Scottie Scheffler says looking for fast start of the 2026 Players Championship kick-off

FLORIDA: World No.1 Golfier Scottie Scheffler, in his interview ahead of the 2026 Players Championship kick-off, expressed his feeling, saying he was greatly looking forward to a fast start to maintain his PGA Tour legacy.

The Players Championship is kicking off today (Thursday) at legendary TPC Sawgrass, and all the attention will be focusing on the two best golfers in the world, and they are: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.

The latest 2026 Players Championship odds from FanDuel Sportsbook show Scheffler atop the board as the +480 favourite (risk $100 to win $480), with McIlroy and Collin Morikawa behind him at +1600.

Other Players Championship favourites include Si Woo Kim and Ludvig Aberg at +2200.

This golf sport, despite not being a major, has been promoted as such by the tour, dubbed the fifth major, and is often regarded as the next most prestigious tournament in golf.

This is because of the characteristics of majors, including a high-class field, challenging course conditions, and a large purse.

Scheffler and McIlroy are looking to become the first players in history to win the event three times.

Both players are entering the play with different types of questions about their current games.

Scheffler, who owns 25 professional victories to date with two of them being achieved at The Players Championship, will try to return to his dominant ways. Jack Nicklaus, perhaps unsurprisingly, has so far been the only player to have won three or more Players Championships.

McIlroy might not be able to play at all, following his dealing with a back injury that has him as a game-time decision leading up to his first round tee time.

Meanwhile, the total prize money for Scheffler at The Players is a completely different animal entirely and helping him top the list of all-time earners by over $1 million.