What's up, guys, Rick here with your tournament preview for this week's Players

Championship.

There will be DFS and betting previews and more to come this week, but just wanted to lay a

first look at you for what is known as

the fifth major.

While this doesn't get the official distinction of a major championship, the prize purse,

and the field that assemble for this event makes it one of the most prestigious on the PGA

tour schedule. It's been played every single year

since 1974 and every year at TPC Sawgrass since 1982. And that purse that I mentioned

earlier, that's what draws in all the players. 15 million dollars this season with 2.7 million going to the winner. Of course, this is the event in

2020 that was canceled after one round, and the tour would then go on a 91 day hiatus because

of the COVID outbreak. It was Hideki Matsuyama not only in the lead after round one in 2020, but shooting a

course record 63 in the process.

So technically, our defending champion is Rory McElroy, who was victorious in 2019.

Webb Simpson won it in 2018.

Siwu Kim was victorious in 2017. Jason Day raised the trophy in 2016 and it was Ricky Fowler who won it in 2015. And a fun fact,

a champion has never successfully defended his title at the player's championship.

The field is large, it is deep, and it is diverse.

49 of the top 50 players in the world are going to be at this event with 29 of the top

30 in the current FedEx Cup standings, and it would just be easier to tell you who's not going

to be here.

So that one golfer, that one golfer in the top 50 who is not going to be present is

...