John Mahaffey shot 71 in the final round for 275 (−13) and the win, one stroke ahead of runner-up Larry Mize, the 54-hole leader.
[2][3][4] Calvin Peete missed the 36-hole cut by two strokes, the first time a participating defending champion did not play the weekend.
This was the fifth Tournament Players Championship held at the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course and it remained at 6,857 yards (6,270 m).
Top 125 players, if PGA Tour members, from final 1985 Official Money List: Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins, Calvin Peete, Jim Thorpe, Raymond Floyd, Corey Pavin, Hal Sutton, Roger Maltbie, John Mahaffey, Mark O'Meara, Craig Stadler, Joey Sindelar, Bernhard Langer, Tom Kite, Fuzzy Zoeller, Hubert Green, Larry Mize, Tom Watson, Payne Stewart, Mac O'Grady, George Burns, Wayne Levi, Peter Jacobsen, Andy North, Danny Edwards, Dan Pohl, Phil Blackmar, Bill Glasson, Larry Rinker, Hale Irwin, Mark McCumber, Andy Bean, Jodie Mudd, Scott Hoch, Mark Wiebe, Billy Kratzert, Fred Couples, Scott Simpson, Mike Reid, Wayne Grady, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Tim Simpson, Bob Tway, Don Pooley, Willie Wood, D. A. Weibring, Bob Eastwood, Ken Green, Dan Forsman, Larry Nelson, Ron Streck, Lee Trevino, Woody Blackburn, Doug Tewell, Bruce Lietzke, Keith Fergus, Brett Upper, Gil Morgan, Clarence Rose, Johnny Miller, Dave Barr, Tony Sills, Buddy Gardner, Gary Koch, Jay Haas, David Frost, Ed Fiori, Mark Lye, Dan Halldorson, George Archer, Gary Hallberg, Lon Hinkle, Donnie Hammond, Jeff Sluman, Bob Murphy, Nick Price, Bob Lohr, Howard Twitty, Loren Roberts, Isao Aoki, Mike Donald, Steve Pate, Russ Cochran, Jim Colbert, Pat McGowan, Bobby Wadkins, Tim Norris, Barry Jaeckel, Paul Azinger, Bobby Clampett, David Ogrin, Morris Hatalsky, Chip Beck, TC Chen, Andrew Magee, Brad Fabel, David Graham, Richard Zokol, Frank Conner, J. C. Snead, Jim Simons, John Cook, Joe Inman, Mark Hayes, Ronnie Black, Chris Perry, Kikuo Arai, Ken Brown, Rex Caldwell, Bill Sander, Mark Pfeil, Nick Faldo, Pat Lindsey, Tom Purtzer, Lennie Clements, Gene Sauers, Leonard Thompson, Bob Gilder, Brad Faxon, Jay Delsing Source:[5] 2.
The three players, not otherwise eligible, designated by the TPC Committee as "special selections" Dick Mast, Tsuneyuki Nakajima, Arnold Palmer 7.