3 big names commit to The Players

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The field for The Players continues to grow. Tuesday, the last three FedEx Cup winners--including the world's No. 1 ranked player--committed to the tournament when Justin Rose, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy all signed up for the tournament's return to March.

Combined, the trio has won 34 PGA Tour events.

Rose will be making his 16th appearance at The Players. His best finish was a tie for fourth in 2014. After winning the FedEx Cup last year, Rose captured his 10th tour title this past weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open, becoming the winningest player from England since 1945.  Rose will try to become the first English player to win The Players.

Thomas will be making his fifth appearance at The Players. His best finish was a tie for third in 2016. In his first year on the PGA Tour and his first start at The Players in 2015, Thomas fired 10 birdies in his third round to establish the record for the most birdies in a single round at the tournament, which Colt Knost matched during the second round in 2016.

McIlroy, who has a pair of top five finishes this season, will be making his 10th start at The Players. In nine previous appearances, McIlroy has three top-10 finishes, all of which came consecutively from 2013-2015. McIlroy missed the cut at The Players last year, one of four missed cuts at TPC Sawgrass. 

After 12 years of being played in May, the tournament has returned to its original March date this year. The tournament runs from March 14-17.