PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- THE PLAYERS Championship annually has the strongest and deepest field of any PGA TOUR event, and in looking at the players who have qualified for the 2010 PLAYERS, this year will be no exception
Headlining that list of players is 2007 PLAYERS Champion Phil Mickelson, who recently collected his third Green Jacket and 38th PGA TOUR victory in thrilling fashion at The Masters earlier this month, and Tiger Woods, who made his 2010 debut at Augusta National and is playing next week at Quail Hollow (click for story).
Ponte Vedra Beach resident Jim Furyk has also committed to THE PLAYERS, fresh off his second victory of the season last week at the Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head Island, SC. The victory was Furyk's second in five weeks after ending a 59-start winless streak earlier this season at the Transitions Championship in Tampa. He has posted three top-five finishes at THE PLAYERS over the last six year, including a T3 in 2006 and a T5 last year.
Other players who have officially committed to this year's PLAYERS are 2008 champion Sergio Garcia, defending champion Henrik Stenson and father-son combination Jay and Bill Haas, who will make history at this year's event. The Haas' are the seventh father-son combination to compete in THE PLAYERS, but the first to compete in the event in the same year.
Jay Haas, who last competed at TPC Sawgrass in 2005, earned a spot in this year's tournament by winning the 2009 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship on the Champions Tour. The elder Haas will make his 29th start at THE PLAYERS, the most in tournament history, breaking a tie with Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw. Bill Haas claimed his first PGA TOUR victory earlier this year at the Bob Hope Classic in January and will make his fourth-career start at TPC Sawgrass.
So, who are the other players eligible to compete at TPC Sawgrass? Here's the latest list going into the Quail Hollow Championship.
PLEASE NOTE: Players do not have to commit to the tournament until 5 p.m. on the Friday before the tournament, which takes place the week of May 3-9. The names below are simply the players who have qualified through one of the eligibility categories. Also note that a couple of eligibility categories have yet to be finalized.
In addition, any player who hasn't otherwise qualified for THE PLAYERS this year can still get into the field with a win at Quail Hollow.
Please check PGATOUR.COM on Friday, April 30 after 5 p.m. for THE PLAYERS official commitment list.
Players below may have qualified in several categories but are listed in order of the first eligibility category in which they qualify.
| Players who have already qualified |
| 2009-10 PGA TOUR tournament winners (since the 2009 PLAYERS) |
| Player |
Country |
| Stephen Ames |
CAN |
| Cameron Beckman |
USA |
| Jason Bohn |
USA |
| Stewart Cink |
USA |
| Ben Crane |
USA |
| Ernie Els |
SAF |
| Jim Furyk |
USA |
| Brian Gay |
USA |
| Lucas Glover |
USA |
| Nathan Green |
AUS |
| Bill Haas |
USA |
| Zach Johnson |
USA |
| Dustin Johnson |
USA |
| Anthony Kim |
USA |
| Matt Kuchar |
USA |
| Martin Laird |
SCO |
| Derek Lamely |
USA |
| Hunter Mahan |
USA |
| Troy Matteson |
USA |
| Phil Mickelson |
USA |
| Ryan Moore |
USA |
| Geoff Ogilvy |
AUS |
| Ryan Palmer |
USA |
| Kenny Perry |
USA |
| Ian Poulter |
ENG |
| John Rollins |
USA |
| Rory Sabbatini |
SAF |
| Heath Slocum |
USA |
| Steve Stricker |
USA |
| Bo Van Pelt |
USA |
| Camilo Villegas |
COL |
| Tiger Woods |
USA |
| Y.E. Yang |
KOR |
|
|
| 2009 FedExCup points (Top 30 on the list) |
| Sean O'Hair |
USA |
| Padraig Harrington |
IRE |
| Scott Verplank |
USA |
| Jason Dufner |
USA |
| Nick Watney |
USA |
| Steve Marino |
USA |
| Retief Goosen |
SAF |
| David Toms |
USA |
| Marc Leishman |
AUS |
| Jerry Kelly |
USA |
| John Senden |
AUS |
| Angel Cabrera |
ARG |
| Kevin Na |
USA |
| Mike Weir |
CAN |
| Luke Donald |
ENG |
|
|
| Top 125 finishers on the 2009 PGA TOUR money list |
| Paul Casey |
ENG |
| Tim Clark |
SAF |
| Justin Leonard |
USA |
| Charley Hoffman |
USA |
| Robert Allenby |
AUS |
| Brian Davis |
ENG |
| Mark Wilson |
USA |
| Charles Howell III |
USA |
| Chad Campbell |
USA |
| Pat Perez |
USA |
| John Mallinger |
USA |
| Davis Love III |
USA |
| Paul Goydos |
USA |
| Tim Petrovic |
USA |
| Brandt Snedeker |
USA |
| George McNeill |
USA |
| John Merrick |
USA |
| Bubba Watson |
USA |
| Brett Quigley |
USA |
| Bryce Molder |
USA |
| Charlie Wi |
USA |
| D.A. Points |
USA |
| Jonathan Byrd |
USA |
| Vijay Singh |
FIJ |
| Jason Day |
AUS |
| Webb Simpson |
USA |
| Jeff Klauk |
USA |
| J.B. Holmes |
USA |
| Kevin Sutherland |
USA |
| Sergio Garcia |
ESP |
| Fred Couples |
USA |
| Jeff Overton |
USA |
| Fredrik Jacobson |
SWE |
| Briny Baird |
USA |
| Vaughn Taylor |
USA |
| J.J. Henry |
USA |
| Jason Bohn |
USA |
| Woody Austin |
USA |
| Justin Rose |
ENG |
| Mathew Goggin |
AUS |
| Boo Weekley |
USA |
| Bob Estes |
USA |
| D.J. Trahan |
USA |
| Nick O'Hern |
AUS |
| Greg Chalmers |
AUS |
| Scott Piercy |
USA |
| Kevin Streelman |
USA |
| Scott McCarron |
USA |
| K.J. Choi |
KOR |
| Rod Pampling |
AUS |
| Alex Cejka |
GER |
| James Nitties |
AUS |
| Kevin Stadler |
USA |
| Michael Letzig |
USA |
| Lee Janzen |
USA |
| Ted Purdy |
USA |
| Aaron Baddeley |
AUS |
| Bill Lunde |
USA |
| Daniel Chopra |
SWE |
| James Driscoll |
USA |
| Ben Curtis |
USA |
| Andres Romero |
ARG |
| Mark Calcavecchia |
USA |
| Adam Scott |
AUS |
| Greg Owen |
ENG |
| Michael Allen |
USA |
| Matt Bettencourt |
USA |
| Harrison Frazar |
USA |
| Chris Stroud |
USA |
| Tom Watson |
USA |
| Michael Bradley |
USA |
| Jeff Quinney |
USA |
| Ryuji Imada |
JPN |
| Richard S. Johnson |
SWE |
| Ricky Barnes |
USA |
| Roland Thatcher |
USA |
| Rich Beem |
USA |
| Nicholas Thompson |
USA |
| Steve Flesch |
USA |
| Jimmy Walker |
USA |
|
|
| Past winners in the following events from 2005-09 |
| THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP |
| Henrik Stenson |
SWE |
| Fred Funk |
USA |
| U.S. OPEN |
| Michael Campbell |
NZL |
|
|
| Winners of the Masters from 2005-2010 |
|
|
|
| Winner of the 2009 Constellation Energy Senior PLAYERS Championship |
|
|
|
| Leading money winner of the 2009 Nationwide Tour money list |
|
|
| Players still waiting for confirmation |
| *Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking thru the Zurich Classic of New Orleans |
| Lee Westwood |
ENG |
| Martin Kaymer |
GER |
| Rory McIlroy |
NIR |
| Charl Schwartzel |
SAF |
| Robert Karlsson |
SWE |
| Ross Fisher |
ENG |
| Alvaro Quiros |
ESP |
| Edoardo Molinari |
ITA |
| Miguel Angel Jimenez |
ESP |
| Yuta Ikeda |
JPN |
| Franceso Molinari |
ITA |
| Louis Oosthuizen |
SAF |
| Thongchai Jaidee |
THA |
| Oliver Wilson |
ENG |
| Ryo Ishikawa |
JPN |
| Graeme McDowell |
NIR |
|
|
| * If necessary to complete a field of 144 players, PGA TOUR members from the 2010 FedExCup points list below 10th position through the Zurich Classic, in order of their positions on such list. |
| Rickie Fowler |
USA |
| Alex Prugh |
USA |
| J.P. Hayes |
USA |
| Chris Couch |
USA |
| Kris Blanks |
USA |
| Brendon de Jonge |
ZIM |
| Spencer Levin |
USA |
| Chad Collins |
USA |
| Troy Merritt |
USA |
| Carl Pettersson |
SWE |
|