Living in Ponte Vedra Beach, Ludvig Aberg is one of the lucky golfers who regularly play at TPC Sawgrass, the home of The Players Championship.
Excitement is building ahead of what is commonly called the year’s fifth major, with a world-class field set to descend on the Florida venue next week.
What’s more, the lead-up to the 2025 edition has been filled with LIV Golf speculation. After Donald Trump met with Jay Monahan at the White House, Golf Channel reporter Rex Hoggard suggested LIV golfers could appear at The Players. However, such an eventuality now feels unlikely, with the event starting in just over a week.
However, a unique piece of history will occur at TPC Sawgrass. Laurie Canter will become the first former LIV star to play a PGA Tour-sanctioned event after jumping into the world’s top 50.
TPC Sawgrass is one of golf’s great venues, and the par-three 17th is one of the most iconic short holes in golf, along with Augusta National’s 12th.
Ludvig Aberg ranks TPC Sawgrass ahead of The Players
Aberg, now a two-time Tour winner, discussed TPC Sawgrass’s standing among the game’s best courses ahead of next week’s showcase event.
“I’ve played it a lot. It’s one of, I mean, for me, it’s a top-5 golf course in the world,” the Swede said during his press conference at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“Tee to green, I think it’s amazing. It’s right in front of you. You have to hit the shots, but if you don’t, you’re going to get punished. This is the type of golf that I really like.
“So I can’t help myself but play it a lot when I’m home. If there’s an advantage, I’m not sure. A lot of guys in the field have played it plenty of times, but it’s a really cool place.”
Ludvig Aberg discusses Players Championship gameplan
Aberg was then asked whether his knowledge of TPC Sawgrass would prove beneficial at The Players.
“I think there’s not a whole lot of secrets to that golf course. I think obviously it’s a stadium golf course, so it’s going to be really cool,” Aberg added.
“I mean, the finish is a great example where you can — not easy, but you can, if you execute the shots, you can finish 3, 2, 3. But if you don’t, you can pretty easily finish six, six, six.
“So that sort of, I guess, challenge is what I like. Yeah, I think having played it a couple times you just know the breaks a little bit more on the greens, you sort of recognize some of the pins and some of the shots that might be a little bit tricky that I didn’t know last time. Yeah, I don’t think necessarily it’s — it’s a pretty straightforward golf course, and there’s not a whole lot of different ways to play it, in my opinion.”
Aberg finished eighth at last year’s Players Championship (14 under) and took home $781,000 in prize money.
How much does it cost to play TPC Sawgrass?
Given his status as one of the world’s best golfers and the financial benefits that come with that, Aberg is able to play Sawgrass frequently.
However, for the average amateur, getting a tee time at the Ponte Vedra Beach venue is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
A morning tee time at the famed Players Championship venue now costs $900, which is one of the industry’s highest prices alongside Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. The rate includes a green fee, cart fee, forecaddie, and a bag of balls to use at the practice range. The suggested tip for the caddie is $40.
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