Players has stacked field minus Woods, defending champ Smith

By The Associated Press

The Players Championship offers the biggest prize in golf for stroke play at $25 million. It just no longer has the strongest field because of players who have been suspended for defecting to LIV Golf. That includes the defending champion, Cameron Smith of Australia. The schedule has largely cleared out to make way for the PGA Tour’s premier event. The European tour is playing in South Africa. The PGA Tour Champions and the Korn Ferry Tour have the week off. So does the LPGA Tour coming off its two-week Asia swing. The winner of The Players gets $4.5 million.