What Is the Players Championship?
The Players Championship is the PGA Tour's flagship event and carries the largest purse in professional golf — $25 million in 2026, with the winner taking home $4.5 million. It's held annually at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, a course famous for one of the most recognisable holes in world golf: the par-3 17th island green, where tournament campaigns are won and destroyed in a heartbeat.
Often called the "fifth major," the Players consistently fields the strongest lineup in golf. This year's field at TPC Sawgrass features 47 of the world's top 50 players across 123 competitors, representing 24 countries — including five Australians.
Tournament Details at a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Event | 2026 Players Championship |
| Venue | TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course), Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida |
| Dates (US) | Thursday 12 – Sunday 15 March 2026 |
| Dates (AEDT) | Friday 13 – Monday 16 March 2026 |
| Purse | $25 million USD |
| Defending Champion | Rory McIlroy |
| Format | 72-hole stroke play |
How to Watch in Australia
Because the tournament is played in Florida, tee times start in the early hours of the morning Australian time — so most of the live action falls across Friday to Monday morning AEDT. Here's how to tune in:
Fox Sports / Kayo Sports — Primary Coverage
Fox Sports (channel 503) carries the PGA Tour's NBC and Golf Channel coverage for Australian viewers, and it's available to stream via Kayo Sports. This is the main way most Australians will watch. Kayo's Basic plan starts from $25/month and includes a free trial for new subscribers. You can watch on your TV, phone, tablet or laptop — no Foxtel box required.
Australian broadcast times (AEDT): Rounds 1 & 2 (Fri/Sat morning) approximately 3am–9am AEDT. Rounds 3 & 4 (Sun/Mon morning) approximately 4am–9am AEDT. Coverage typically begins with early featured group streams before the main broadcast kicks in.
ESPN+ / PGA Tour Live — Extended Coverage
If you want more than the main broadcast, ESPN+ carries PGA Tour Live with multiple simultaneous streams including featured groups, featured holes, and a dedicated BetCast. Early coverage starts at 7:30am ET (11:30pm AEDT the night before). This is the best option if you want to follow specific players from their first shot of the day.
PGA Tour App & YouTube
The PGA Tour's official website and app publish same-day highlights and post-round recaps for free. The PGA Tour's YouTube channel also uploads full highlight packages within hours of each round finishing — great for catching up over your morning coffee if you can't stay up for the live coverage.
The Australians to Watch
Five Australians are in the 2026 Players Championship field. Here's your guide to each of them.
🇦🇺 Adam Scott
The marquee Australian in the field and the one with the most history at this tournament. Scott won the Players Championship back in 2004 and has been coming back ever since — this is his 25th appearance at the event, more than any other player in the field. At 45, Scott is playing some of the best golf of his recent career, coming off a T-11 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational the week before. He ranks seventh on Tour in proximity to the hole and is inside the top 20 in most ball-striking categories. Golf Channel has him ranked 11th in their pre-tournament field rankings — higher than many would expect. He's spoken openly about wanting to contend here again, saying of TPC Sawgrass: "I love it, coming back here. Hopefully I'm going to give myself a chance at another run at the title." Don't discount him on a course where experience and precision off the tee matters enormously.
🇦🇺 Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee is the most exciting young Australian in professional golf right now, and heading into this week he's in terrific form — back-to-back top-10 finishes at Riviera and Bay Hill have him brimming with confidence. At +3500 he's arguably the best-value Australian in the field and one of the more interesting players to watch globally. His ball-striking is elite and his shotmaking creativity suits a course like TPC Sawgrass where you need imagination around the greens as well as power off the tee. This is a real coming-out-party opportunity for Lee on one of golf's biggest stages.
🇦🇺 Jason Day
The 2016 Players Champion returns to a course where he has a deep history. Day won here a decade ago when he was the best player in the world and, while he's going through a form dip — back-to-back missed cuts leading into this week — TPC Sawgrass is a course that could suit a bounce-back. Past champions carry a psychological edge at this venue, and Day's short game and iron play at his best are tailor-made for the demands of the Stadium Course. Longer odds reflect his current form, but any Australian golf fan will know not to write him off completely on a course he's won before.
🇦🇺 Cam Davis
The Sydney-born Davis is a consistent PGA Tour presence and a genuine threat to make the weekend at any tournament he enters. He doesn't have the profile of Scott or Lee but he's a reliable ball-striker who competes hard. A solid week here would do his season ranking no harm at all, and he's a player worth keeping tabs on during the early rounds.
🇦🇺 Karl Vilips
The youngest Australian in the field, Vilips is a 22-year-old Stanford graduate who turned professional in 2023 and earned his PGA Tour card quickly. He's still finding his feet at the highest level but the talent is obvious — long off the tee and technically sound. This is a big week for his development and worth watching to see how he handles the pressure of a marquee event environment.
Who Else Is Worth Watching?
The global field is as strong as it gets. Scottie Scheffler is the favourite at +480 and is chasing an unprecedented third Players title. Rory McIlroy is the defending champion but comes in under an injury cloud after withdrawing from Bay Hill with a back complaint — his fitness will be the biggest story of the early rounds. Collin Morikawa at +1800 represents excellent value given his ball-striking stats suit TPC Sawgrass perfectly, and Tommy Fleetwood (+2700) has been in superb form all season.
For Australians who enjoy a punt, the PGA Tour's expert picks page has a solid breakdown of the contenders and value plays heading into the week.
About the Course: TPC Sawgrass
If you haven't watched the Players before, here's what makes TPC Sawgrass so compelling. The Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course was built specifically for spectators — it's shaped like a natural amphitheatre — and it produces drama on almost every hole. The closing stretch is as demanding as anywhere in golf:
- Hole 16 (par 5): Reachable in two, with water guarding the green. Birdie is on, but so is double bogey.
- Hole 17 (par 3): The famous island green. 137 metres of pure nerve. Every year it destroys at least one leaderboard.
- Hole 18 (par 4): Water runs the entire left side of the hole all the way to the green. There is nowhere to hide.
The combination of a world-class field and a course that punishes mistakes relentlessly is what makes this tournament must-watch television every single year.
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