The Players Championship Course Preview
TPC Sawgrass- Course details, past champions, field overview, course comparisons
The Players Championship
Let’s get hyped for another week of PGA DFS as 144 of the PGA Tour’s top guns hit up the legendary TPC Sawgrass, gunning for their slice of the massive $25 million purse, the biggest in the game.
Crafted by the legendary Pete Dye back in ’80, the Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass is like the ultimate golfing battleground. From its wild roots with natural hazards and rough patches, the course has evolved into a straight-up masterpiece, with lush green turf and bursts of color from the fancy grass and flowers.
As if she wasn’t beautiful and challenging enough, in 2019, they shook things up big time by moving the tournament from May to March. That meant some major tweaks, like switching up the greens to give them a smoother feel and better consistency. And with the weather looking mint for the week, expect nothing less than top-notch conditions for the PGA Tour’s crown jewel. Get ready for some serious golfing magic as the Players Championship goes down at TPC Sawgrass!
The Course- TPC Sawgrass
Par - 72
Yards – 7,275 yards
Cut- T65 and ties
Field- 144
Greens – Poa trivailis
Fairways – champion fine rye overseed
Rough- champion fine rye overseed 3.5 “
Water in play – 18 holes
Bunkers- 92
Average Green size- 5,500 sq feet
Designer – Pete Dye
TPC Sawgrass is a renowned par-72 golf course spanning 7,245 yards with Poa trivialis greens. Designed by golf architecture legend Pete Dye, it presents a formidable challenge for players.
Water hazards come into play on 17 or 18 of holes, making accuracy off the tee crucial. The course boasts thick three-inch rough, narrow fairways averaging 31 yards wide, and Poa trivailis greens, testing all aspects of a player’s game.
Featuring a par-72 layout with ten par-4s, four par-3s, and four par-5s, TPC Sawgrass offers a variety of challenges. Notably, the par-3 17th ‘Island Green’ is a historic and iconic hole that plays a pivotal role in the tournament’s outcome.
The course rewards strategic play, requiring golfers to navigate hazards and small pot bunkers strategically placed throughout. The final three-hole stretch provides an exhilarating finish, with water hazards and narrow fairways adding to the excitement.
TPC Sawgrass presents a challenging par-72 layout with a mix of ten par-4s, four par-3s, and four par-5s. Among the par-4s, five stretch over 450 yards, while three play under 400 yards, offering varying challenges and shot strategies. The final three par-4s, notably holes 14, 15, and 18, consistently rank among the most difficult on the course.
The par-3s present diverse distances, with three playing shorter than 180 yards, except for the 237-yard 8th hole. The iconic par-3 17th ‘Island Green’ is a historic highlight, always influencing the tournament’s outcome with its challenging pin positions.
All four par-5s offer birdie opportunities, with an average distance of 549 yards. Notably, the par-5 9th hole stretches over 600 yards, while holes 2 and 11 played as the easiest on the course last year, providing chances for players to gain ground.
Overall, TPC Sawgrass challenges golfers with a variety of hole lengths and strategic features, rewarding precision and smart play throughout the round.
Course Comparisons
Augusta National Golf Club (The Masters):
Pebble Beach Golf Links (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am):
Muirfield Village Golf Club (The Memorial Tournament):
Past Champions
2023: Scottie Scheffler (-17)
2022: Cameron Smith (-13)
2021: Justin Thomas (-14)
2019: Rory McIlroy (-16)
2018: Webb Simpson (-18)
2017: Si-Woo Kim (-10)
2016: Jason Day (-15)
Field
Åberg, Ludvig
Alexander, Tyson
An, Byeong Hun
Baddeley, Aaron
Bezuidenhout, Christiaan
Bhatia, Akshay
Björk, Alexander
Blair, Zac
Bradley, Keegan
Bramlett, Joseph
Buckley, Hayden
Burns, Sam
Cantlay, Patrick
Clark, Wyndham
Cole, Eric
Conners, Corey
Dahmen, Joel
Davis, Cam
Day, Jason
Detry, Thomas
Duncan, Tyler
Dunlap, Nick
Echavarria, Nico
Eckroat, Austin
English, Harris
Finau, Tony
Fitzpatrick, Matt
Fleetwood, Tommy
Fowler, Rickie
Fox, Ryan
Ghim, Doug
Glover, Lucas
Griffin, Ben
Grillo, Emiliano
Hadley, Chesson
Hadwin, Adam
Hall, Harry
Hardy, Nick
Harman, Brian
Henley, Russell
Higgo, Garrick
Hisatsune, Ryo
Hodges, Lee
Hoffman, Charley
Hoge, Tom
Højgaard, Nicolai
Homa, Max
Horschel, Billy
Hossler, Beau
Hovland, Viktor
Hubbard, Mark
Hughes, Mackenzie
Im, Sungjae
Jaeger, Stephan
Kim, Chan
Kim, Michael
Kim, S.H.
Kim, Si Woo
Kim, Tom
Kirk, Chris
Kitayama, Kurt
Knapp, Jake
Kohles, Ben
Kuchar, Matt
Laird, Martin
Lashley, Nate
Lee, K.H.
Lee, Min Woo
Lipsky, David
List, Luke
Lower, Justin
Lowry, Shane
MacIntyre, Robert
Malnati, Peter
Martin, Ben
Matsuyama, Hideki
McCarthy, Denny
McIlroy, Rory
McNealy, Maverick
Merritt, Troy
Mitchell, Keith
Molinari, Francesco
Montgomery, Taylor
Moore, Ryan
Moore, Taylor
Morikawa, Collin
Murray, Grayson
NeSmith, Matt
Noren, Alex
Norrman, Vincent
Novak, Andrew
Pan, C.T.
Pavon, Matthieu
Pendrith, Taylor
Poston, J.T.
Power, Seamus
Putnam, Andrew
Rai, Aaron
Ramey, Chad
Reavie, Chez
Riley, Davis
Rodgers, Patrick
Rose, Justin
Ryder, Sam
Schauffele, Xander
Scheffler, Scottie
Schenk, Adam
Schmid, Matti
Scott, Adam
Shelton, Robby
Sigg, Greyson
Silverman, Ben
Simpson, Webb
Skinns, David
Smalley, Alex
Spaun, J.J.
Spieth, Jordan
Stallings, Scott
Stanger, Jimmy
Stevens, Sam
Straka, Sepp
Streelman, Kevin
Stricker, Steve
Suh, Justin
Svensson, Adam
Tarren, Callum
Taylor, Ben
Taylor, Nick
Theegala, Sahith
Thomas, Justin
Thompson, Davis
Todd, Brendon
Valimaki, Sami
van Rooyen, Erik
Villegas, Camilo
Wallace, Matt
Woodland, Gary
Wu, Brandon
Wu, Dylan
Young, Cameron
Young, Carson
Yu, Kevin
Yuan, Carl
Zalatoris, Will
Thank you for reading
David Slinger (Jackie Paper)