provides other popular specific betting markets, especially during the four Majors, Players Championship and big Signature Events. 

Betting on a player’s finishing position (top 5, 10, 20), make or miss the cut, head-to-head tournament matchups, round leader and matchup markets and other prop bets allow bettors a bag full of options when wagering on golf. Bettors who strategize and are able to combine golf stats and course fit with data-driven golf insights can more consistently outperform the market. A key strategy is to understand how each tournament or major championship tests different aspects of golf and match those demands with player skill sets and their current form.

The PGA Tour and leading online sportsbook BetOnline support responsible gambling, and encourage people to bet responsibly and sensibly and seek help with any addictions or problem gambling.

BetOnline provides numerous opportunities for fans to wager on their favorite players, whether you’re betting on individual matchups, round-by-round action or live/in-game betting to stay more engaged and entertained. Get in on the action and place your bets today, and follow more PGA betting news throughout the 2026 season, including the most-watched and wagered Players Championship, Signature Events, Majors and FedExCup Playoffs. 

You can bet on it.