The Players Championship is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It began in 1974. The Players Championship at one point offered the highest purse of any tournament in golf.

The field usually includes the top 50 players in the world rankings, but unlike the major championships and World Golf Championships events, it is owned by the PGA Tour and not an official event on other tours.

Despite not being a major, it has been promoted as such by the tour, dubbed the fifth major, and is often regarded as the next most prestigious tournament in golf. This is because of the characteristics it shares with the majors, such as the high class field and its large purse. It also has a renowned host course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

The winner also receives a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, a three-year invitation to the Masters Tournament, three-year exemptions for the US Open and The Open Championship, and an exemption to the next three PGA Championship tournaments starting in 2018.