Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Max Homa will be the other Featured Group for the first two days at TPC Sawgrass; Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler can all end the week as world No 1; Watch The Players live throughout the week on Sky Sports Golf
Jon Rahm will go head-to-head with his world No 1 rivals at The Players after being grouped alongside Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler for the first two rounds at TPC Sawgrass.
Rahm arrives at the PGA Tour’s flagship event at the top of the world rankings for the second successive year, with the Spaniard looking to build on an impressive streak that saw him register five victories in a nine-tournament stretch.
The 28-year-old led after the opening day of last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational but faded after back-to-back rounds of 76 at Bay Hill, eventually ending in tied-39th, although remains world No 1 despite posting his worst finish at any worldwide event since the Scottish Open last July.
Ahead of The Players Championship, take a look at some standout stats at TPC Sawgrass and discover what it takes to win one of the toughest tournaments on the PGA Tour.
McIlroy narrowly missed out on a victory that would have taken him above Rahm, ending the week tied-second and a shot behind Kurt Kitayama, while Scheffler also had chance to return to world No 1 but finished in a share of fourth.
“I saw some positive signs,” McIlroy said about his Bay Hill performance. Game’s rounding into form for the bulk of the season. So I’m, even though I didn’t get the win, I’m still pretty happy with how everything went.”
Both McIlroy and Scheffler will have another chance to overtake Rahm this week in Florida, with tournament officials announcing on Sunday evening that the world’s top three will go out as one of the Featured Groups on Thursday and Friday.
McIlroy won The Players in 2019 and is looking to become the first two-time winner of the event since Tiger Woods, while Scheffler is chasing a second victory of the season after securing the WM Phoenix Open last month.
The other Featured Group announced contains 2021 winner Justin Thomas, who is playing alongside three-time major champion Jordan Spieth and Presidents Cup teammate Max Homa for the first two days.
The initial 144-player line-up – announced on Friday – included 43 of the world’s top 50 and all but one of the current top 50 in the FedExCup standings, with all this season’s PGA Tour winners also teeing it up at the $25m event where the champion will earn $4.5m.
A full list of tee times for the first two rounds will be announced in the coming days, with round-the-clock coverage from The Players live throughout the week on Sky Sports Golf.
When is The Players live on Sky?
A special ‘Live from The Players’ show will offer eight hours of live build-up on both Tuesday and Wednesday, while live coverage will begin from Thursday and Friday at 11.30am and following the action from before the opening tee shot until after the close of play.
Iona Stephen is joined by Jamie Spence to examine what makes the 17th at Sawgrass a fascinating hole.
Bonus coverage will be available via the red button for all four tournament rounds, with featured groups and bonus marquee groups there to enjoy every day alongside a special featured holes feed.
The featured holes will also be available for free on the Sky Sports Golf YouTube channel, where you will be able to follow players’ progress on the iconic par-three 17th as well as the third, 12th and par-five 16th.
Extensive weekend coverage starts from approximately 12.45pm on Saturday and 11.45am on Sunday, with the action beginning on the red button before switching to the main channel after the conclusion of the DP World Tour’s Magical Kenya Open at around 2pm.
Shane Lowry became only the tenth player to make an ace at the iconic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass during The Players Championship in 2022, we take a look at all the televised aces on the famous island green.
Key TV times (All on Sky Sports Golf)
Tuesday – 1400-2200 – Live from The Players!
Wednesday – 1400-2200 – Live from The Players!
Thursday – 1130-2330 – The Players LIVE!
Friday – 1130-2330 – The Players LIVE!
Saturday – 1400-2300 – The Players LIVE! (pre-1400 available via the red button)
Sunday – 1400-2200 – The Players LIVE! (pre-1400 available via the red button)
Watch The Players throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Tuesday with the ‘Live from The Players’ show at 2pm, while the opening round is live on Thursday from 11.30am on Sky Sports Golf! Get Sky Sports.