Golf Glance: Elite Field for $25M Prize Pool at The Players; LIV returns to Singapore

Scottie Scheffler tees off the 17th hole during the second round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach on Friday, March 14, 2025. Scheffler is the only back-to-back winner of The Players.

The smallest field in The Players Championship history takes on the iconic TPC Sawgrass for the PGA Tour’s biggest purse, while Jon Rahm looks to continue his hot LIV golf streak in Singapore.

pga tour

This week: Players Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, March 12-15

Course: TPC Sawgrass (par 72, 7,352 yards)

Purse: $25M (Winner: $4.5M)

Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy

FedEx Cup Leader: Collin Morikawa

How to follow

TV: Thursday-Friday: 1-7 PM ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 2-7 p.m. (NBC); Sunday: 1-6 PM (NBC)

Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:30 AM-7:00 PM ET; Saturday: 8am – 7pm; Sunday: 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM

X: @ThePlayers

NOTE: Each of the last six winners of The Players are ranked in the top 10 of this week’s Official World Golf Rankings, and this week’s field includes 46 of the top 50 players. … This is the first of five events this season that will award the winner 750 FedExCup points and the winner will receive a five-year PGA Tour exemption. … Seven of the first nine competitions were won by players in their 20s. … Five of the last six players have been decided by just one shot. … Joel Dahmen, Taylor Moore, Seamus Power and Andrew Putnam qualified for the field through the FedExCup standings through the Cognizant Classic. … Since 2016, only three players have converted a 54-hole lead/tie into a win on The Players: Jason Day (2016), Webb Simpson (2018), and Scottie Scheffler (2023). … Brooks Koepka is in the field as part of his return to the PGA Tour through the Returning Member Program. To complete the trio, the addition of Patton Kizzire and Seamus Power expanded the field to 123. This still marks the smallest field in the tournament’s history. … Justin Thomas, the 2021 Players champion, will make his second start in his return from back surgery in November. … Fourteen players are making their tournament debuts, including seven tour rookies. Greg Norman holds the tournament scoring record with 264, set in 1994.

Best bet: Scottie Scheffler (+435 at DraftKings) won TPC Sawgrass in 2023-24 and is looking to join Jack Nicklaus as The Players’ only three-time winner. … Rory McIlroy (+1475) is also a two-time winner at The Players but did not arrive at TPC Sawgrass until Wednesday after withdrawing from Arnold Palmer due to back spasms. … In addition to his win at Pebble Beach, Collin Morikawa (+2050) is atop the FedExCup standings, behind a tie for seventh at Genesis and a solo fifth at Arnold Palmer. … Ludvig Aberg (+2900) started from T3 at Bay Hill and finished solo 8th there in 2024 before missing the cut last year. … Chris Gotterup (+4700) offers interesting odds for the only two-time winner on Tour this season. … Sepp Straka (+5600) offers longshot odds despite coming in at No. 9 in the world. He tied for second at Pebble Beach and tied for 13th last week.

Last Tournament: Arnold Palmer Invitational (Akshay Bhatia)

Next tournament: Valspar Championship, Palm Harbor, Florida (March 19-22)

LIV Golf League

This week: LIV Golf Singapore, March 12-15

Course: Sentosa Golf Club (par 71, 7,406 yards)

Total prize money: Individual: $30M (Winner: $4M); Team: $10M (Winner: $3M)

Defending Champions: Individual: Joaquin Niemann; Team: Fireballs GC

2026 Season Leaders: Individuals: Jon Rahm; Team: Reaper GC

How to watch

TV: Wednesdays: 9-11 PM ET (Fox Sports App), 11 PM-2 AM (FS1); Thursday: 9-11:30 PM (Fox Sports App), 11:30 PM-2:00 AM (FS1); Friday: 9:30 PM – 10:30 PM (FS2), 10:30 PM – 2:30 AM (FS); Saturday: 9:00 PM – 2:00 AM (FS1)

X: @livgolf_league

Note: This is the fourth of 14 events this season as LIV Golf returns to Singapore for the fourth consecutive year. … Rahm has four runner-up finishes and one win in the last five LIV events. … HyFlyers GC captain Phil Mickelson will miss his fourth successive tournament due to undisclosed family issues and will be replaced by Wade Ormsby. … The daily shotgun start includes 13 teams and 57 players, including five wild cards. … Thomas Detry (No. 61) and Elvis Smylie (No. 73) have two events remaining to earn a top 50 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings and a spot in the Masters.

Last event: LIV Golf Hong Kong (Individual: Rahm; Team: 4Aces GC)

Next event: LIV Golf South Africa, Steyn City, March 19-22

LPGA Tour

This week: Off.

Race to the CME Globe Leader: Jeeno Thitikul

Last tournament: Blue Bay LPGA (Lee Mi-hyang)

Next tournament: Fortinet Founders Cup, Menlo Park, California, March 19-22

DP World Tour

This week: Off.

Race to Dubai Leader: Patrick Reed

Last tournament: Joburg Open (Dan Bradbury)

Next tournament: Hainan Classic, Hainan Island, China, March 19-22