Featuring arguably the deepest field all season, The Players Championship annually delivers a stern test for players and excitement for millions of fans.
This week, the world’s best return to TPC Sawgrass, where varying course demands can yield success from a wide range of players. Since 2005, more Players champions have ranked outside the top-50 that week in driving distance (four) than have ranked inside the top-ten (three). With so many different ways to gain – and lose – strokes to the field, expect the unexpected again this week at The Players.
Team Titleist will once again have an incredibly strong contingent of players vying for the trophy this week in Ponte Vedra Beach, led by the defending champion.
Incredibly, no player has ever successfully defended their title at TPC Sawgrass. In fact, nobody has got particularly close in recent years: the last defending champion to finish in the top-ten at The Players Championship was Adam Scott 17 years ago. The numbers suggest reigning champ Justin Thomas has as good a chance as any recent winner to flip that trend on its ear.
Since making his Players Championship debut in 2015, Thomas is a combined 38-under-par, best of any player in that span. His 121 birdies-or-better are 7 more at TPC Sawgrass than any other player in that same stretch. Among players with 14 or more rounds at this event since 2015, nobody beats JT’s scoring average of 70.35.
Last year, Thomas shot a blistering 12-under-par on the weekend, tying the lowest ever closing 36-hole score at TPC Sawgrass. His 11.2 strokes gained tee-to-green were the most by any player over the closing 36 holes at TPC Sawgrass since tracking of that statistic began back in 2004. Will Thomas break the streak and be the first to go back-to-back?
What's in Justin Thomas' Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Pro V1x
Driver: TSi3 10.0° | Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana ZF 60 TX-Flex
Fairway Metals: TS3 15.0° and 915 Fd 18.0°
Irons: NEW T100 4 and 621JT 5-9
Wedges: New Vokey Design SM9 46.10F (@ 47.5°), 52.12F (@ 52.5°), 56.14F (@ 57.0°) and WedgeWorks 60T (@ 60.5°)
Putter: Scotty Cameron X5.5 prototype
Last year, Sungjae Im was the only player in the field at TPC Sawgrass to card multiple rounds of 66 or lower. It continued a successful trend for Im on the difficult PGA Tour setups of Florida, where the former rookie of the year has played some of the best golf in his young professional career.
Im has carded 189 birdies-or-better in PGA Tour stops in The Sunshine State since 2019, 23 more than any other player in that span. His 1.65 strokes gained total per round ranks 7th-best in Florida in that span among players with 20 or more rounds played. Im is one of just two players to average 0.8 strokes gained ball striking (counting shots off the tee and on approach) and 0.8 strokes short game (around the green and putts) per round in Florida during that stretch.
What's in Sungjae Im's Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: TSi2 8.0° | Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7 X
Fairway Metal: TS3 15.0° | Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X
Hybrid: 818 H2 19.0° | Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 105 X
Irons: T100 3-9 | True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
Wedges: Vokey Design SM7 48.10F (@47), 54.08M (@53), 60.04L wedges | True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
Putter: Scotty Cameron Flowback 5 tour prototype
In his Players debut last year, Will Zalatoris was one of just five players in the field to shoot under par in all four rounds. Zalatoris excelled off the tee, ranking 2nd in the field for the week in driving distance and 5th in total driving. On Pete and Alice Dye’s demanding tee-to-green setup, Zalatoris is armed with the game to make a big splash at Sawgrass: since the beginning of 2020, he ranks fifth in strokes gained ball striking per round (+1.22).
Will this be the breakthrough week for Zalatoris? A first PGA Tour win at The Players is rare, but not unprecedented: twice since 2000, a player has made TPC Sawgrass the site of his first victory, the last instance coming in 2010.
What's in Will Zalatoris' Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Pro V1
Driver: TSi3 9.0° with a Fujikura Speeder 757 TR X shaft
Fairway Metal: TSi3 16.5° with a Fujikura Atmos 8 Red shaft
Utility iron: T200 3-iron
Irons: T100 4-PW with Dynamic Gold X100 Tour Issue shafts
Wedges: New Vokey Design SM9 50.08F, 54.10S at 55, 60T with Dynamic Gold X100 Tour Issue shafts
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 11 Tour Prototype
Last year, Cameron Smith enjoyed his best career finish at TPC Sawgrass, a tie for 17th place. His third round 65 was not only his best career score at The Players, it was just one shot off the lowest score shot by anyone all week. Smith’s elite short game glistened at the 2021 Players: he led the field in putts per round, ranked 4th in strokes gained putting, 5th in sand save percentage and 7th in strokes gained around the green.
Smith enters this week’s championship a 2022 statistical darling: he ranks 2nd on Tour this season in scoring average, 2nd in birdie average and 5th in greens in regulation.
What's in Cam Smith's Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: TSi3 10.0° | Fujikura Ventus Blue 60 X
Fairway Metals: TSi2 15.0° | Fujikura Ventus Blue 80 X and TS2 21.0° | UST Mamiya Elements Red 8F5 X
Irons: NEW T100 5-9 | KBS Tour 130 Custom Matte Black X
Wedges: NEW Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 52.08F, 56.08M, 60.10S | KBS Tour 130 Custom Matte Black X
Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M tour prototype
Don’t be dismayed by the fact that Patrick Cantlay missed the cut at TPC Sawgrass in both 2019 and 2021. Prior success at this championship isn’t much of a harbinger of what’s to come: two of the last five Players champions missed the cut the previous year, and none of the last 10 winners finished in the top-15 the year before taking the title.
With that said, one is hard-pressed to find a more consistent performer on the PGA Tour since last August than Cantlay, who will have a mathematical shot at the world number one ranking this week. In that span, he ranks second on Tour in strokes gained total and scoring average. He is one of five players averaging at least half-a-stroke gained per round in that span ball striking and on the greens. He ranks 3rd in strokes gained short game in that span, racking up nearly a full stroke over the field per round on and around the greens.
What's in Patrick Cantlay's Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: TS3 9.5° | Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX
Fairway: 915F 15.0° | Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 70 TX
Hybrid: TS2 21.0° | Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 80 TX
Irons: 718 AP2 (4-9) irons | True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 (46.10F, 52.08F, 56.08M) & SM8 (61° Proto) | True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S300
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5 tour prototype
Notable Debutants
After a pair of victories in recent months on the DP World Tour, Thomas Pieters is among the group of players making their first appearance at TPC Sawgrass this week. The world number 31 is averaging more than 2 full strokes gained tee-to-green per round this season on the DP World Tour, ranked 3rd among players with 8 or more rounds played.
What's in Thomas Pieters' Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: TSi2 10.0°
Irons: 620 CB (3-4) & 620 MB (5-9)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 52.08F, 56.10S, 58.04L
Putter: Scotty Cameron Special Select Squareback 2 Dual Balance tour prototype
Another big hitter, Joseph Bramlett, is also making his Players debut. At more than 318 yards a pop, Bramlett is ranked 5th on the PGA Tour this season in average driving distance.
What's in Joseph Bramlett's Titleist Golf Bag?
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: TSi3 10.0°
Fairway Metal: TSi3 16.5°
Irons: NEW T100 4-iron, 620 CB (5-8) & 620 MB (9)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM8 46°, 50°, 54° and 60°
Wishing the best of luck to all of Team Titleist this week! Take a deeper look at the setups they'll be gaming at TPC Sawgrass.