The Players 2024: Ranking favorites, contenders, hopefuls - ESPN

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The PGA Tour finally got what it wanted at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill this past week — a loaded leaderboard and familiar winner.

Scottie Scheffler won for the first time in nearly a year, capturing the API for the second time in three years for a 5-stroke victory. It was the largest victory at Bay Hill Club & Lodge since Tiger Woods in 2012.

Now, Scheffler will try to defend his title at the 50th Players Championship, the circuit's signature event.

Rival LIV Golf League players aren't the only ones who won't be teeing it up at TPC Sawgrass this week. Woods, an 82-time winner on the PGA Tour, is also skipping the «fifth major» for undisclosed reasons.

While Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and others will be competing for the richest purse on the PGA Tour, the 144-player field includes many not-so-familiar names, as LIV Golf League cut into the PGA Tour's depth this year.

Here's a look at who can win the PGA Tour's signature event, those under the radar and the players who just hope to stick around for the weekend.

Jump to a section:
Guys who can win | If everything goes right
Long shots | Miracles happen | Happy to make the cut

Here are the legitimate contenders to win the Players. They have the games, guts and nerves to handle four pressure-packed rounds.

Scottie Scheffler
It was only a matter of time before Scheffler figured things out on the greens to return to the winner's circle. He made each of his last 23 putts from inside 15 feet to pull away for a dominant victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. This week, he'll try to do what no other golfer has done: successfully defend his Players Championship title. The best finish by a defending