WATCH: Rory McIlroy gives unsolicited swing tip to Scottie Scheffler ahead of The Players Championship

The long-awaited Players Championship is set to begin on March 13, and star players are gearing up to compete in the event. Ahead of the tournament’s first round, Rory McIlroy jokingly gave World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler an unsolicited swing tip to help him play better.

The Players Championship is one of the most prestigious annual tournaments, featuring the top 50 golfers in the world rankings. It was established in 1974 and has been dubbed “the fifth Major” due to its prestigious nature.

This year, the tournament is set to begin at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday. Scottie Scheffler, who is going to compete in the event, took to the greens to practice his swing, and Rory McIlroy was there to witness it.

“Keep doing that Scottie. You’ll be okay,” McIlroy said as he walked past the World No. 1.

Rory McIlroy is a 27-time PGA Tour winner with four Major Championship wins. He won the Masters Tournament in 2022 and the European Tour Race to Dubai in 2024. On the other hand, Scottie Scheffler has 13 PGA Tour wins and two Major Championship victories.

Interestingly, Scheffler has won the Players Championship twice— in 2023 and 2024. He was the first player ever to win the tournament back to back.

In 2023, Scheffler won the Players Championship by five strokes ahead of Tyrrell Hatton. The following year, he won the game one stroke ahead of Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, and Xander Schauffele, who were tied for T2.

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2025 Players Championship prize money breakdown

Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele walk the 10th hole together before the 2025 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass - Source: Getty

This year, the Players Championship has a prize purse of $25 million, the biggest purse in golf. The winner will leave with 18% of the total prize money, which amounts to $4.5 million, and the runner-up will get $2.75 million.

Here’s a breakdown of how much each player will receive in the tournament as per their finish:

• 1: $4,500,000
• 2: $2,725,000
• 3: $1,725,000
• 4: $1,225,000
• 5: $1,025,000
• 6: $906,250
• 7: $843,750
• 8: $781,250
• 9: $731,250
• 10: $681,250
• 11: $631,250
• 12: $581,250
• 13: $531,250
• 14: $481,250
• 15: $456,250
• 16: $431,250
• 17: $406,250
• 18: $381,250
• 19: $356,250
• 20: $331,250
• 21: $306,250
• 22: $281,250
• 23: $261,250
• 24: $241,250
• 25: $221,250
• 26: $201,250
• 27: $193,750
• 28: $186,250
• 29: $178,750
• 30: $171,250
• 31: $163,750
• 32: $156,250
• 33: $148,750
• 34: $142,500
• 35: $136,250
• 36: $130,000
• 37: $123,750
• 38: $118,750
• 39: $113,750
• 40: $108,750
• 41: $103,750
• 42: $98,750
• 43: $93,750
• 44: $88,750
• 45: $83,750
• 46: $78,750
• 47: $73,750
• 48: $69,750
• 49: $66,250
• 50: $64,250
• 51: $62,750
• 52: $61,250
• 53: $60,250
• 54: $59,250
• 55: $58,750
• 56: $58,250
• 57: $57,750
• 58: $57,250
• 59: $56,750
• 60: $56,250
• 61: $55,750
• 62: $55,250
• 63: $54,750
• 64: $54,250
• 65: $53,750
• 66: $53,250
• 67: $52,750
• 68: $52,250
• 69: $51,750
• 70: $51,250
• 71: $50,750
• 72: $50,250
• 73: $49,750
• 74: $49,250
• 75: $48,750
• 76: $48,250
• 77: $47,750
• 78: $47,250
• 79: $46,750
• 80: $46,250
• 81: $45,750
• 82: $45,250