Previewing the 2025 Players Championship

It’s Players Championship week, so a few members of the Fried Egg Golf staff got together to preview the PGA Tour’s flagship event.

Who could benefit most from a Players Championship win this week?

Ludvig Aberg. On the opening night of TGL, Ludvig Aberg was ballyhooed as a star. It was jarring during player introductions a few minutes later to see his light resume of wins: an RSM Classic and DP World Tour event. That, of course, didn’t paint the entire picture. Aberg contended and finished runner-up at the 2024 Masters, made a spectacular debut at the 2023 Ryder Cup months after graduating from Texas Tech, and has received universal, drooling praise from his peers.

That said, to be a star in golf, you need to win big tournaments. Shortly after his TGL debut, Aberg added a massive pelt to his collection with his 2025 Genesis Invitational win. Aberg’s victory was a statement that cemented him as the most promising player in golf 25 years old and younger. While that win was nice, the Players is on an entirely different level. For one, it’s a full field with a real cut. Two, it’s at a golf course that allows a larger subset of the field to contend. A win at the Players could launch Aberg from a budding golf star every ardent golf fan knows about to a budding global superstar casual fans recognize. – Andy Johnson

Changes to the course

Since the last playing of the Players Championship, there have been a few noticeable changes to TPC Sawgrass.

1. Tee boxes have been added to extend two par 5s, Nos. 2 and 11. The new tee on 11 is farther back and to the left of its previous location, promoting more of a draw for right-handed players than the previous tee box.

2. Changes to the sixth hole will be highly discussed catnip this week. Fifteen yards were added, and more notably, an overhanging tree was reinstalled to the location it used to occupy prior to losing the tree in 2014. On Tuesday, players were eager to see the tree and understand how it may impact their game plan. The tree’s reinstallation does impact the shots golfers will hit in competition. Players will take their tee shots under the tree with either a wood or a flighted driver; launching a drive over the tree is not feasible, and stock shots with driver absolutely bring tree branches directly into play.

3. More severe mounding, native grasses, and trees were added down the right side of the 14th hole. The cart path was also shifted to the right. As a result, right misses off the tee will meet a steeper penalty than in previous editions of the Players.

Overall, I’d characterize these changes to the golf course under Davis Love III’s stewardship as minor and positive. Moreover, it’s another example of how TPC Sawgrass has trended towards Augusta-fication, with a new ritual of anticipating and revealing minor changes in the leadup to each tournament. – Joseph LaMagna

Refocusing on The Players

Fan Forward, the newest proper noun courtesy of the capitalization conveyor belt at PGA TOUR HQ, tells us the people, including President Trump, want reunification, according to Jay Monahan. This has had the Tour puffing its chest out recently, confident of its position, political allies, and the future world order.

But fan fatigue may be playing into the momentum as much as Fan Forward proclamations. A new status quo has taken hold with this split world of pro golf. Even with a deal still TBD, for the first time in several years, Players Championship week begins with a heavier focus on the golf and the pros who are here. Think about the recent run of Players weeks and the attendant uncomfortable Monahan press conferences. There was the pandemic week, the one in the wake of Phil Mickelson’s explosive comments to Alan Shipnuck that gave birth to the “legacy not leverage” quip, the one with the defending champion absent, the one used as a courtroom over a newly announced Tour of Signature Haves and Have Nots with “mules” kicking and screaming — it’s felt like a really high stakes circus of conflict or embarrassments every year! There have been some truly great Players Championships in recent years, but it’s also been an annual conference of drama about people who weren’t present, (mis)management tension, and re-ordering of matters off the course.

This drama has not been bad for our media business. But I think just about everyone, or a healthy majority, are over all of this shit. The tension and Tour uncertainty are muted this year, even without the deal. Would it be nice to have Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and maybe a few others here? Sure. Is it ok that this has become a status quo now? The answer to that increasingly inches toward also “sure.” For better or worse, there’s fatigue from what’s wrong and an increasing acceptance of what is.

And what is an elite tournament loaded at the top of the field on a great course that adds more history to its status each year and stands out as a rare, unique test of the full bag of skills. The championship boasts more impressive history each passing year. The Tour has done so much around this event worthy of mockery over the years that it can obscure just how badass an actual tournament it is. So much about it is exceptional.

I would not mistake fatigue over the off-course dealings as a reason to be complacent or accept the Tour as is the many other weeks of the year. That’s what Fan Forward is for, I suppose. They need to get better. It may be that Monahan’s “tone” took on a new confidence about the Tour’s future compared to an insecurity of recent Players weeks. But the fatigue over off-course dealings should re-focus some of the energy back to the positives this actual tournament has going for it. – Brendan Porath

What viral clip will we see from Johnson Wagner?

The beauty of Johnson Wagner’s Live From bit is his ability to both succeed spectacularly and fail miserably. So it only feels appropriate to discuss both.

Oh no, Johnson. Let’s start with the fun. TPC Sawgrass is as aesthetically pleasing as it comes, but it’s also a house of horrors. There is no shortage of opportunities for Johnson to experience disaster. The situation with the most viral potential is obviously a fall into the water. Whether he tries to recreate a shot that a player hit while standing on a bulkhead, hits a chip backward while facing the opposite direction and loses his balance, or just missteps, any homage to Woody Austin would be appreciated. Saving Johnson’s dry cleaning bill, I’d say the most likely would occur on the sixth hole. The repositioned tree that hangs over the tee box is in play, so if he were to find the top of the clubface, we could very well see a situation where a ball smacks the limb and comes right back at him. Hell, maybe he hits the shot with a hard hat on just in case.

Great job, Johnson. Wagner’s segments do provide real value to the viewer, and I fully expect him to show off this week, particularly with the closing stretch. On No. 16, someone always ends up either behind the trees in the bunker short of the green or behind the trees left of the green. A well-executed shot that splits the uprights of either vertical hazard would be amazing. Over on the island green, there will likely be a ball that winds up on the walkway. Assuming Johnson is over his chipping yips, a nipper off the path that gets close to the hole would be wonderful to watch. On the 18th there will inevitably be a situation involving “where did it cross” Twitter. Johnson should not only have some fun with that, but I’d love to see shots from different yardages showing just how important it is to find the right spot and what impact fairway positioning has on the approach shot. – Will Knights

Super Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler has gotten to the level of Tiger Woods in the sense that I’m no longer surprised when he does something amazing. The comparisons between the two began last year after Scheffler’s seven-win season that included 16 top-10 finishes in 19 starts. The comparisons to Jack Nicklaus could be next with a win on Sunday.

Scheffler became the first player ever to defend his title at the Players Championship last year. A three-peat this year would tie him with Nicklaus for most Players wins in just his sixth start at TPC Sawgrass. Jack won three of the first five Players Championships, starting with the inaugural in 1974, then again in 1976 and 1978.

It’s been no question that Scheffler has been the best player in the world for some time now, but he’s got some challengers. Xander Schauffele won two majors last season and, like Scheffler, didn’t miss a cut in 2024. Rory McIlroy has kept his name in the mix. Ludvig Aberg appears to be the next big thing. A third consecutive win at the PGA Tour’s premier event would elevate Scheffler to a whole new level and assert his dominance over the chasing pack with authority.

Normally I’d be cheering for turnover and something new. This week, I want to see greatness. – Adam Woodard

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.