This year commemorates the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship golf tournament, recognised as the fifth major and one of the most significant events on the PGA Tour.
What information should you be aware of before the tournament airs on television and digital platforms next month? Let our short guide to the 2024 Players Championship be of assistance.
What is the Players Championship?
This event has been going strong since its 1974 inception and is now considered a major tournament on the PGA Tour, ranking close to the U.S. Open, the Masters, the Open, and the PGA Championship.
The Players Championship has been termed "the fifth major" because of its historic course, high-quality competitors, and massive paypot ($25 million this year) and it is even now promoted as such by The PGA Tour themselves.
With a $25 million purse and a first-place reward of $4.5 million, the 2024 Players Championship is set to be even more spectacular than previous years.
Scottie Scheffler will be attempting to defend his title as the reigning champion, and past players haven't achieved a successful defence consecutively, so it could be a difficult challenge to meet.
Although he achieved it in separate years and on different courses, Jack Nicklaus won three of the first five tournaments. The event has been held at TPC Sawgrass since 1982, and five players have won twice throughout that time. The shortest gap between winners was six years, as recorded by Steve Elkington in 1991 and 1997.
Where is the 2024 Players Championship?
You can count on the legendary TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course in the Ponte Vedra Beach neighbourhood of Jacksonville, Florida, to host The Players Championship once again.
One reason the course has become so famous is that it has hosted the event every year since 1982. The course's trademark hole is unquestionably the 17th, a renowned par-3 with an "Island Green." However, every hole has its own distinct difficulties and breath-taking vistas.
Players Championship 2024 Odds
Given that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the tournament, the participants are likely to be particularly driven to win. American Scottie Scheffler, the current No. 1 rated golfer in the world and last year's winner, won the 2023 Players Championship by shooting a remarkable 3-under 69 in his final round, securing the victory with a six-stroke lead.
Bookmakers at the best new betting sites in UK have placed Scottie as the favourite to repeat 2023’s success; however, as previously mentioned, no golfer in the history of the Players Championship has won back-to-back titles, and we should expect top players like Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Max Homa, and others to battle Scheffler fiercely throughout the competition.
Top Five 2024 Players Championship Odds:
Scottie Scheffler 8/1
Rory McIlroy 9/1
Viktor Hovland 12/1
Patrick Cantlay 14/1
Xander Schauffele 14/1
A TPC Golf Course Explained
TPC refers to the Tournament Players Club and is a series of exclusive golf courses managed by the PGA Tour. The private courses network is tailored to host large audiences at prestigious events and is owned by the PGA Tour.
TPC Sawgrass is the most renowned Tournament Players Club. The Sawgrass course, established in 1980, is also the location of the US circuit headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Overall, the TPC network consists of 32 courses, all bearing the TPC moniker in their name, indicating that they are specifically constructed to host events by the PGA Tour.
Players Championship 2024 Schedule
● March 12 – Tuesday - Players Championship Practice Day
● March 13 – Wednesday - Players Championship Practice Day 2
● March 14 – Thursday - Players Championship Round 1
● March 15 – Friday - Players Championship Round 2
● March 16 – Saturday - Players Championship Round 3
● March 17 – Sunday - Players Championship Round 4
The official committee has not yet published the field and tee times for the 2024 Players Championship. The field and tee timings for the tournament will be established and revealed a few weeks before the event in March.
TPC Sawgrass Course Details
The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, the permanent venue for The Players Championship, was constructed in 1980 on an initiative by former PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane R. Beman. This Tournament Players Club was the first to open 44 years ago, built in the autumn of 1980.
The primary goal of the inaugural Stadium Course was to enhance the overall viewing experience inside the stadium. Pete Dye, a well-known golf course designer, collaborated with Commissioner Deane Beman to develop a layout that was really equitable and did not show a preference for any one style of play.
TPC Sawgrass is located inside the Sawgrass development on Ponte Vedra Beach. The Stadium Course and the Valley Course are two separate courses. The Stadium Course, built by famous architects Pete and Alice Dye, is recognised as one of the most difficult golf courses in the world.
The TPC is specifically created to host The Players Championship, with a unique "stadium" idea where fans are situated in raised grass mounds resembling stands in other sports. The golf course is famous for its distinctive feature, the par-3, 137-yard (125-metre) 17th hole, known as the "Island Green," considered one of the most difficult and memorable holes in golf.
