The bumper prize pool - of which the winner will receive $3.6 million (£2.7 million/€3.3 million), has been seen as an attempt by the PGA Tour to increase the attractiveness of a tournament it likes to frame as men's golf's "fifth major" and stave off the advances of a potential Saudi-backed rival tour.

It is the highest prize fund of any golf tournament.

For now, the momentum of the so-called Saudi Golf League appears to have stalled, and the PGA Tour will be relieved to see a star-studded field descending on Florida, with many of those players having declared their allegiance to the PGA Tour. 

Justin Thomas is among them, and the world number seven is the defending champion.

Thomas is playing in a group with fellow American Collin Morikawa and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy.

All three are major winners, with seven titles between them.

McIlroy was also the Players Championship winner in 2019.

Another standout group contains Olympic champion Xander Schauffele, four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational last weekend.

All three are American and Scheffler is one of only two players to win two PGA Tour events so far this season.

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, the reigning Masters champion, is the other, and has been partnered with Australian Cameron Smith and Chile's Joaquin Niemann.

Niemann picked up his maiden PGA Tour win last month at the Genesis Invitational, while Smith has also won on the PGA Tour this season.

World number one Jon Rahm from Spain is due to tee it up with Norway's Viktor Hovland - the world number three - and American Patrick Cantlay, who ranks fourth.

Hovland, Cantlay, Morikawa and Scheffler could all replace Rahm as world number one should results go their way.

Only the four majors offer more ranking points than The Players Championship.

The four-round event is due to reach its climax on Sunday (March 13), and players will be wearing yellow and blue ribbons in a show of solidarity with Ukraine.