Players Championship 2017: Tee Times, Date, TV Schedule and Prize Money

While it's not technically a major, the Players Championship remains one of the biggest events of the year.

Most of the top stars in the world will compete for the hefty purse, including world No. 1 Dustin Johnson and defending champion Jason Day. Masters winner Sergio Garcia is also set to make his first appearance since winning the green jacket.

The loaded field is certain to create some exciting drama throughout the four days on one of the most iconic courses in the world.

The Players Championship

When: May 11-14

Where: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Total Purse: $10,500,000

FedEx Cup Points: 600

TV Schedule: 

• Thursday, May 11: 1-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
• Friday, May 12: 1-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
• Saturday, May 13: 2-7 p.m. ET (NBC)
• Sunday, May 14: 2-7 p.m. ET (NBC)

Time (ET)	Tee	Players
8:05 a.m.	10	Jimmy Walker	Zach Johnson	Paul Casey
8:16 a.m.	10	Rickie Fowler	Henrik Stenson	Jason Day
8:27 a.m.	10	Jordan Spieth	Hideki Matsuyama	Phil Mickelson
1:19 p.m.	1	Patrick Reed	Bubba Watson	Brooks Koepka
1:30 p.m.	1	Jon Rahm	Justin Rose	Martin Kaymer
1:41 p.m.	1	Sergio Garcia	Adam Scott	Matt Kuchar
1:52 p.m.	1	Dustin Johnson	Justin Thomas	Rory McIlroy

Top Pairings

Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson, Jason Day

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

While Day is the defending champion at this event, he knows that winning again will not be easy.

"I'm definitely looking forward to coming back here and defending," Day said, per Laura Livsey of Golf.org. "It's going to be a tough competition trying to beat these guys."

Even getting a low score among his group will not be easy. Both Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson have won this tournament before and have had plenty of success in events of this nature in the past.

Day has also struggled recently, only earning one top-10 finish in eight starts this season. He barely made the cut at the Masters after starting with a 74 and 76 in the first two days. In fact, his last win was one year ago at Sawgrass.

While the Australian has as much talent as nearly anyone in the world, he will need to improve his current level of play to be able to compete against the rest of those in the tournament.

Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Phil Mickelson

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

This might be a surprise to some casual fans, but Hideki Matsuyama is the highest ranked player in this group.

Matsuyama is the No. 4 player in the world and has been one of the top players on tour this year, winning three tournaments, including the unofficial Hero World Challenge. He also has two second-place finishes and finished tied for 11th at the Masters.

With his driving ability and knack for picking up birdies, the Japanese star could be a serious threat this week.

Meanwhile, Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson have the star power to likely make this one of the most-watched threesomes on the first two days.

Mickelson has been consistent this year but not great. He hasn't missed a single cut, but only has one top 10 in his last nine stroke-play events. Still, a strong finish at the Wells Fargo Championship should help him stay in contention.

As for Spieth, there are few better on tour when he is on top of his game, which makes him a consistent challenger at big events like this one.

Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy

Eric Gay/Associated Press

One of the top stories at this tournament will be the play of Johnson.

The No. 1 player in the world had three wins in a row heading into the Masters, but a back injury as a result of a freak accident forced him to withdraw. Over a month later, he returned to the Wells Fargo Championship and finished in a tie for second place.

He carded consecutive rounds of 67 to close out his tournament.

The PGA Tour account also noted how impressive he has been over the course of the season:

Injury aside, Johnson is clearly the favorite to win the top prize at this event.

If someone is going to challenge him, though, it could come from this group. Rory McIlroy recently moved up to the No. 2 spot in the world rankings and has been outstanding on U.S. soil this season. Justin Thomas has slowed a bit from his hot start, but he remains No. 2 in the FedEx Cup rankings with three wins on the year.

These three long hitters should all be able to succeed on a relatively short course.