2025 THE PLAYERS Championship

This week, THE PLAYERS Championship arrives—the flagship event of the PGA Tour, held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, featuring 144 of the world’s best golfers.

The action will kick off on Thursday, March 13, and run through Sunday, March 16, on this 7,245-yard, par-72 course, which will be hosting the 51st edition of the tournament. It has been played at this iconic venue since 1982.

Scottie Scheffler is the reigning champion, the only player to have won it in back-to-back years. Jack Nicklaus holds the record for most victories in the tournament, having won three times in 1974, 1976, and 1978.

THE PLAYERS Championship 2025 Betting Odds and Info

THE PLAYERS Championship 2025 Top Contenders

Scottie Scheffler remains the favorite, even though this hasn’t been his year. The world number one is the defending champion and the only player to have won this tournament back-to-back, defeating Tyrrell Hatton by five strokes in 2023 and edging out Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, and Xander Schauffele by one stroke in 2024.

Last year, the American secured nine titles, including the Hero World Challenge and the Olympics. However, in 2025, he has yet to win a single event, leading some to question whether his past success was just a stroke of luck. Still, at this point last year, he had only won the Arnold Palmer Invitational—the same tournament he just competed in. He finished 11th at four under par, seven strokes behind winner Russell Henley. It marked his third Top 15 finish in four tournaments this season.

As usual, the second name among the top contenders is Rory McIlroy. The 2019 champion finished 15th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational just days ago, making him eager to improve his form. In addition to his 2019 title, he has secured three other Top 10 finishes in this tournament between 2013 and 2015.

In 2025, McIlroy has already claimed a Signature Event title, winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in early February. He now aims for his 28th PGA Tour title. In 2024, he won only two PGA Tour events—one being the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he teamed up with Shane Lowry and the Wells Fargo Championship. Additionally, he claimed the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and the DP World Tour Championship on the European Tour.

The third player in this elite group is Xander Schauffele. A 12-time champion, including the 2024 PGA Championship and The Open Championship, he is now chasing the title that slipped away from him in 2024 and 2018, when he finished runner-up to Scheffler and Webb Simpson, respectively.

So far, 2025 hasn’t been a great year for Schauffele in performance and appearances. He has played only two tournaments and finished well down the leaderboard, placing 30th at The Sentry at the start of the year and 40th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational just days ago.

THE PLAYERS Championship 2025 Outside picks

One of the other strong favorites is Ludvig Åberg. The Swedish golfer has already won The Genesis Invitational this year, marking the second title of his career. He had an impressive 2024, finishing as runner-up in three tournaments—including The Masters—and securing five additional Top 10 finishes, including an eighth-place finish in this very event.

Collin Morikawa once again came close to breaking his title drought, as he hasn’t won a tournament since the 2023 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. He finished as the runner-up at The Sentry and now comes off another second-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, falling just one stroke short of the winner. He continues to showcase great form but has yet to deliver the final blow.

Lastly, we have Sepp Straka. He may not be among the top 10 favorites in the betting odds, but the Austrian has been one of the best players of 2025. He claimed victory at The American Express in mid-February, finished seventh at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and placed fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, with three additional Top 15 finishes.

THE PLAYERS Championship 2025 Podium Betting Picks

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Esse Tour PGA event features a total purse of $25 million. The champion will take home a prize of $4,500,000. And 750 FedEx Cup points.