Rory McIlroy's Players Defence In Jeopardy And Phil Mickelson To Miss Fourth Consecutive LIV Event: This Week In Golf

This Week In Golf: Our regular look at the biggest stories in professional golf, tournament previews and other key details you need to know.

Last week saw one of the busiest stretches of the year take place with at least one event on each of the main professional tours, and many more beside.

Akshay Bhatia won a thrilling Arnold Palmer Invitational days after Tiger Woods hinted at a possible comeback in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere, Luke Donald officially returned as Team Europe's Ryder Cup captain and there were multiple storylines to come out of LIV Golf as usual.

Looking ahead, here are all of the key stories you need to know about which have already happened or are set to occur in golf this week.

THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

The Players Championship headlines this week's tour event schedule, with the PGA Tour's biggest few days set to play out at TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course.

The debate surrounding whether The Players should finally be classed as a Major returned to the forefront of people's minds, but even while it remains the crowning jewel of the historic US circuit and no more, it is still one of the most sought-after prizes in the men's game.

As has been the case for the past couple of years now, the biggest payout of the season (before the FedEx Cup Playoffs) is on offer in Florida and 'the best field in golf" is preparing to do battle for it.

MCILROY'S PLAYERS STATUS

Rory McIlroy won his second Players Championship title 12 months ago following a playoff victory over JJ Spaun, but the defending champion may find his defence a struggle in 2026.

The five-time Major winner suffered a back issue during the Arnold Palmer Invitational which has proved to be "more stubborn" than McIlroy and his team first thought.

The latest update from McIlroy's camp is that he is going to head to TPC Sawgrass on Wednesday but is not planning on playing a practice round ahead of his first-round tee time on Thursday.

Whether his back improves enough in time to truly compete remains to be seen, but he must be careful with another particularly prestigious championship not too far away either.

LIV GOLF SINGAPORE

Away from the PGA Tour, LIV Golf Singapore is happening at Sentosa Golf Club this weekend. However, one of the league's biggest names continues to miss out due to personal reasons.

Phil Mickelson is set to miss his fourth straight LIV event and will be replaced by Wade Ormsby once more. The Australian filled in for Lefty in Hong Kong and finished T41st at Fanling as Jon Rahm claimed his first win since 2024.

WOMEN'S AUSTRALIAN OPEN

There's no action on the LPGA Tour this week following the first Asian Swing of the season, but there is a big tournament on the Ladies European Tour in the form of the Women's Australian Open.

Major winners Minjee Lee, Grace Kim and Hannah Green headline the field at Kooyonga Golf Club, but defending champion Jiyai Shin is not in the field this time.

As a result, a new champion will scoop the lion's share of the AU$1.7 million prize money payout.

SUNNINGDALE FOURSOMES

The historic foursomes event has already begun at Sunningdale, where several current tour pros have entered hoping to add the prestigious title to their cabinet.

Among the notable names involved include Charley Hull, Eddie Pepperell, Kris Kim, Alex Fitzpatrick, Robert Rock, Marc Warren and Callum Tarren.

However, many have already been knocked out prior to the third round and will be forced to postpone their dreams of victory for at least another year.

David Corben and Harry Crockett are the current champions of the event which began in 1934. First-round matches were played on Tuesday, with the final contested on Friday afternoon.

DAHMEN AND BONNALIE REUNITE (TEMPORARILY)

Fans of Netflix docu-series Full Swing will be fully aware of the close and complex relationship Joel Dahmen and Geno Bonnalie have formed over the years together. So it was quite a shock when the pair went their separate ways last year.

However, the duo remain good friends and they will temporarily reunite for The Players Championship this week as Dahmen continues to rotate his loopers this season.

Bonnalie is the full-time bagman of Isaiah Salinda, but the American didn't qualify for the PGA Tour's flagship event so he is free to fill in.

MINI TWIGS - WHAT ELSE TO KNOW

• Justin Thomas joined Tommy Fleetwood in becoming a clothing free agent
• Photos and videos emerged from Lexi Thompson's wedding in Florida last weekend, with a whole host of current and former tour pros in attendance
• Former tennis player Sir Andy Murray became the latest big-name investor in Manors Golf
• Gary Woodland bravely revealed he was diagnosed with PTSD in early 2025, less than two years after he had a benign tumor removed from his brain
• Anthony Kim added a new tattoo to commemorate his LIV Golf Adelaide victory
• Justin Rose urged Jon Rahm to pay his DP World Tour fines so that he's able to play in the Ryder Cup
• Akshay Bhatia has committed to the DP World Tour's Hero Indian Open next month