The Players Championship 2017: Tee times, pairings for Thursday’s round

Although The Players Championship is not an official major, it’s considered one of the biggest golf tournaments of the year due to its stacked field and tradition on the PGA Tour. Featuring the world’s best players and a giant cash prize ($10.5 million purse), The Players is must-see TV for golf fans.

This year’s event begins on Thursday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The first round starts bright and early, with the first golfers teeing off at 7:10 a.m. ET and continuing until the final group at 2:47 p.m. Players are grouped into trios, either teeing from the No. 1 or No. 10 hole depending on their grouping.

With so many world-class golfers in this field, some pairings are more intriguing than others. Perhaps the most stacked group features Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson, and Jason Day starting at 8:16 a.m. All three men are former winners at The Players, with Day looking to repeat as champion after taking home the top prize last year.

Another group to watch begins at 1:52 p.m. and features Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, and Rory McIlroy. Johnson is currently the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, but he was forced to miss the Masters after suffering a back injury at his rental home in Augusta. McIlroy is last year’s FedExCup champion and had a good showing in Augusta, finishing in a tie for seventh. According to OddsShark, Johnson and McIlroy are the top two favorites in this weekend’s tournament.

Golf Channel’s coverage of the first round will start at 1 p.m. ET and run through 7 p.m. Featured Groups coverage can be seen at PGA Tour Live, starting at 7:30 a.m. The weather is supposed to be good through the first two rounds, with soaring temperatures being the only real bother for this event. So we should get through everything the first two days with this full pre-cut field on schedule. Here’s the tee sheet for the opening round at Sawgrass: