The run of majors on PGA TOUR Champions continues with the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. The field is loaded for the fourth playing of the event at Firestone. Retief Goosen won in 2019, Jerry Kelly won in 2020 and Steve Stricker is the defending champion from 2021. All three are in the field this year. The Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS dates all the way back to 1983 when Miller Barber won in Beechwood, Ohio, with Arnold Palmer wining the next two years. Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus all won in the early years of the event. The winner of the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS earns a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship on the PGA TOUR next March at TPC Sawgrass.

Here are five players to watch.

1. Steve Stricker

Always an intriguing watch when he competes on PGA TOUR Champions. Since his return from illness in early May, he’s been amazing. He won the Regions Tradition and had two runner-up finishes in six starts. Most recently, he caught Padraig Harrington at the U.S. Senior Open Championship. He’s talked about still trying to get his body 100 percent fit for consistent competition since his return. If he’s healthy, he’s got to be a favorite to win. Last year at Firestone, Stricker opened with a ridiculous bogey-free 63 and then cruised to victory. This event means a lot to Stricker in particular because of the carrot at the end. He still enjoys playing on the PGA TOUR and the winner at Firestone will tee it up at the Stadium course next year.

2. Steven Alker

Didn’t finish in the top 10 at the U.S. Senior Open. He’s become such a force that the previous sentence is somewhat of a shock. He came close though with a T11. Alker has eight top 10 finishes and three wins in 11 starts this season and remains by far No. 1 on the Schwab Cup standings. This will be his first Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS. Remember, he didn’t make his PGA TOUR Champions debut until late August last year at the Boeing Classic when he Monday qualified. Alker already has a major title this season at the Senior PGA Championship. The New Zealander is plenty long enough to score at Firestone Country Club. He ranks 18th in driving distance and leads PGA TOUR Champions in eagles, birdie average and scoring average.

3. Jerry Kelly

Kelly won in 2020 and is coming off a T7 at the U.S. Senior Open so he deserves to be on this list. Kelly made a now famous ace on the 12th hole at Firestone Country Club that propelled him to victory two years ago. Also, don’t forget that he finished 2nd last year in Akron to his longtime friend Steve Stricker. Kelly is playing as well as he has all year right now. He won the Principal Charity Classic, finished T3 at his hometown event in Madison and then a T7 at the U.S. Senior Open. Before this stretch, he hadn’t hit his groove. He was 14th on the Schwab Cup standings and is now all the way up to No. 6. With a win at Firestone, he’d move into serious pursuit of Steven Alker for the Schwab Cup.

4. Justin Leonard

Leonard will make his PGA TOUR Champions debut at a really difficult golf course. The winning scores the last three years are 7-under, 3-under and 6-under par. Only two players have finished the tournament under par in each of the last two Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS. All this to say, it won’t be an easy spot to make his debut. The 12-time PGA TOUR winner and major champion (1997 Open Championship) hasn’t played on the PGA TOUR regularly since 2016. He did play in the AT&T Byron Nelson back in May of this year (72-71, MC). Leonard is the latest big name to join PGA TOUR Champions the last three years. He’ll definitely get a lot of attention and it will be exciting to see how his game stacks up.

5. Ernie Els

Finished T5 at the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS in 2020 and solo fifth in 2021. It’s definitely a spot that suits The Big Easy. He played at Firestone 19 times while on the PGA TOUR and had a pair of top 10 finishes. Els has five top 10 finishes this season in 12 starts but hasn’t picked up a victory yet. He ranks 10th on the Schwab Cup standings.