(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 8 - Italy's 2018 British Open champ
Francesco Molinari is gunning for the biggest slice of record
prize money of 20 million dollars at The Players' Championship
at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida this week.
But he will be up against stiff opposition: 47 of the world's
top 50 players including Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Victor
Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy,
winner in 2019.
Turin-born Molinari, Italy's only major winner ever, will play
the first two rounds with America's Cameron Champ and
Australia's Matt Jones.
Defending the title is America's Justin Thomas, eighth in the
world rankings, while Tiger Woods will be missing for the first
time since 1994.
Phil Mickelson, currently under a cloud after his defence of a
Saudi Arabian tournament that led several sponsors to drop him,
will also not feature.
Other absentees include Kevin Na, about to become a father for
the third time, and Rickie Fowler, who won in 2015, while
California's big hitter Bryson DeChambeau has been forced out by
injury. (ANSA).