PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Players always attracts the strongest and deepest field in all of golf, and the 2015 tournament announced that Masters champion Jordan Spieth will compete in next month in Sawgrass.
It will be the 21-year-old's second appearance in the PGA Tour's richest tournament, having he led the first three rounds of last year's tournament, playing the first 58 holes without making a single bogey. But he struggled to a 2-over 74 on the final day to finish three shots behind eventual champion, Martin Kaymer, to finish tied for fourth.
With Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Bubba Watson are also committed to the tournament, that means at the four top players in the Official World Golf Rankings will be in the hunt in Sawgrass.
This week, Phil Mickelson, 2007 Players champion, confirmed he will also play in the tournament.
Tiger Woods, whose shot out of pine straw on the ninth hole at Augusta National last week struck a tree root and had him crying out in pain, is expected to take a few weeks off, but does plan to return for The Players.
Those competing for the $10 million purse in the May tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach also represent one of the most international fields of golfers. Of the 146 players currently qualified, there are 25 countries represented and there is a strong chance 2015's roster will be the most international field in tournament history.
Outside of the United States, the current field consists of players hailing from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, England, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Venezuela, Wales and Zimbabwe. If one of those players found the winner's circle on Sunday, he would claim the 14th international victory in the history of The Players and the sixth in the last 10 years.