The Players Championship 2026: Ludvig Åberg Leads Final Round at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach
The Players Championship is in its final round Sunday, March 15, at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida — golf's unofficial fifth major — with Sweden's Ludvig Åberg chasing the biggest title of his career. The week, however, has been defined by far more than birdies and bogeys.
Where Is The Players Championship Played — TPC Sawgrass and Ponte Vedra Beach
The Players Championship is played at TPC Sawgrass, located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, just south of Jacksonville. The tournament takes place on the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, one of the most recognizable layouts in professional golf, running March 12 through 15, 2026.
The Players Championship carries a $25 million purse, the largest on the PGA Tour schedule. The winner walks away with life-changing money and a massive haul of FedExCup points in a single week.
Christian Barrios: Shooting Near TPC Sawgrass Rocks The Players Championship
The week took a dark turn Friday night when a deadly incident unfolded just outside the Sawgrass golf course. A man shot and killed two people in a drugstore parking lot near TPC Sawgrass and then escaped by going onto the course, leading The Players Championship to delay opening gates to fans as a precaution before the third round Saturday morning.
St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick identified the suspect as Christian Barrios, 32, who shot two people multiple times at about 10:30 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of a Walgreens in what he called a domestic violence situation. The store is located about a mile from TPC Sawgrass.
Christian Barrios fled onto TPC Sawgrass after the shooting, where he was detected by a canine unit that gave chase. Barrios also made contact with course staff via a PGA Tour radio, which he later dropped in his escape attempt. He escaped in a stolen BMW, which he later crashed into the woods after being forced off the road by Nassau County authorities.
Barrios was later charged with two counts of first-degree murder, burglary of an occupied dwelling, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, shooting into a conveyance, and grand theft of a motor vehicle. He was apprehended by police just before 8 a.m. Saturday.
Authorities tracked approximately 27 prior arrests against Barrios, who was on supervised drug offender probation at the time of the shooting. Tournament tee times were not impacted, though gate openings were delayed until 9 a.m. ET and hospitality areas held until 11 a.m. ET.
The Players Championship 2026 Leaderboard: Åberg Leads Final Round
Ludvig Åberg entered Sunday's final round at 13 under par, leading by three strokes. Michael Thorbjornsen sat second at 10 under, with Cameron Young third at 9 under. A crowded group at 8 under included Matt Fitzpatrick, Brian Harman, Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas, Corey Conners, and Xander Schauffele.
Thorbjornsen's morning took a brutal turn early, however, as he carded a quadruple bogey on the par-4 fourth hole after finding the water on his approach shot, dropping four shots and falling well back of the lead.
Åberg entered the final round aiming for the most significant victory of his young career. Should he win, it would be his third PGA Tour title. For Thorbjornsen, before his early collapse, a win would have been his first ever on Tour.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy Battle From Behind at Sawgrass Golf Course
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler posted a bogey-free 67 on Saturday to climb back into contention after narrowly making the cut, emerging from a brief frustrating stretch heading into the final round.
Scheffler teed off in the final round at 11:35 a.m. ET alongside first-round leader Maverick McNealy. Defending champion Rory McIlroy has been battling back spasms throughout the week at Ponte Vedra Beach but is pushing through to close out the tournament.
Leaders Åberg and Thorbjornsen teed off together at 1:40 p.m. ET, with scattered thunderstorms forecast to roll in around 4 p.m. at TPC Sawgrass.
