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The Players Championship: Examining Potential Champions in 2022

By Josh Chandler

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 07: A general view of the 17th hole during practice a round prior to THE PLAYERS Championship at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium course on March 07, 2022 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 07: A general view of the 17th hole during practice a round prior to THE PLAYERS Championship at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium course on March 07, 2022 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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Players Championship, 2022 Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass, PGA
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MARCH 06: Scottie Scheffler of the United States poses with the trophy after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 06, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

#5. Scottie Scheffler

Case For: Hello Mr. Scheffler!. Last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational winner is up to 5th in the world after two wins in his last three starts. The man who constantly found himself within reach of contention in big events has finally broken through. This all could spell trouble for the rest of the world’s best players.

Outside of the Players Championship in 2021, Scheffler posted finishes of 18th (Masters), 8th (PGA), 7th (U.S. Open), and 8th (British Open), double yikes!.

Case Against: Scheffler won just last week at the end of a long and surely draining weekend at Bay Hill. Can he do it again? of course. But how likely is that?. Just like Hovland earlier on this list, Scottie also missed the cut in his PLAYERS debut last year.

Related Story. Bryson DeChambeau Withdraws From 2022 Players Championship. light

Players Championship, Rory McIlroy, PGA, TPC Sawgrass, 2022 Players Championship
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MARCH 06: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the 18th green during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 06, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

#6. Rory McIlroy

Case For: If Mcllroy is to be taken at his word then his game is pretty much in the shape that the 2019 Players Champion would want it to be coming into this week. He said after the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week that he felt like he played better than his final results indicated. That could be ominous for the rest of the field this week if he is firing on all cylinders because when McIlroy is at his best there are not many better. The Northern Irishman has finished no worse than 13th place in his last four starts in 2022.

Case Against: If you had to take a guess you would assume that McIlroy comes into the 2022 PLAYERS ready to go. But a closer look may indicate that last week may have taken a greater toll on the 2019 champion than he might like to admit.

Coming off of a long and frustrating week that McIlroy believed he deserved more out of, may not make for the best set of circumstances coming into this week. Add in the fact that his last three visits to TPC Sawgrass have gone either really well or very wrong, and things could be shaping up for another boom or bust week for Rory.

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