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Joe Nicely ranks his top-10 PGA Tour players to watch at the 2026 PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. His data-backed insights into who is primed for success.
So, as we head into one of the biggest events on the calendar, which golfers stand out as the cream of the crop among this uber-deep group of talented PLAYERS Championship entrants? Let's go through this week's Power Rankings!
No. 10 - Akshay Bhatia
The tenth spot was perhaps the toughest decision on this week's PLAYERS Power Rankings, as I could make very reasonable arguments for a number of golfers here. After going back and forth between a handful of deserving players, I landed on Akshay Bhatia, a young man who is coming off the biggest win of his life last week at Bay Hill, and also recorded a T3 in last year's PLAYERS Championship.
Conquering Arnie's place 🏆
Akshay Bhatia captures his third title @APInv! pic.twitter.com/efj34zbliH
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 8, 2026
It's hard to believe that Bhatia is still just 24-years-old, as it feels like he's been around the pro circuit much longer. However, he's quickly solidified himself as one of golf's true rising, young stars.
While he snatched a victory from Daniel Berger down the stretch last week at API, we probably should have seen it coming, as Bhatia has played beautiful all-around golf this year. He currently stands sixth on the PGA Tour in SG: Total and has gone Win-T16-T6-T3 across his last four starts.
No. 9 - Hideki Matsuyama
A red-hot stretch of form that began last fall and carried over into the start of 2026 has cooled a bit in recent weeks for the Japanese superstar, as Matsuyama has now lost strokes on Approach in each of his last two outings.
Despite those recent showings, I'm still intrigued by Matsuyama anytime he tees it up at The PLAYERS. Sure, there are some missed cuts in his Sawgrass game log, but we've also seen proof of the huge upside he has on this Pete Dye design. Matsuyama has recorded T6-or-better finishes in two of his last three PLAYERS starts, four career top 10s on this golf course, and we won't even talk about what COVID took from us in the 2020 edition.
No. 8 - Si Woo Kim
With his blend of recent form and history on Pete Dye layouts - particularly TPC Sawgrass - there's an argument that Si Woo should be even higher in this week's Power Rankings. Once known for his erratic output, Kim has been a picture of consistency lately. Dating back to last August, he's reeled off 14 consecutive made cuts with five top-five finishes and seven additional top-25s across those outings.
The South Korean's mastery on Dye tracks has been nothing short of brilliant. Kim won The PLAYERS in 2017 and has recorded two top-10 finishes at Sawgrass since. He's also won at The American Express - an event primarily played on the Dye-designed Stadium Course at PGA West. He enters this year's PLAYERS with white-hot irons and he currently ranks second on the PGA Tour in SG: APP.
No. 7 - Russell Henley
Henley is never going to be the sexiest golfer on any given week, but his elite consistency makes him impossible to ignore. The UGA alum rebounded from a rare missed cut at Riviera to record a that's-more-like-it T6 last week at Bay Hill. It marked Henley's ninth finish of T20-or-better in his last 10 starts.
It's no surprise when considering the type of course TPC Sawgrass is, but Henley has been a bit feast-or-famine at The PLAYERS throughout his career, largely recording top-25s or missed cuts. That said, he's settled in nicely in recent PLAYERS starts, finishing inside the top 30 in three of his last four starts at Sawgrass.
No. 6 - Ludvig Aberg
Aberg truthers have been not-so-patiently-waiting for some signs of life after a WD-MC start to 2026. Those who stayed on board have been rewarded with progressively-improving outings from the talented Swede in recent weeks.
Made one of the toughest courses on TOUR look easy today 💪
Despite a slower start to the season, Ludvig Åberg shot 6-under 66 for his lowest round at Bay Hill. pic.twitter.com/SqlVPtHvj9
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 5, 2026
Shaking off the fog from the aforementioned sluggish start, Aberg has begun to look like the player we'd expect. He's gained strokes T2G in three straight - most recently putting together a monster outing a Bay Hill en route to a T3. Aberg gained a massive 9.8 strokes T2G at the API, a mark that trailed only Daniel Berger on the week, and his 5.4 SG: APP was his best statistical performance with the irons since his Genesis win last year.
No. 5 - Xander Schauffele
Following a breakout 2024 campaign in which he captured two major championships, the X-Man missed a chunk of time in early 2025 and flew under the radar for most of last season. A calendar-closing win at the Baycurrent Classic was cause for optimism heading into this year, but Schauffele has largely been an afterthought to this point.
Posting solid, if unspectacular, results as of late, the Californian's game has quietly been trending in the right direction, as he's gained strokes T2G in four straight outings. His track record at The PLAYERS is a volatile one, though a pair of runner-up results certainly remind us of the upside he possesses at TPC Sawgrass. If it's possible for a player of Xander's caliber to be a dark horse, that's the category I'd put him in this week.
No. 4 - Tommy Fleetwood
Following a sterling close to 2025 that included wins at the Tour Championship and DP World India Championship, Tommy Lad has kicked off 2026 in rock-solid form with top-10s at both Pebble Beach and Riviera. A 49th-place result last week at Bay Hill was his first real misstep in months, though I'm encouraged the uber-consistent Englishman will rebound at Sawgrass.
Fleetwood has been one of the game's most consistent performers at the notoriously tricky Pete Dye layout. He's made the cut in seven of eight career PLAYERS starts - no small feat - while amassing a 70.63 scoring average with two top-10 finishes, as well as a pair of top-25s. Fleetwood's simple fairways-and-greens style - as well as a short game that currently ranks him first on Tour in SG: Around the Green - makes him a real threat in this event on an annual basis.
No. 3 - Collin Morikawa
The long-dormant Morikawa skyrockets to No. 3 in this week's Power Rankings thanks to his recent surge in form. Winless since the 2023 ZOZO Championship, the 29-year-old snapped that dry spell with an impressive victory at Pebble Beach last month. He's remained razor sharp in subsequent starts, recording a T7 at Riviera and a solo fifth-place finish last week at Bay Hill.
Made one of the toughest courses on TOUR look easy today 💪
Despite a slower start to the season, Ludvig Åberg shot 6-under 66 for his lowest round at Bay Hill. pic.twitter.com/SqlVPtHvj9
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 5, 2026
Consistently one of the world's best iron players, Morikawa simply can't be ignored when the rest of his game starts firing. He's gained true strokes OTT, Around the Green, and Putting in each of his last three starts. With all facets clicking, he profiles as a serious contender this week on a TPC Sawgrass layout where he's made the cut in four of his five career PLAYERS appearances and recorded a career-best T10 in last year's edition.
No. 2 - Rory McIlroy
We'll put a mental asterisk beside McIlroy's name, as he was recently forced to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a back issue. As of this writing, McIlroy is still listed as in the PLAYERS field, though it's something that deserves monitoring as the week progresses.
Rory McIlroy provided an update on his lingering back issue:
“The back is being a bit more stubborn than we thought, so I’m staying at home today and tomorrow to continue treatment in South Florida with the hope to travel to Ponte Vedra on Wednesday at some point.”
via… pic.twitter.com/FUK3RA7bCW
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) March 9, 2026
If we put the back concerns aside, he possesses a strong profile this week. A two-time PLAYERS champion, and the defending champion, McIlroy's game was trending up before last week's setback at Bay Hill, as a T14 at Pebble Beach in his first U.S. start of the year was followed by an impressive T2 at the Genesis Invitational. We know he's the best driver of the ball in the game today, and when the rest of his game is firing - as it currently is - McIlroy is a threat to win any tournament he tees it up in.
No. 1 - Scottie Scheffler
The world's No. 1 golfer heads to Sawgrass "mired" in what qualifies for him as a "cold spell". A T12 in last month's Genesis Invitational marked his first non-top-10 result since last year's PLAYERS. The Texan followed that up with a T24 last week at Bay Hill - a tournament that he's won twice - where he lost true strokes on Approach for the first time since the 2024 BMW Championship.
Despite the relative struggles of late, Scheffler still stands atop this week's PLAYERS Power Rankings due to both the dominant talent that we know is there, as well as his track record at TPC Sawgrass - a course where he's captured the PLAYERS title in two of the last three years.
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