There are 15 ways professionals can qualify for The Players Championship. Unlike other PGA Tour events, there are no Monday qualifiers and unlike the U.S. or British Opens, there are no 36-hole qualifiers.
There also isn’t an exemption that lasts into a player’s mid-60s. Winning the Masters means you’re there for most of your life. Winning a British Open or PGA is a golden ticket until you’re 65.
Winning a Players Championship buys only five more years.
Eligibility requirements for The Players Championship
Eligible players in the 144-player field are:
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Winners of PGA Tour co-sponsored or approved tournaments, whose victories are considered official, since the 2024 Players Championship.
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The top 125 players from the 2024 FedExCup Fall Points List.
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Winners of The Players, Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship since 2019.
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Winner of the FedExCup from the 2019/20–2024 seasons.
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Winners of WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2022 and 2023.
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Winners of The Genesis Invitational from 2023-2025.
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Winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational from 2023-2025.
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Winners of the Memorial Tournament from 2022-2024.
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Current Men’s Golf Olympic Gold Medalist, for 2025 only.
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The top 50 players from the Official World Golf Ranking through the Cognizant Classic (as of March 3).
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The top 10 players from the 2025 FedExCup points list through the Cognizant Classic, if not otherwise eligible.
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The winner of the previous year’s Kaulig Companies Championship (formerly the Senior Players Championship).
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The leading player to earn a PGA Tour card from the prior season’s DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai.
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The leading player from the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour points list.
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If necessary to complete a field of 144 players, PGA Tour members from the 2025 FedExCup point list below 10th position through the Cognizant Classic, in order of their positions.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Players Championship: Getting into the PGA Tour’s marquee event isn’t easy
