The Players Championship returns to TPC Sawgrass this week as the PGA Tour prepares for the 2026 edition of its flagship event. The tournament will run from March 12 to 15 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with a 123-player field, slightly smaller than the previous 144-player format.

Several past winners will be part of the field this year. Rory McIlroy, the defending champion, and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headline the lineup. In total, seven former champions are scheduled to compete in 2026: McIlroy (2019, 2025), Scheffler (2023, 2024), Justin Thomas (2021), Si Woo Kim (2017), Jason Day (2016), Rickie Fowler (2015) and Adam Scott (2004).

Winning the Players Championship has often been described as one of the toughest tasks on the PGA Tour. The event brings together one of the deepest fields in golf while the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is known for testing every part of a player’s game. Power alone rarely guarantees success, and accuracy becomes just as important across the week.

Here is a look at the winners and scores from the last five editions of the The Players Championship.

The Players Championship results and winning scores from the past five years

Rory McIlroy – 2025

Rory McIlroy won the 2025 Players Championship after defeating J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff on March 17.

McIlroy opened the tournament with rounds of 67 and 68, before posting 73 and 68 over the weekend to finish at 276 (12 under).

The victory marked his second Players Championship title, with his first coming in 2019. It was also the 28th PGA Tour win of his career.

Scottie Scheffler – 2024

Scottie Scheffler won the 2024 Players Championship at 20 under par, becoming the first player to win the tournament in consecutive years.

Scheffler carded rounds of 67, 69, 68 and 64 to finish with a total of 268. He began the final round five shots behind but closed with a 64, despite dealing with a neck injury.

The win followed his 2023 Players Championship victory, when he shot 68, 69, 65 and 69 to finish at 271 (17 under).

Cameron Smith – 2022

Cameron Smith won the 2022 Players Championship, finishing one shot ahead of Anirban Lahiri at 13 under par.

Smith carded rounds of 69, 71, 69 and 66 to finish with a total score of 275. The win was the fifth PGA Tour title of his career at the time.

Justin Thomas – 2021

Justin Thomas won the 2021 Players Championship, finishing one shot ahead of Lee Westwood at TPC Sawgrass.

Thomas opened the tournament with rounds of 71 and 71, but moved into contention with a 64 in the third round. He continued the momentum on Sunday with a 68, playing the final two rounds in 12 under par.

The strong weekend lifted him to a winning total of 274 (14 under) and marked the 14th PGA Tour title of his career.