2026 Players Championship

The 2026 Players Championship was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour, being held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida from March 12–15. Officially, it was the 52nd edition of The Players Championship tournament, but the 49th as a standalone tournament.

2026 marked the 44th full tournament played on the Stadium Course of TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

The field consisted of 123 players meeting various criteria; they included tournament winners on the PGA Tour since the previous Players Championship, recent winners of major championships, The Players and World Golf Championships, and leading players in the FedEx Cup standings from the current and preceding seasons.^[1] Due to Brooks Koepka competing, the field was increased to 123 under the rules of the PGA Tour Returning Member Program.^[2]

This list details the eligibility criteria for the 2026 Players Championship and the players who qualified under them; any additional criteria under which players are eligible is indicated in parentheses.

1. Winners of PGA Tour events since the 2025 Players Championship

• Ryan Fox (12,14) withdrew due to kidney stones.^[3]

2. Recent winners of the Masters Tournament (2021–2025)

• Hideki Matsuyama (11,12,14,15)

3. Recent winners of The Players Championship (2021–2025)

4. Recent winners of the U.S. Open (2021–2025)

5. Recent winners of the PGA Championship (2021–2025)

• Brooks Koepka

6. Recent winners of The Open Championship (2021–2025)

7. Recent winners of the FedEx Cup (2021–2025)

• Patrick Cantlay (12,14)

8. Recent winners of the WGC Match Play (2023)

• Sam Burns (12,14)

9. Recent winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational (2024–2026)

• Russell Henley (12,14)

10. Recent winners of the Memorial Tournament (2023–2025)

11. Recent winners of the Genesis Invitational (2024–2026)

• Ludvig Åberg (12,14)

12. Top 100 from the previous season's FedEx Cup points list

13. Top 100 (medical)

• Lee Hodges

14. Top 50 from the Official World Golf Ranking following the Cognizant Classic

15. Top 10 in the current season's FedEx Cup points standings after the Cognizant Classic

16. Kaulig Companies Championship champion from previous year

• Miguel Ángel Jiménez will not play.

17. Leading player who earned a PGA Tour card from the 2025 Race to Dubai

18. Leading points winner from the Korn Ferry Tour during the previous year

• Johnny Keefer

19. Remaining positions and alternates filled through current year FedEx Cup standings after the Cognizant Classic

• David Ford^[a]

The following players met criteria, but having been contracted with LIV Golf, were suspended by the PGA Tour and ineligible to compete:

Thursday, March 12, 2026
Friday, March 13, 2026

Inclement weather delayed play for 21 minutes with a suspension being called at 12:09pm. Highly touted pre-tournament contender Collin Morikawa was forced to withdraw on the 2nd hole due to an apparent back injury following a practice swing. 5 players were tied for the overnight lead, and the final first round lead, with Americans McNealy, Theegala, Hodges and Smotherman (with 1 to play after being stranded on the 18th green when play was suspended due to darkness) setting the pace alongside Austrian Sepp Straka. A strong logjam of players emerged one back at 4-under, including Cameron Young, Russell Henley and Justin Thomas, delivering a strong showing after a poor outing at the Arnold Palmer invitational a week before. Following the resumption of play, Smotherman parred the ninth, remaining in the tie for the lead. Battling a back injury that forced him to withdraw at the Arnold Palmer Invitational a week earlier, World No.2 and reigning champion Rory McIlroy scampered to a round of 74 (+2), struggling significantly on the greens. Pre-tournament favorite and World No.1 Scottie Scheffler struggled with the driver and posted an even-par 72, a score which was matched by numerous prominent names including the returning Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose and 2004 Champion Adam Scott.

Friday, March 13, 2026

Thursday's rain combined with continuous sunshine over Ponte Vedra Beach enabled easier scoring conditions and significant movement up the leaderboard before the cut. Ludvig Åberg turned in 29 (−7) on his front nine holes on his way to a round of 63 (−9), seizing the tournament lead at 12-under. Xander Schauffele hit all 14 fairways off the tee en route to a round of 65 (−7) to move into solo second place at ten-under. Cameron Young remained one back of second place at nine-under, with Justin Thomas turning in a second consecutive 68 to join Corey Conners at eight-under.

World No.1 and pre-tournament favorite Scottie Scheffler birdied hole 18 to ensure he would not miss the cut, which fell at +2. Notables to miss the cut included Rasmus Højgaard (+3), Ben Griffin (+4) and Shane Lowry (+5). 73 players advanced to the weekend.

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Due to an incident in the Ponte Vedra Beach area, the gates were not opened to spectators until 9 am, with hospitality areas not opened until 11 am local time. However, round three commenced on time at 8:15 am without delay.

"Moving Day" again provided easier scoring conditions to the 73 players that had made the weekend, however Ludvig Åberg continued to take up the running at the top of the leaderboard. After bogeying hole 18, he turned in a round of 71 (−1) for a 3-round total of 203 (−13), and a 3 shot lead over a charging Michael Thorbjornsen. Cameron Young was in solo second place walking to the 18th hole before making double bogey after going bunker-to-bunker and completing an even-par 72, settling for solo 3rd position. Xander Schauffele struggled to a round of 74 (+2), relegating him to a tie for fourth among 6 challengers. Robert MacIntyre shot the low round of the day, charging up the leaderboard with a round of 65 (−7) that included nine birdies.

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Cameron Young of the USA shot a final-round 68 (−4) to win the 2026 Players Championship, capturing the title at 13-under-par, one stroke ahead of Matt Fitzpatrick.

Third-round leader Ludvig Åberg entered Sunday with a three-shot advantage and played steady early, turning in a front nine 36 (E) but struggled to maintain control of the tournament from there. Åberg quickly lost momentum after hitting shots into the water on both hole 11 and 12, resulting in a bogey and double bogey respectively, and eventually faded with a closing 76 (+4), opening the door for the chasing pack.

Young began the final round four strokes behind but steadily climbed the leaderboard with a composed front nine of 34 (−2) before igniting his charge on the back nine. Matt Fitzpatrick emerged as his primary challenger as the pair separated themselves from the rest of the field and began to battle down the stretch.

Young was a shot behind Fitzpatrick at −12, but Young stuffed his tee shot on the famed island-green 17th hole to 7 feet, converting the birdie putt to draw level with Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick had a chance to match the birdie from 15 feet but failed to convert his putt, leaving the tournament tied at −13 approaching the 72nd hole.

On the 18th hole, Young delivered one of the defining shots of the championship, launching a 375-yard drive, which was the longest recorded on the hole since ShotLink tracking began, setting up a comfortable approach shot which he hit to the fringe within 15 feet of the cup. Fitzpatrick, needing to match Young to force a playoff, faltered after finding trouble with his drive into the pine straw and had to chip out. Fitzpatrick's chip then fell short of the green, and he missed his 8-foot par putt after Young had already lag putted to less than 2 feet on his birdie attempt.

Young calmly tapped in for par to complete a final-round 68 and secure the championship at −13, one stroke ahead of Fitzpatrick. The victory marked the biggest win of Young's career and his second PGA Tour title, following his triumph at the Wyndham Championship the previous season.

Behind the leading duo, Xander Schauffele finished third after a final round 69 (−3), while several contenders, including Robert MacIntyre fell short during the closing stretch. Hideki Matsuyama shot the low round of the day, a 67 (−5) to finish in a tie for 27th.

• Official website