Pete Dye’s devilish beast—complete with its island 17th hole—tests golf’s best every year. This year’s PLAYERS Championship, with Tiger Woods in the field, will be one of the most anticipated in recent memory. With several of the game’s biggest names—Jason Day, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy—all winning after droughts, the PLAYERS, which often has the strongest field of the year, should delight golf fans.
Here’s our six players to watch (and a dark horse) this week:
Jason Day
The 2016 PLAYERS Champ is on top of his game right now. He’s coming into TPC Sawgrass fresh off a win this week at the Wells Fargo, his second victory this season.
Dustin Johnson
He’s been the best in the business for most of the last couple of years, but Johnson doesn’t have a great record at Sawgrass, a course where bombers don’t always rise to the top. That said, if he’d take it back a gear and play strategically instead of trying to overwhelm the course, and judiciously using his length where he can, Johnson could well be contending come Sunday.
Justin Thomas
The No. 2 player in the world didn’t play well last year at Sawgrass, but he did finish in a tie for third in 2016. Thomas is long enough to overwhelm the best courses in the world, but at Sawgrass length isn’t always the key. The ability to deconstruct Dye’s design, tackling the angles and avoiding trouble is often key. Thomas has that ability and has elevated himself to among the best in the sport. Expect him to be in the mix.
Tiger Woods
He’s been trying out new TaylorMade irons and played in the Wells Fargo Championship, his first start since the Masters. Is Tiger Woods ready to win again, and can he do it at Sawgrass, a course that will put a premium on his erratic driving? The chances aren’t good that this will be the week Woods, now ranked 93 in the world, will return to the winner’s circle, but you never can tell with the game’s greatest player.
Adam Hadwin
The top Canadian in golf finished in a tie for 30th at the PLAYERS last year. He’s coming off a string of strong performances heading into the Masters, where he finished in a tie for 24th. His deft short game skills, and his occasionally spectacular putting, should put him in the mix at the PLAYERS.
Rickie Fowler
After winning the PLAYERS in 2015, Fowler hasn’t had a lot of success at Sawgrass. But he’s been one of the game’s most consistent players this year, and is coming off a near-victory at the Masters.
Dark horse: Paul Casey
What’s not to like about Paul Casey this year? He has a win at the Valspar, a tough driving course, and his play around the greens—especially in scrambling, which is a key at Sawgrass—has been excellent. A terrific ballstriker, there’s no reason Casey can’t get it done this week.