The PGA Tour's best have made their way to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, for the 2026 Players Championship, the most significant event ahead of major championship competition. The Tour's flagship event always seems to deliver drama thanks to the unique test of TPC Sawgrass, and The Players has produced a tremendous list of recent winners, including the top two players in the world currently.
Rory McIlroy enters as the reigning champion after winning in a playoff over J.J. Spaun, adding a second Players title to his résumé; however, his status for the week is up in the air due to lingering back spasms. Scottie Scheffler also has a pair of Players Championships, winning back-to-back at Sawgrass in 2023-24. Those two are trying to join Jack Nicklaus as the only three-time winners at The Players, but they'll face stiff competition from a group of contenders that seems to be growing by the week.
This season has seen some resurgent veterans and emerging young stars rise to the top of the game, and the result is a field deep with talented players that seem capable of winning at the Tour's biggest events.
Collin Morikawa is third on the odds sheet this week after winning at Pebble Beach and keeping his strong play going with top 10 finishes at the next two signature events. Chris Gotterup has cooled off a bit since his red-hot start, but he's still the only two-time winner on the PGA Tour this season. Akshay Bhatia, like Morikawa, was a frequent loiterer near the top of the leaderboard in big events this year and finally cashed in with a win last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Other names to watch throughout the week include Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, Min Woo Lee and Ludvig Åberg, who have each flashed at times from the end of 2025 into early 2026.
With so many players seemingly rounding into top form -- amid questions lingering about Scheffler coming off a rough start at Bay Hill and McIlroy withdrawing last week with back spasms -- the 2026 Players is setting up to be a fascinating tournament.
Here's how you can watch all of the action this week at TPC Sawgrass as the PGA Tour's best battle it out for the biggest purse in golf.
Round 1 - Thursday, March 12
Round 1 start time: 7:30 a.m. [Tee times]
TV coverage: 1-7 p.m. on Golf Channel
Live streams: 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on PGA Tour Live
Radio: 12-7 p.m. -- PGA Tour Radio
Round 2 - Friday, March 13
Round 2 start time: 7:30 a.m.
Round 3 - Saturday, March 14
Round 3 start time: 8 a.m.
Live TV coverage: 2-7 p.m. on NBCTV simulcast live stream: 2-7 p.m. on Peacock
Live streams: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on PGA Tour Live
Radio: 1-7 p.m. -- PGA Tour Radio
Round 4 - Sunday, March 15
Round 4 start time: 7:30 a.m.
TV coverage: 1-6 p.m. on NBCTV simulcast live stream: 1-6 p.m. on Peacock
Live streams: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on PGA Tour Live
