The PGA Tour's flagship event, The Players Championship, isn’t just one of the most prestigious events in the game, it offers an excellent opportunity for competitors to boost their careers thanks to the additional perks available compared to regular PGA Tour events.
The TPC Sawgrass tournament sits just beneath or, in some cases, level with the four Majors for a range of metrics, including world ranking and FedEx Cup points, while on one, prize money, it even offers more.
Little wonder that golf fans are generally divided on where it sits in golf’s tournament hierarchy, with some feeling it’s already a Major, and others considering it no more than a glorified Signature Event.
While that debate is set to run and run, even without official Major status, one thing is certain: The Players Championship is a big deal for competitors and fans alike.
In the end, Cameron Young was the man who lifted the trophy in 2026, holding off Matt Fitzpatrick by one to win the $4.5m prize money among a host of other benefits.
That meant Fitzpatrick narrowly missed out on making history as the first Englishman to win the tournament.
Despite the disappointment of getting so close only to miss out, Fitzpatrick didn't leave TPC Sawgrass empty-handed, with the perks heading his way still more attractive than those at most other tournaments.
Here’s what Fitzpatrick got for finishing second at the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
Prize Money
Regular PGA Tour events generally offer prize money between around $750,000 and $1m for the runner-up. Meanwhile, the Signature Events and Majors generally offer around $2m for any player finishing solo second.
However, thanks to the enormous overall purse of The Players Championship, which stood at $25m for the fourth consecutive year in 2026, Fitzpatrick earns $2.75m.
That's one of the biggest payouts of his career, with only the $3.15m he won at the 2022 US Open and $3.6m he earned at the 2023 RBC Heritage beating it.
World Ranking Points
Fitzpatrick also benefits from plenty of world ranking points.
Only the Majors offer more points than the TPC Sawgrass event. While The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and The Open hand 100 points to the winner and 60 to the runner-up, at The Players, the winner earns 80, with the runner-up scooping 48.
That compares very favorably even with the PGA Tour Signature events, where the runner-up can expect around 33-34 points.
As a result, Fitzpatrick will see a boost to his world ranking, which stood at 24th at the start of the tournament.
FedEx Cup Points
Throughout the season, players jostle for positions in the FedEx Cup standings, with those in the top 70 after the Wyndham Championship making it to the first of three Playoffs, the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
The good news for those who competed in The Players Championship is that its FedEx Cup points distribution is identical to The Majors.
That means Young amassed 750 points, but Fitzpatrick collected a very handy 500.
That’s the same number that the winners of regular PGA Tour events receive, while it’s 100 more than the player finishing second at the Signature Events gets.
