Lowdown: Often referred to as the "unofficial fifth Major," The Players Championship is one of the richest tournaments in world golf. Always attracting a stellar field, Henrik Stenson will return as defending champion hoping he can become the first man to win The Players in consecutive years.
Last year Stenson fired a fantastic, bogey-free, closing round of 66 to beat Ian Poulter by four shots. Poulter will also tee it up again this year.
In fact, 27 of the top 30 players in the World are on the start sheet at Sawgrass - it was 29 of 30 though Steve Stricker and Anthony Kim have withdrawn because of injury. The field also features every PGA Tour winner stretching back to last year's Players Championship (except Retief Goosen who has a broken toe.)
"For me to accomplish that, I can't focus on that. I've got to go out and get ready to play this golf course because it's not an easy challenge, and for me to have a chance to achieve No. 1, I've got to win. So I've got a lot of work ahead," he said.
"Well it's getting better, no doubt. It couldn't get any worse," he said.
Player Watch: Phil Mickelson - He's coming off the back of his Masters victory and a solid performance at Quail Hollow. He'll be trying his heart out to secure the victory and, potentially, the World Number 1 slot.
Jim Furyk - He's already won twice this year and he has a good record at Sawgrass. He lives on Ponte Vedra Beach so feels at home on this course. It's also a layout that rewards straight hitting.
Skills required: Straight driving. Pete Dye courses are notoriously awkward to play and the key to success around Sawgrass is to find the fairways - see Fred Funk's victory in 2005.
