Players Championship preview, Keegan Bradley’s dilemma

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Justin Thomas’ letter to his fellow Tour members, solutions to the PGA Tour’s pace of play issues and Scottie Scheffler’s return to action.

1. It’s officially Players Championship week, with Scottie Scheffler headlining the field at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course. He’s won the last two years, how bullish are you on a Scottie three-peat?

James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): Bullish!!! The game hasn’t quite been there for Scottie thus far in ‘25, but it looked closer at Bay Hill than at any point since Pebble Beach. The ball-striking is still there, the relentlessness is still there. Now he’s had a month to shake off the rust of the famed Christmas Day Ravioli injury. Call him Spaghetti Scottie in Ponte Vedra — I think he’s hitting it long and straight enough to lock up three-in-a-row.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Few people you can say this about but he’s kinda due, isn’t he? (He last won in December.) He’s been solid this year just hasn’t quite had everything clicking at once. I hope he contends because it’s a great storyline to see unfold next week.

Josh Sens (@joshsens) He’ll rightfully be the favorite – and I expect him to be in the mix–but three in a row is too outlandish to bet on, even for Scheffler, especially on a course that has historically allowed for so many different styles of play.

What’s one storyline you are monitoring at the Players?

Colgan: We have a LIV Golf return!!! Laurie Canter played his way back into major professional golf after leaving for LIV, and played well enough to earn a late invite into the field. As far as I can tell, this is the first time a current or former LIV player will have returned to the fold at a PGA Tour event. I’m intrigued by his performance.

Berhow: Jay Monahan’s annual state of the union presser. Part of me thinks there won’t be much of an update on the state of pro golf’s merger, but another part of me thinks the people deserve some candid answers. This has dragged on long enough. Oh, and the par-5 16th is a hole I like a lot, but it gets overlooked because it precedes the par-3 17th. So I guess I’m excited to watch that and the golf.

Sens: Xander Schauffele does not have a great track record at the Players–not by his standards anyway. He’s just coming off an injury and working on the longest-running cuts-made streak on Tour. I’m curious to see if he keeps that streak alive, and what kind of shape his game is in as we work toward the Masters and the meat of the season.

2. Russell Henley chipped in for eagle on the 16th hole to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational, beating playing partner Collin Morikawa by one. Did Henley win it, or did Morikawa lose it?

Colgan: Henley won it, but man, Morikawa’s gonna be replaying some of those putts down the stretch in his mind on the trip to Jacksonville. I feel for Collin — he’s been one of the three best golfers alive over the last 16 months, and he’s got no wins to show for it.

Berhow: It might be a little bit of both. Morikawa was one over on the back nine and that’s not how you close golf tournaments, especially when you lead by three at the turn. You could argue Henley got lucky with his eagle chip in on 16 (which would have cruised well past the hole if it didn’t hit the flag) but he also had to be aggressive. Plus, after a bogey on 10, he had birdies on 12 and 14 before that eagle. Three under on the back which included two textbook, smart two-putt pars on 17 and 18? Hat tip to Henley.

Sens: Henley won it with some help from the golf gods. No doubt Morikawa could play the woulda-coulda-shoulda game, but I don’t think he’ll dwell for long on that and he’ll go right back to striping it at Sawgrass.  Talk about a good candidate to spoil Scheffler’s attempt at a three-peat.

Also at Bay Hill, Keegan Bradley has his best finish of the season with a tie for fifth. While he’s not yet near Ryder Cup auto-qualifier status, he has said before that as captain, he would give up that gig if he qualified for the team. We still have lots of time left to sort this all out, but if Bradley keeps it up, who would you pick to replace him?

Colgan: Will clear out the obvious selection first: Rick Pitino. In all seriousness, seems clear that Furyk would get first crack at it given his leadership experience, but I sorta love the idea of calling Tiger off the bench to rile up the boys. If not, I’m sure Phil is available.

Berhow: Furyk is already one of the vice captains and seems like the obvious answer due to his experience, especially since whomever might replace Keegan will have less time at the helm. James is right, Tiger would be an awesome fill-in, but he declined this originally because he couldn’t commit as much time as he wanted. So unlikely he’d take on the gig with even less time to plan. Bummer. 

Sens: Do the rules allow Bradley to make himself a captain’s pick? That would be entertaining. Furyk would be the natural substitute, and they could make it official at a press conference where Bradley, doing his best Bugs Bunny, tells Furyk, “I’m captain, and I say YOU’RE captain.”

Phil Mickelson finished third at LIV Hong Kong to record his best LIV finish of his career. Earlier in the week he talked about a new, more conservative strategy, and on Sunday he added: “I really had a great offseason, and I figured some things out. I’m playing a different style of golf.” Could a 54-year-old Mickelson still contend at the Masters?

Colgan: Sure! If anybody over the age of 50 can contend anywhere in the golf world, it’s at Augusta, where golf IQ ranks much higher than ballspeed on the list of necessary traits. But Mickelson’s admission on Saturday that he can no longer “overpower” a golf course was revealing of his psyche into another 50-plus major triumph.

Berhow: Mickelson said he was no longer worried about hitting bombs and was instead focusing on limiting mistakes. I remember him saying years ago he plays Augusta National well because he knows where to miss. That hasn’t changed. He tied for second just two years ago!

Sens: No doubt he could contend. More than anything, though, his comments are a reminder of what makes golf such a mind-bender of a game. Mickelson has been playing golf since he could toddle. He’s won six majors. And he’s still trying to figure things out.

Grab your checkbooks: a $9 million home right on the Old Course just went up for sale in St. Andrews. If you could buy any sort of golf-course-adjacent property in the world, where are you going?

Colgan: Probably that one overlooking Swilcan Bridge. But if not that one, probably one of the homes overlooking the West Course at Royal Melbourne. Be warned, though, if I ever find the money to buy a home like that, you’ll never hear from me again.

Berhow: There’s a course called Anstruther Golf Club 10 miles south of St. Andrews, and its ninth hole is lined by about a dozen houses with their backyards facing the fairway and looking out toward the sea. I played there during The Open in 2022 and remember thinking that, right there, is where I want to live someday. Maybe there’s still a chance.

Sens: There’s a beautiful house on the bluffs just north of Sheep Ranch at Bandon Dunes that has unspoiled views up and down the Oregon coast. I’d take that one. But if the tales I’ve heard are true, the owner there already refused to sell to the resort, so I don’t expect it to go on the market anytime soon.