The Players Championship has seen a host of huge names win the event since it began in 1974.
For some of those names, their playing days are long behind them, while others will be teeing it up in 2026, hoping to lift the trophy once again on Sunday evening.
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There are some notable active pros with a Players Championship title on their resume who won’t be competing at TPC Sawgrass this week, though. Here are the details…
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods has won the title twice
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Tiger Woods has won The Players Championship twice, first in 2001, when he got the better of great rival Vijay Singh by one, and then in 2013, when he saw off the challenges of three players by two strokes.
He won’t be playing in 2025, though, and not just because he has yet to make his comeback after undergoing back surgery in October.
Woods’ win at the 2019 Masters guaranteed his place at The Players Championship for the next five editions.
It wasn’t played in 2020 because of COVID-19, meaning he was still eligible for the 2025 event, although he didn’t compete.
Now, that eligibility has lapsed, and because he currently doesn’t meet any other qualifying criteria, it means he is among the big names missing The Players in 2026.
Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith joined LIV Golf the same year he won The Players Championship
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Cameron Smith claimed the biggest win of his career to that point when he won the 2022 Players Championship, beating Anirban Lahiri by one.
It got even better for the Australian four months later when he won the 150th Open at the Old Course, St Andrews.
While each of those victories gave him a five-year exemption to the tournament, he hasn’t been seen in it since, and it’s purely because of his decision to join LIV Golf shortly after securing his maiden Major title.
That earned him a PGA Tour suspension, which has yet to be lifted, as he still…
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