Kim Si-woo has been named the top favorite to win the PGA Tour Players Championship by Golf Channel, the U.S. golf media outlet.
Golf Channel released its power rankings of 123 players competing in this year's Players Championship on Tuesday. Kim topped the list, ahead of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 2 Rory McIlroy. "2017 champion Kim Si-woo has only finished in the top 10 twice since then, but his early-season form has been exceptional," the outlet said.
Kim set the record as the youngest winner in Players Championship history in 2017 at age 21. The tournament is often called "the fifth major." He finished ninth in 2021 and sixth in 2024. Kim has been in strong form this season, recording three top-10 finishes in seven PGA Tour events, including a runner-up and a third-place finish. He tied for 13th at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Golf Channel ranked Collin Morikawa second, followed by Scheffler and McIlroy in third and fourth. Scheffler won the tournament in 2023 and 2024, while McIlroy claimed the trophy last year. Australian Min Woo Lee, a Korean-Australian player, ranked fifth. Kim also placed third in the PGA Tour's official power rankings for the event, behind Morikawa and Ludvig Åberg of Sweden.
This year's Players Championship runs from Wednesday through Saturday at TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course (par 72) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The total purse is $25 million. Korean players competing include Kim Si-woo, Im Sung-jae, and Kim Seong-hyeon.