With three weeks to go until the strongest field in golf reconvenes at TPC Sawgrass, THE PLAYERS Championship sets the stage for the 2024 event by profiling four of the biggest names in the sport who are among the favorites to create their defining moment en route to hoisting THE PLAYERS trophy.
Rickie Fowler
In the 2023-24 season, Rickie Fowler returned to the winner’s circle with a victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in dramatic fashion, carding a birdie-3 on the first playoff hole to best Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa for his sixth PGA TOUR title and first since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open. The 2015 PLAYERS champion had a successful season, notching eight top-10 finishes en route to finishing 16th in the FedExCup. The Florida resident is set to make his 13th consecutive start at THE PLAYERS as he looks to become a multiple-time champion of the event.
Collin Morikawa
Collin Morikawa returns to THE PLAYERS Championship after notching the sixth win of his PGA TOUR career — and first in more than two years — at the ZOZO Championship in Japan last October. The 27-year-old is currently 20th in the FedExCup after opening his 2024 season with a T5 at The Sentry and following that up with a T14 effort at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Morikawa will be making his fourth career start at TPC Sawgrass after recording a career-best T13 in 2023, where he sat in solo-second through 18 holes after an opening 65.
Tony Finau
Tony Finau returned to the winner’s circle twice during the 2022-23 season with victories at the Cadence Bank Houston Open and the Mexican Open at Vidanta, going on to finish 20th in the final FedExCup standings. This season, Finau has made four starts, highlighted by a T6 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. The Utah native is set to make his eighth appearance at THE PLAYERS as he looks to improve upon his career-best finish of T19 in 2023.
Ludvig Aberg
At 24 years old, Ludvig Aberg is set to make his tournament debut at THE PLAYERS Championship. The Swedish-born player turned professional following the NCAA Championship in May 2023, and became the first player to join the TOUR directly out of college by finishing No. 1 in the PGA TOUR University Ranking. He experienced immediate success, winning in his rookie season at the 2023 RSM Classic, becoming the first PGA TOUR University alum to win on TOUR. In addition, Aberg collected three additional top-10 finishes and ended the year representing Team Europe at the Ryder Cup as one of Captain Luke Donald’s six picks. This season he has finished in the top-10 twice in four starts, finishing T9 at the Farmers Insurance Open and solo-second at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
