PGA Tour Brunch | The PLAYERS
First-Round Coverage of the 2026 PLAYERS Championship
By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk
PONTE VEDRA BEACH - Defending champion Rory McIlroy withdrew prior to the third round of last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard with back spasms. He is scheduled to play at The PLAYERS, although on Wednesday, he said he was “taking it hour by hour” and would be a tee-time decision.
The world No. 2 became the eighth multiple winner of THE PLAYERS and first since Scottie Scheffler in 2024 and joined Jack Nicklaus, Scheffler and Tiger Woods as players with two major championship titles and two PLAYERS titles.
McIlroy is seeking to join Jack Nicklaus (1974, 1976, 1978) as the only three-time winners of THE PLAYERS and he would be the first with three victories at TPC Sawgrass (Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Davis Love III, Scottie Scheffler, Hal Sutton, and Tiger Woods all have two).
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is also seeking to join Jack Nicklaus (1974, 1976, 1978) as the only three-time winners of THE PLAYERS, and he, too, could be the first with three victories at TPC Sawgrass (Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Davis Love III, Rory McIlroy, Hal Sutton, Tiger Woods all with two, as noted above).
Scheffler became the first PLAYERS champion to successfully defend his title in 2024. He is making his sixth career PLAYERS appearance and he led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green en route to victory in 2023 and 2024.
Since 2004, 17 PLAYERS Champions finished inside the Top 10 in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green.
Scheffler owns the longest streak of consecutive made cuts on TOUR with 69.
The PLAYERS | Tournament Facts
COURSE: TPC Sawgrass - The PLAYERS Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
YARDS/PAR: 7,352 yards/Par 72
ARCHITECTS: Pete Dye
OVERVIEW: (link)
PRIZE Money - Purse: $25,000,000 with Winner: $4,500,000
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Rory McIlroy
PAST RESULTS: (link)
2025 Results: (link)
FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750
SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @THEPLAYERSChamp
How to Watch: In case of changes, visit: (PGATourCom)
The PLAYERS | The Basics
The Tee Times at TPC Sawgrass will run from 7:40am (ET) to 2:30pm (ET) today.
Weather: Today’s forecast is for mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching 80 degrees. Winds expected at 16 mph with gusts to 22 mph. Despite the sunshine in AM, there’s a 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon (1:00pm-5:00pm)
Tournament Web Site: (link)
FedEx Cup Info: (link)
PGA Tour Brunch will post at 7:30am (EDT) on Friday.
How to Watch |The PLAYERS
Thursday, March 12, 2026 | All Times Eastern Daylight Time
7:30am - 7:00pm - ESPN+ Streaming
12 Noon - 7:00pm - Golf Channel
12 Noon- 7:00pm - PGA Tour Radio on Sirius XM and online at PGATourCom
How to Watch: (link)
The PLAYERS : Field, Update, Tee Times & Leaderboard
The Field: (link)
Updates:
Monday, March 9:
Field expanded from 121 players to 123 to round out threesomes:
Patton Kizzire and Seamus Power added
Tee Times: (link)
Tournament Leaderboard: (link)
What They’re Saying
Horses for the Course at THE PLAYERS (PGATourCom)
Rory is “hour by hour” (ESPN)
Power Rankings for The PLAYERS (PGATourCom)
The PLAYERS: Tee Times and Groupings (CBS Sports)
How to Watch | The PLAYERS (Golf (dot) Com)
Daily Fantasy & Golf Industry News
Expert Picks for The PLAYERS - (PGATourCom)
Open Letter to PGA Tour Fans (PGATourCom)
On This Day in Golf History
March 12, 1978 - Tom Weiskopf withstood a furious charge from Jack Nicklaus and holds on to defeat The Golden Bear by one stroke on a 36-hole final day at the Doral Eastern Open in Miami. Nicklaus fired a “Back 9” 30 with only nine putts with a round that included Eagle chip-ins at Nos 10 and 12. Weiskopf held on in a playoff to win. - Courtesy of Randy Walker, Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE
Parting Putt
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