All of the PGA TOUR’s best are once again set to tee it up at THE PLAYERS Championship – a major start to springtime.
Rory McIlroy is set to defend his title – his second-career triumph at THE PLAYERS – after winning in a playoff in 2025. He’ll look to tilt the trophy against a field of 123 golfers teeing it up at TPC Sawgrass in 2026.
It’s the 52nd playing of THE PLAYERS and per usual, the field is chock-full of top-ranked superstars, up-and-coming rookies and proven champions looking to add their name for the first time – or again – to the list of winners.
WHO IS PLAYING?
Three FedExCup champions, Scottie Scheffler (2024), Justin Thomas (2017) and Tommy Fleetwood (2025), will take on TPC Sawgrass together in a Featured Group for THE PLAYERS Championship’s first two rounds.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy, along with Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama, make up a second Featured Group announced for Thursday and Friday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
McIlroy, who withdrew prior to his third-round tee time at Bay Hill Club & Lodge due to a back injury, returns to Pete Dye’s Stadium Course as defending champion after claiming his second THE PLAYERS trophy a year ago in a three-hole Monday playoff against J.J. Spaun. Schauffele has yet to win at TPC Sawgrass but has earned two runner-up finishes (2018, 2024), while Matsuyama’s best finish came in 2023, when a flurry of final-round birdies moved the Japanese star to fifth on the final leaderboard.
Scheffler heads to TPC Sawgrass like McIlroy, looking to claim a third THE PLAYERS title and tie Jack Nicklaus’ record for most wins. The world No. 1 has had a mixed 2026 so far, with a win at The American Express, but also some uncharacteristic over-par opening rounds that have left even the best in the world too far back come Sunday afternoons.
Former THE PLAYERS champion Thomas made a much-welcomed return to golf, having missed almost six months after undergoing microdiscectomy surgery last year. The 32-year-old struggled to shake off the rust at Bay Hill, but will work off good memories at TPC Sawgrass after winning the Tiffany trophy in 2021. Fleetwood, who made his PGA TOUR breakthrough on the biggest of stages last year at the TOUR Championship, enters THE PLAYERS as the current FedExCup champion.
TEE TIMES (GST – Gulf Standard Time)
Round 1: No. 1 tee | Round 2: No. 10 tee (GST)
3:40 p.m., 8:30 p.m.: Mark Hubbard, Thorbjørn Olesen, Mac Meissner
3:52 p.m., 8:42 p.m.: Bud Cauley, Vince Whaley, Chandler Phillips
4:04 p.m., 8:54 p.m.: Emiliano Grillo, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Max Greyserman
4:16 p.m., 9:06 p.m.: Kevin Yu, Cam Davis, Gary Woodland
4:28 p.m., 9:18 p.m.: Ricky Castillo, Ryan Gerard, Patrick Cantlay
4:40 p.m., 9:30 p.m.: Adam Schenk, Garrick Higgo, Matt McCarty
4:52 p.m., 9:42 p.m.: Brian Harman, Maverick McNealy, Davis Riley
5:04 p.m., 9:54 p.m.: Sami Valimaki, Lucas Glover, Matt Fitzpatrick
5:16 p.m., 10:06 p.m.: Michael Brennan, Harris English, J.T. Poston
5:28 p.m., 10:18 p.m.: Haotong Li, Zecheng Dou, Jordan Smith
Round 1: No. 10 tee | Round 2: No. 1 tee (GST)
3:40 p.m., 8:30 p.m.: Mackenzie Hughes, Eric Cole, Rico Hoey
3:52 p.m., 8:42 p.m.: Max Homa, Daniel Berger, Michael Thorbjornsen
4:04 p.m., 8:54 p.m.: Rasmus Højgaard, Danny Walker, Kristoffer Reitan
4:16 p.m., 9:06 p.m.: Jhonattan Vegas, Taylor Pendrith, Alex Noren
4:28 p.m., 9:18 p.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau
4:40 p.m., 9:30 p.m.: Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Åberg, Si Woo Kim
4:52 p.m., 9:42 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas
5:04 p.m., 9:54 p.m.: Viktor Hovland, Russell Henley, Robert MacIntyre
5:16 p.m., 10:06 p.m.: Aldrich Potgieter, Jake Knapp, Sungjae Im
5:28 p.m., 10:18 p.m.: Patton Kizzire, Seamus Power, Johnny Keefer
Round 1: No. 1 tee | Round 2: No. 10 tee (GST)
8:30 p.m., 3:40 p.m.: Lee Hodges, Andrew Putnam, Sam Stevens
8:42 p.m., 3:52 p.m.: Erik van Rooyen, Keith Mitchell, Michael Kim
8:54 p.m., 4:04 p.m.: Taylor Moore, Joel Dahmen, Ryo Hisatsune
9:06 p.m., 4:16 p.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Ben Griffin, Adam Scott
9:18 p.m., 4:28 p.m.: J.J. Spaun, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry
9:30 p.m., 4:40 p.m.: Sahith Theegala, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth
9:42 p.m., 4:52 p.m.: Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama
9:54 p.m., 5:04 p.m.: Chris Gotterup, Justin Rose, Min Woo Lee
10:06 p.m., 5:16 p.m.: Brian Campbell, Karl Vilips, Aaron Rai
10:18 p.m., 5:28 p.m.: Matti Schmid, Max McGreevy, Takumi Kanaya
10:30 p.m., 5:40 p.m.: Zach Bauchou, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, A.J. Ewart
Round 1: No. 10 tee | Round 2: No. 1 tee (GST)
8:30 p.m., 3:40 p.m.: Tom Hoge, Denny McCarthy, Nicolai Højgaard
8:42 p.m., 3:52 p.m.: Patrick Rodgers, Kevin Roy, Marco Penge
8:54 p.m., 4:04 p.m.: Chad Ramey, Alex Smalley, Pierceson Coody
9:06 p.m., 4:16 p.m.: Kurt Kitayama, Harry Hall, Stephan Jaeger
9:18 p.m., 4:28 p.m.: Keegan Bradley, Ryan Fox, Chris Kirk
9:30 p.m., 4:40 p.m.: Andrew Novak, Nick Taylor, Wyndham Clark
9:42 p.m., 4:52 p.m.: Steven Fisk, William Mouw, Joe Highsmith
9:54 p.m., 5:04 p.m.: Cameron Young, Davis Thompson, Sam Burns
10:06 p.m., 5:16 p.m.: Nico Echavarria, Jason Day, Corey Conners
10:18 p.m., 5:28 p.m.: Matthieu Pavon, S.H. Kim, Austin Smotherman
HOW TO WATCH THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Streaming App: The Starzplay app is the primary streaming service for the PGA Tour in the UAE and MENA region.
TV Channel: The GolfLife channel, found on eLife IPTV and Switch TV, provides live coverage of the tournament.
Here’s the prize money payout at the 2026 Players Championship
PREVIOUS WINNERS
YEAR – CHAMPION – SCORE – EARNINGS
2025 Rory McIlroy 274 (-12) $4,500,000
2024 Scottie Scheffler 266 (-20) $4,500,000
2023 Scottie Scheffler 271 (-17) $4,500,000
2022 Cameron Smith 275 (-13) $3,600,000
2021 Justin Thomas 274 (-14) $2,700,000
2020 No event (pandemic) N/A N/A
2019 Rory McIlroy 272 (-16) $2,250,000
2018 Webb Simpson 270 (-18) $1,980,000
2017 Si-woo Kim 278 (-10) $1,890,000
2016 Jason Day 273 (-15) $1,890,000
2015 Rickie Fowler 276 (-12) $1,800,000
2014 Martin Kaymer 275 (-13) $1,800,000
2013 Tiger Woods 275 (-13) $1,710,000
2012 Matt Kuchar 275 (-13) $1,710,000
2011 K.J. Choi 275 (-13) $1,710,000
2010 Tim Clark 272 (-16) $1,710,000
2009 Henrik Stenson 276 (-12) $1,710,000
2008 Sergio Garcia 283 (-5) $1,170,000
2007 Phil Mickelson 277 (-11) $1,620,000
2006 Stephen Ames 274 (-14) $1,440,000
2005 Fred Funk 279 (-9) $1,440,000
2004 Adam Scott 276 (-12) $1,440,000
2003 Davis Love III 271 (-17) $1,440,000
2002 Craig Perks 280 (-8) $1,080,000
2001 Tiger Woods 274 (-14) $1,080,000
2000 Hal Sutton 278 (-10) $1,080,000
1999 David Duval 285 (-3) $900,000
1998 Justin Leonard 278 (-10) $720,000
1997 Steve Elkington 272 (-16) $630,000
1996 Fred Couples 270 (-18) $630,000
1995 Lee Janzen 283 (-5) $540,000
1994 Greg Norman 264 (-24) $450,000
1993 Nick Price 270 (-18) $450,000
1992 Davis Love III 273 (-15) $324,000
1991 Steve Elkington 276 (-12) $288,000
1990 Jodie Mudd 278 (-10) $270,000
1989 Tom Kite 279 (-9) $243,000
1988 Mark McCumber 273 (-15) $225,000
1987 Sandy Lyle 274 (-14) $180,000
1986 John Mahaffey 275 (-13) $162,000
1985 Calvin Peete 274 (-14) $162,000
1984 Fred Couples 277 (-11) $144,000
1983 Hal Sutton 283 (-5) $126,000
1982 Jerry Pate 280 (-8) $90,000
1981 Raymond Floyd 285 (-3) $72,000
1980 Lee Trevino 278 (-10) $72,000
1979 Lanny Wadkins 283 (-5) $72,000
1978 Jack Nicklaus 289 (+1) $60,000
1977 Mark Hayes 289 (+1) $60,000
1976 Jack Nicklaus 269 (-19) $60,000
1975 Al Geiberger 270 (-10) $50,000
1974 Jack Nicklaus 272 (-16) $50,000
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Main Image: Jared C. Tilton
