The secret to Sawgrass for The Players Championship: Play well and stay out of trouble

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The 25 newcomers to The Players Championship probably won't take much solace in hearing that only one player — Craig Perks in 2002 — has conquered the diabolical Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass in his debut over the last four decades.

Just as curious is the case of Scottie Scheffler. Last year he became the first player in the history of this championship to win in consecutive years.

Tiger Woods for all his greatness won it only twice. Phil Mickelson won in 2007 and some eight years later after missing the cut said, “I can't believe I've actually won here.”

The PGA Tour's premier event — it has been referred to as the “fifth major” — begins Thursday with the same level of intrigue. There are great players. There are players in great form. But anything goes over the next four days.

The secret to Sawgrass?

“Playing good,” said Scheffler, who last year had to make up a five-shot deficit with a sore neck by holing out for eagle on the fourth hole on his way to a 64.

“You can't fake it around this place,” Scheffler said. “I think there's a lot of genius in the way the golf course is designed. There is some volatility in terms of the hazard. That provides a lot of volatility for how the golf course can play, especially in high wind.

“It doesn't suit one type of player,” he said. “It’s not a horses-for-courses-type place. It’s just the guys that are playing the best are going to be on the leaderboard on Sunday.”

That sounds simple enough, thought that requires a view of Perks in 2002. He played great that week — turns out it was his only PGA Tour victory — but had to chip in for eagle from the edge of the 16th green, hole a long birdie putt on the 17th and then chip in for par on the 18th.

Simple.

If the island green at the par-3 17th, or water in play on all but a handful of holes isn't enough, the PGA Tour restored the tree that hung sideways over the tee box on No. 6 that frames the shot and gives players one more thing to think about.

“I certainly have to hit it a little lower than my preferred launch window,” Rory McIlroy said.

McIlroy won in 2019 and he has three other top-10 finishes. He also has missed the cut seven times, keeping in form of other past champions.

“You just have to be so on your game here,” McIlroy said. “I think that’s the main key. It’s such a course on execution, and if you’re not executing like 100 percent, you leave yourself in spots where it’s really tough to get up-and-down. You have to hit the ball where you’re looking, and if you can do that, you can do well here.

“It's one of the best tests of the year, for sure.”

Among the newcomers this year is Laurie Canter of England, who got plenty of attention Wednesday during the first-timer interviews because he spent parts of three years cashing in at Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

Canter was an alternate who was never in trouble with the European tour because he had limited status. And then he played beautifully enough to work his way into the top 50 in the world, the final push a runner-up finish in the South African Open.

Six others have won for the first time in the last year, three of them in 2025 — Brian Campbell (Mexico), Joe Highsmith (PGA National) and Karl Vilips (Puerto Rico).

Scheffler has a chance to join Jack Nicklaus as the only three-time winners of The Players Championship. Nicklaus won his three before it moved to the TPC Sawgrass in 1982.

The Masters champion is still waiting to hit his stride after sitting out all of January with a hand injury from trying to cut ravioli with a wine glass.

But he has been on an amazing run, capped off by his nine-win season in 2025, winning back-to-back at The Players and building such a big lead at No. 1 in the world that he is assured of being atop the ranking for two straight years. No one except Woods has done that.

“Scottie is the closest thing to Tiger I think any of us have seen,” Wyndham Clark said. “He not only is the No. 1 player in the world, he embraces it, and he shows up every week and almost wins or is in contention or does win. It’s very impressive.

“I think he’s kind of the mark we’re all trying to get to, and I have nothing but respect for everything that Scottie is doing, and I love that it doesn’t affect him,” Clark said. “It hasn’t gone to his head. He just continues to be Scottie and goes about his way.”

This story has been corrected. An earlier version reported incorrectly that 24 players were making their debut instead of 25.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Aaron Rai, of England, hits from the sand trap on the 15th green during a practice round of The Players Championship golf tournament Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, speaks to the media before a practice round of The Players Championship golf tournament Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, flips his club to his caddie after putting on the 11th hole during a practice round of The Players Championship golf tournament Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Justin Thomas chips onto the 11th green during a practice round of The Players Championship golf tournament Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tommy Fleetwood, of England, blasts from the sand on the 15th hole during a practice round of The Players Championship golf tournament Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Scottie Scheffler tees off on the sixth hole during a practice round at The Players Championship golf tournament Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves in a familiar spot.

Monday night's wild-card playoff game against Houston was close through three quarters, but Sheldon Rankins’ 33-yard fumble return for a touchdown allowed the Texans and their top-ranked defense to break it open and beat the Steelers 30-6.

“Certainly a disappointing end to our season,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got to give Houston a lot of credit, in particular their defensive unit. I thought they ruled the day.”

Tomlin and the Steelers lost their seventh straight playoff game. It’s the longest active postseason losing streak in the league, and Tomlin matched Marvin Lewis of the Bengals for the longest playoff skid by an NFL coach.

The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since beating Kansas City in the 2016 divisional round, and whether Tomlin will be back for a 20th season in Pittsburgh is once again an open question — one that Tomlin declined to address in the aftermath of the loss.

“I’m not in the big-picture perspective,” Tomlin said. “I’m just not in that mindset. I don’t think about the totality of it. You pour everything that you have into these performances and what goes on tonight.”

Pittsburgh lost a scheduled Monday night home game for the first time since Oct. 14, 1991, to the New York Giants. The Steelers were unbeaten in their past 23 such games.

Aaron Rodgers threw for 146 yards and the Steelers were limited to 175 yards of total offense. Calen Bullock scored Houston’s second defensive touchdown of the fourth quarter with a 50-yard pick-6 on what may have been the final throw of Rodgers’ 21-year career. The four-time MVP plans to take time before deciding whether to return for another season.

“I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said. “I’m disappointed. It was such a fun year. Obviously, a lot of adversity, but a lot of fun.”

The Steelers forced Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud into a number of mistakes throughout the first three quarters. Stroud fumbled five times — he lost two of them — and threw an interception, but the Steelers couldn't manage a single touchdown.

Houston led 10-6 when Will Anderson Jr. sacked Rodgers, and Rankins picked up the ball and returned it to the end zone.

“I didn’t feel like we ever got the momentum on our side, honestly,” Rodgers said. “We had a lot of chances. Defense played really good in the first half. (Houston) has a good defense. But we had a lot of opportunities.”

A week earlier, Rodgers threw for a season-high 294 yards and the Steelers rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Baltimore Ravens and win their eighth AFC North title under Tomlin.

On Monday night, the home crowd booed Tomlin and the Steelers off the field, and chants for his firing could be heard in the final minutes.

“I don’t really care about that noise because they don’t know what (Tomlin) puts into this,” veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward said. “They don’t know how he goes out of his way to prepare every man. They don’t know about the countless nights he is in there studying film. Coaches can only do so much. Players have to play better and in those critical moments, they have to step up.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) leaves the field after an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Houston Texans, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reacts after a Houston Texans touchdown during the second half of NFL wild-card playoff football game, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)