Defending champion Jason Day has revealed he'll replicate the meticulously conservative gameplan that yielded his dominant 2016 Players Championship victory.
The Australian opened the 2016 event with a record-equalling 63 and went wire-to-wire to claim his first win at golf's 'fifth major.'
In a bid to bag his first US PGA Tour victory since bullying TPC Sawgrass en route to a four-shot triumph, the world No.3 believes opting for irons off the tee will boost his chances.
The 29-year-old Day said warm temperatures forecast for the week had given him the green light.
"I'm going to take mostly conservative routes, so hopefully it's as fast and firm as it was last year and we can execute the same gameplan. I averaged 311 yards off the tee while hitting mostly 2-irons," Day told AAP.
While the Queenslander has struggled to a best finish of fifth in 2017 tournaments, surrendering his 47-week reign as world No.1 to Dustin Johnson, Day will look to draw good vibes from his stellar record of three top-10s from six starts at TPC Sawgrass.
Also looking to get his season going is Adam Scott, whose lacklustre results have seen him drop out of the top-10 in the world rankings.
The 36-year-old, who became the youngest Players Championship winner, aged 23 in 2004, said TPC Sawgrass would be a special venue to bag his first win in 14 months.
"To have won the Players twice in a career is a very short list of people and I'd love to be one of them," said Scott, whose win is amongst three top-10s and seven top-25s at the Players.
While Scott and Day remain winless this year, fellow Australians Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman have notched victories on Tour.
The 23-year-old Smith earned his maiden win as a professional at the Zurich Classic two weeks ago, while Leishman's come-from-behind victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March was his first Tour title since 2012.
Victorian native Leishman, 33, says he's feeling fresh after taking three weeks off for the first time in his US career.
"I haven't played since the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head the week after the Masters. I feel refreshed and that's when I usually play my best golf," said Leishman.
Rounding out the Australian assault on TPC Sawgrass is 47-year-old Rod Pampling, who booked his start at the Players courtesy of his Tour win in Las Vegas in November, as well as fellow veterans Greg Chalmers and Aaron Baddeley.
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