The Island Awaits ⛳️

03/14/2024

By: Jeff Yoder

50th Anniversary of The Players Championship Brings Golf’s 1st ‘Major’ Test of 2024

Golf’s unofficial fifth major gets ready to tee off today from TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Man, I’m giddy. Though it’s not one of the four official golf majors, it feels like one. Most of the sport’s biggest stars (144 total) are warming up and preparing for the Stadium Course, featuring the 17th Island Green and an unmatched $25 million purse — the largest on the PGA Tour. Since it’s a PGA-owned event, LIV Golf defectors like Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka won’t be in the field.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler wields a hot putter as he aims to defend his title, but no golfer has won back-to-back at TPC Sawgrass in the tournament’s 50-year history. Recent champs also include Cameron Smith (2022), Justin Thomas (2021) and Rory McIlroy (2019). The weather looks pretty clear this weekend with only a few scattered showers on Friday night (post-round) and potentially Sunday afternoon. It’s been a long, six-month wait since golf’s last high-profile event — The Ryder Cup (Sept. 2023) — so let’s tee it up!

The Players Championship Odds (Top-10)

S. Scheffler (+550), R. McIlroy (+1400), X. Schauffele (+2000), V. Hovland (+2500), M. Homa (+2500), J. Thomas (+2500), W. Zalatoris (+2800), P. Cantlay (+2800), C. Morikawa (+2800), L. Aberg (+3500) | Full List of Odds

Round 1 Tee Times (Featured Groups)

8:13 AM: J. Day, S.W. Kim, M. Kuchar

8:24 AM: S. Burns, X. Schauffele, T. Fleetwood

8:35 AM: V. Hovland, R. McIlroy, J. Spieth

8:46 AM: L. Aberg, P. Cantlay, A. Scott

1:29 PM: H. Matsuyama, M. Fitzpatrick, M. Homa

1:40 PM: S. Scheffler, R. Fowler, J. Thomas

1:51 PM: W. Clark, C. Morikawa, B. Harman

2:02 PM: T. Finau, W. Zalatoris, S. Lowry

Coverage begins at 1:00 pm ET (Golf Channel / Peacock)

Golfweek: Scottie Scheffler Says If Fans Are Upset Fields Aren’t Elite, ‘Look at the Guys That Left’

AP: Scheffler is Chasing History in The Players Championship. No One Has Ever Repeated as Champion

Photo: David Cannon / Getty Images