Players Championship 2016 prize money: Richest tournament in golf offers winner more money than ever before
The Players Championship may not boast the renown nor history of golf's four Majors, but in purely monetary terms no tournament is bigger.
Golf's richest event tees off on Thursday with the sport's largest winner's pay cheque of $1.9m (£1.3m) drawn from its largest prize fund of $10.5m.
That marks an increase on Rickie Fowler's winner's prize of $1.8m from a pot of $10m at last year's tournament, making it the most lucrative tournament in golf history.
Sometimes referred to as golf's unofficial "fifth major", the Players' Championship's prestige is also elevated by the five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, three-year exemption for the US Open and Open and an exemption to the US PGA Championship granted to its winner.
Read more: Putting may be a thorny issue for Justin Rose but there's reason to think he can bloom at Sawgrass
Danny Willett earned $1.8m for winning this year's Masters and golf’s three other Majors set aside similar sums for players' payments; the US PGA Championship and US Open both boast of $10m prize money pools while the Open's is slightly narrower at $9.3m.
The Yorkshireman enters the tournament at 17th on the PGA Tour prize money leader board, ahead of world No3 Rory McIlroy but behind No1 Jason Day and No2 Jordan Spieth.
Spieth could retake top spot from Day should he finish above the Australian in third or higher in his first event since letting a commanding lead slip at the Masters last month.