Players Championship 2012: Golfers Sure to Be in the Hunt on Sunday

The 2012 Players Championship is only a day away and it's setting up to be an exciting event for the PGA Tour.

Several big-name golfers will be at TPC Sawgrass this weekend and it's going to be quite competitive as a result. But there are just some golfers who are certain to be in the running for this major when it's all said and done on Sunday.

Here are some of the best golfers who'll be in the running for first at the Players this year.

Tiger Woods

I'd say Woods is still a big draw no matter how good or bad he's playing.

Tiger is coming off missing only the eighth cut of his prestigious career and while that might not be a great sign, the No. 7 player on the planet still has a win under his belt in 2012 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

I know it's been a rough road for one of the greats of all time, but that still doesn't mean Tiger is going to be buried in obscurity as someone who has no chance at a major.

That would be crazy, simple and plain.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy is beginning to become the player Woods once was. He is the clear-cut best player in the world right now, but that isn't a title that he holds securely yet.

He just replaced Luke Donald at No. 1 again after his second-place results in the Wells Fargo. That could be the momentum McIlroy needs going into a major.

Winning at TPC Sawgrass would only help add to the legend and credibility that is this 23-year-old rising star. With Tiger not being himself lately, McIlroy is the perfect candidate to possibly take the baton and carry the sport as its next dominant golfer.

Rickie Fowler

Orange clothes and all, Fowler found his way to the top of the leaderboards to win the Wells Fargo, beating out McIlroy in the process. It was his first career PGA Tour victory and could be a jumping off point for one of the sport's budding stars.

Nobody will have more momentum than the 23-year-old coming into this event, it just remains to be seen if he can stay within himself and play his game.

I think he's proven he's capable of such things in tight spots and that makes Fowler a perfect candidate to make a run at a major this weekend.

Hunter Mahan

With two wins under his belt in 2012, Mahan is looking to take another shot up the rankings with a major victory at TPC Sawgrass.

He has yet to miss a cut this year and that makes him a perfect candidate to not only be around for the weekend, but be a front-runner to walk away with the Players trophy,

Mahan has a chance to make a statement if he can win this event and finally show that he is in the conversation as one of the sport's best golfers.