THE PLAYERS Championship
March 12-15, 2026
TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Purse: $25,000,000

The PGA TOUR heads to its flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, where the game’s greatest players compete on the TOUR’s very own home course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

This week, LAGC's Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, and Sahith Theegala take on Sawgrass.

The History: The Real Estate Deal of a Lifetime

Then PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane Beman first approached the owners of Sawgrass Country Club (Arvida) and offered to buy their facility. Arvida Chairman Charles Cobb said no, and even proposed a $100 bet to Beman that he could never get the financing for the facility he was dreaming of.

Confident as he was, Beman took the bet. In January 1979, he struck a deal with Jerome and Paul Fletcher to purchase 415 acres of swampland.

He must have been some salesman — the Fletchers believed in Beman’s vision so much, they sold him the land for $1.

Still hanging on the club’s wall is a plaque that features a $100 bill, from Cobb to Beman, honoring their bet and Beman’s ability to do what Cobb didn’t believe could be done.

More on the history behind Sawgrass here.

Pete Dye's Masterpiece

Commissioner Beman wanted a course design with a good mix of short, medium, and long holes, showing no favor to any particular player or play style. Pete Dye was the man for the job.

When Beman tasked Dye to build a "stadium" course that would allow fans to watch the action from different levels instead of standing behind each other with no gradient, it seemed unrealistic. The swamp land was essentially flat. With no natural mounds to work off, Dye had to create them himself.

It’s credited to be the first course ever designed with the spectator in mind, ensuring the best views of the best golfers in the world just about anywhere you stand.

Perhaps there’s no view more iconic than one overlooking the 17th green.

Believe it or not, the island green was actually an accident.

The original design was to be a simple par-3 green, only partially surrounded by water. But as they dug around the green, they kept finding pure white sugar sand, so they kept digging all the way around the green, leaving a large crater.

Dye’s wife Alice just suggested they keep it as is and fill the whole thing with water. Sounds like Pete reluctantly went with it.

Now, the hole is one of the world's most famous and most feared holes in the world, with an estimated 100,000 golf balls finding the water each year. And above all else, the visual is as iconic as any hole in golf.

Justin Rose Storylines

Rose’s 2026 season began in record-breaking fashion with a win at the Farmers Insurance Open. Rose performs well on difficult courses, and he’s seen TPC Sawgrass more than a few times, which will serve him well as the 5th ranked player in the world.

Tommy Fleetwood Storylines

No. 3 on the OWGR, Fleetwood has two Top-10 finishes in his first three events this season. He's in great form in 2026 and will look to beat his best finish at TPC Sawgrass from 2019 when he finished up in tied 5th place at -13.

Collin Morikawa Storylines

Morikawa’s iron play is as pure as anyone on TOUR, and THE PLAYERS is fundamentally an iron game. You’ve got to stick your shots on these greens that aren’t too forgiving.

Morikawa has made four cuts in a row with three top-10 finishes, including a win at Pebble Beach. He's No. 4 on the OWGR and he’s No. 1 in the FedExCup Standings. Don’t think he’ll slow down anytime soon.

Sahith Theegala Storylines

Sahith Theegala has been playing some of the best golf of his career. Seven out of seven cuts made, and three Top-10s. It’s only a matter of time before he breaks through with another win, and there’d be no better place to do it than THE PLAYERS.

What to Watch

The Island Green on 17 is known to grab everyone's attention at THE PLAYERS Championship. Rose, Fleetwood, Morikawa, and Theegala take on the iconic TPC Sawgrass, each with their own reasons to believe they can win.

Tune in to NBC, Peacock, The Golf Channel, and ESPN throughout the weekend to catch the guys in action.

LAGC takes on Atlanta Drive on March 17 at SoFi Center in the TGL presented by SoFi Semifinals. Secure your tickets now or watch the action on ESPN or the ESPN App.

About the Author: Luke Mangan

A product of the "post-college I must get better at golf" philosophy, Luke fell in love with the game on municipal courses across Los Angeles. After what most would call a failed early career in sales, Luke found writing as an outlet to tell stories and bring joy to his readers. He now writes for several golf brands and has his own golf newsletter, On Golf.