Players Championship 2022: Tee Times, Pairings and Predictions for Friday
The Players Championship, one of the biggest events of the golf season, kicked off Thursday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and things certainly didn't go according to plan thanks to heavy rain and high winds.
The start of Thursday's opening round was delayed for about an hour because of overnight rain, and play was suspended again at 11 a.m. ET on account of "dangerous weather in the area." The second delay lasted more than four hours, and play didn't resume until 3:14 p.m. ET.
It was smooth sailing after that until another suspension at 6:36 p.m. ET, this time due to darkness, which concluded the first day of play. Three players from the morning wave were unable to complete the first round, including Hank Lebioda, Henrik Norlander and Taylor Pendrith. None of the players from the afternoon wave completed the first round.
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Despite the delays, Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge impressed on Thursday, finishing six under par to lead the first round. Kramer Hickok, Joaquin Niemann, Keith Mitchell and Anirban Lahiri are tied for third at five under par.
Considering many players were unable to complete the first round Thursday, they'll pick up where they left off Friday before the second round kicks off.
Players Championship Round 1 Tee Times and Pairings for Friday
First Hole
7:15 a.m. ET: Charl Schwartzel, Denny McCarthy, Tyler McCumber
7:26 a.m. ET: Brendan Steele, Emiliano Grillo, Matthew NeSmith
10th Hole
7:15 a.m. ET: Troy Merritt, Scott Stallings, Doug Ghim
7:26 a.m. ET: Joseph Bramlett, Stephan Jaeger, Sahith Theegala
Players Championship Round 2 Tee Times and Pairings for Friday
As previously mentioned, Round 2 will start later than expected Friday, with the remaining Round 1 group set to kick off the day's action. The PGA Tour has not announced a specific time for the start of Round 2 but noted it will begin between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET.
Chris Kirk, Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick will begin the second round on the first hole, while Brian Stuard, Harry Higgs and Brandon Hagy will get the start on the 10th hole.
*For a complete list of tee times, click here.
Round 2 Predictions
Will Zalatoris, Jon Rahm Make Push for Lead
Zalatoris is currently tied for 11th place after shooting three under par Thursday. He got off to a hot start before the weather delay, finishing the front nine with four birdies and one bogey to sit among the top competitors.
His performance on the back nine wasn't nearly as good, though, as he sank just two birdies and double-bogeyed.
If Zalatoris can piece together a similar early run in Round 2 and be more consistent on the back nine, he could challenge Fleetwood for the lead Friday. The 25-year-old is still searching for his first win on the PGA Tour, and what better way to do it than at TPC Sawgrass.
As for Rahm, he also is tied for 11th place, finishing with five birdies and two bogeys through 18 holes. He performed slightly better on the back nine, but it wasn't enough to propel him up the leaderboard.
Rahm entered the tournament as one of the favorites to win, and if he can position himself among the leaders Friday, he'll be well on his way to capturing his first victory since the 2021 U.S. Open.
Friday's action won't see much relief from the weather, however, which could lead to more delays and inconsistent play. According to the National Weather Service, Ponte Vedra Beach is in for more showers and thunderstorms throughout the day.
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