A year on from becoming the first player to defend The Players Championship title, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler tees off at Florida’s TPC Sawgrass on Thursday looking to put further distance between himself and his peers in golf’s history books.

Scheffler and McIlory have both won the tournament in the past. McIlroy won The Players back in 2019, while Scheffler has won the last tournaments, with Schauffele finishing tied for second in 2024. Scheffler is the first player ever to win The Players in consecutive years, and is a favorite to win it for a third straight year.

Scheffler found himself five shots behind Xander Schauffele after 54 holes a year ago, but then hoisted the Players trophy for a second straight year after posting a bogey-free, 8-under 64 in the final round.