Players Championship 2017: Tee Times, TV and Live-Stream Schedule for Friday
William McGirt and Mackenzie Hughes set the tone Thursday during the first round of The Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, but there are plenty of contenders.
The fact even par was good enough for a mere tie for 51st place is an indication of just how well the field played during the initial action at what is widely considered golf's unofficial fifth major. Friday promises to bring even more impressive showings as McGirt and Hughes look to hold off the best players on tour.
With that in mind, here is a look at Friday's broadcast schedule, the tee times and what to watch in the second round.
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Friday's Broadcast Schedule
The broadcast information is courtesy the PGA Tour's official website
TV: Golf Channel from 1 p.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET
Live Steam: PGA Tour Live from 7:30 a.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET
Friday Tee Times
Tee times are courtesy of the PGA Tour's official website.
| 7:10 a.m. | 1 | Seung-Yul Noh | Sung Kang | |
| 7:10 a.m. | 10 | Martin Laird | Chez Reavie | Shawn Stefani |
| 7:21 a.m. | 1 | Boo Weekley | Robert Garrigus | David Hearn |
| 7:21 a.m. | 10 | Roberto Castro | Patrick Rodgers | Michael Kim |
| 7:32 a.m. | 1 | Lee Westwood | Patton Kizzire | Andrew Loupe |
| 7:32 a.m. | 10 | Scott Brown | Ross Fisher | Matthew Fitzpatrick |
| 7:43 a.m. | 1 | D.A. Points | Ryan Moore | Chris Kirk |
| 7:43 a.m. | 10 | Danny Willett | Shane Lowry | Bill Haas |
| 7:54 a.m. | 1 | Kevin Chappell | Billy Hurley III | Brian Stuard |
| 7:54 a.m. | 10 | Patrick Reed | Bubba Watson | Brooks Koepka |
| 8:05 a.m. | 1 | Jonas Blixt | Brian Gay | Tyrrell Hatton |
| 8:05 a.m. | 10 | Jon Rahm | Justin Rose | Martin Kaymer |
| 8:16 a.m. | 1 | Danny Lee | Robert Streb | Ben Martin |
| 8:16 a.m. | 10 | Sergio Garcia | Adam Scott | Matt Kuchar |
| 8:27 a.m. | 1 | Russell Henley | Rod Pampling | Kevin Kisner |
| 8:27 a.m. | 10 | Dustin Johnson | Justin Thomas | Rory McIlroy |
| 8:38 a.m. | 1 | Peter Malnati | Webb Simpson | Steve Stricker |
| 8:38 a.m. | 10 | Mackenzie Hughes | Jim Herman | K.J. Choi |
| 8:49 a.m. | 1 | Jason Dufner | Scott Piercy | Alex Cejka |
| 8:49 a.m. | 10 | Charl Schwartzel | Smylie Kaufman | Ernie Els |
| 9 a.m. | 1 | Wesley Bryan | Charley Hoffman | |
| 9 a.m. | 10 | John Huh | Jamie Lovemark | Rafa Cabrera Bello |
| 9:11 a.m. | 1 | Johnson Wagner | Spencer Levin | Luke List |
| 9:11 a.m. | 10 | Freddie Jacobson | Chad Campbell | Ricky Barnes |
| 9:22 a.m. | 1 | Jerry Kelly | Anirban Lahiri | Brett Stegmaier |
| 12:35 p.m. | 1 | Jason Bohn | Daniel Summerhays | Francesco Molinari |
| 12:35 p.m. | 10 | Zac Blair | Tyrone Van Aswegen | Blayne Barber |
| 12:46 p.m. | 1 | Harris English | Bernhard Langer | Derek Fathauer |
| 12:46 p.m. | 10 | Kevin Streelman | Lucas Glover | Louis Oosthuizen |
| 12:57 p.m. | 1 | Bryce Molder | Mark Hubbard | |
| 12:57 p.m. | 10 | Kyle Stanley | Jason Kokrak | Patrick Cantlay |
| 1:08 p.m. | 1 | Aaron Baddeley | Fabian Gomez | David Lingmerth |
| 1:08 p.m. | 10 | Brian Harman | Russell Knox | Jhonattan Vegas |
| 1:19 p.m. | 1 | Jim Furyk | Billy Horschel | Vijay Singh |
| 1:19 p.m. | 10 | Hudson Swafford | Brendan Steele | J.B. Holmes |
| 1:30 p.m. | 1 | Jimmy Walker | Zach Johnson | Paul Casey |
| 1:30 p.m. | 10 | Cameron Smith | Vaughn Taylor | Keegan Bradley |
| 1:41 p.m. | 1 | Rickie Fowler | Henrik Stenson | Jason Day |
| 1:41 p.m. | 10 | Tony Finau | Troy Merritt | Gary Woodland |
| 1:52 p.m. | 1 | Jordan Spieth | Hideki Matsuyama | Phil Mickelson |
| 1:52 p.m. | 10 | Greg Chalmers | Graeme McDowell | Emiliano Grillo |
| 2:03 p.m. | 1 | Adam Hadwin | Luke Donald | Alex Noren |
| 2:03 p.m. | 10 | Pat Perez | Cody Gribble | William McGirt |
| 2:14 p.m. | 1 | Si Woo Kim | Daniel Berger | Branden Grace |
| 2:14 p.m. | 10 | Marc Leishman | James Hahn | Matt Every |
| 2:25 p.m. | 1 | Sean O'Hair | Ryan Palmer | Yuta Ikeda |
| 2:25 p.m. | 10 | Kyle Reifers | Harold Varner III | Bernd Wiesberger |
| 2:36 p.m. | 1 | Ian Poulter | Cameron Tringale | Tommy Fleetwood |
| 2:36 p.m. | 10 | Ben Crane | Graham DeLaet | Grayson Murray |
What to Watch Friday
Sergio Garcia Looks for Momentum From Ace
This is Sergio Garcia's first tournament since he won his first career major at the Masters. It looked like his mind was still on his green jacket at the start of Thursday's round.
He notched bogeys on Nos. 1, 3 and 6 and a double bogey on No. 5. However, he recovered with birdies on Nos. 10 and 16 and then a monumental ace on the famous 17th. He is still tied for 66th place at one over par but has plenty of momentum after the hole in one.
The crowd loved what proved to be Thursday's defining shot, as the PGA Tour captured:
Garcia commented on the shot, per Steve DiMeglio of USA Today: "It was a great yardage, 123 yards, and I hit a solid 52-degree wedge. It was nice to see the ball bounce and then spin back into the hole. I sort of needed it after the poor start I had."
The hole in one put the poor start in the rear-view mirror, and it will be up to Garcia to make sure it stays there.
The 2008 champion understands how to navigate this course, and whether he parlays the momentum from his ace into contention in the upcoming rounds promises to be one of the marquee storylines moving forward.
Adam Scott Attempts to Bounce Back
Speaking of past champions who understand what it takes to thrive at this course, 2004 winner Adam Scott was in a position to seize the opening-round lead Thursday with birdies on Nos. 3, 7, 9 11, 14 and 15.
Six under par would have given him the advantage over the rest of the field, but double-bogeys on the final two holes changed the feel of his entire performance.
He is still tied for 18th at two under par and only three strokes back heading into Friday's round with plenty of time to make a move, but the finish had to leave a poor taste in his mouth after such an impressive start. Fortunately for Scott, the version of himself who played the first 16 holes Thursday is a contender to take home the title.
His second-round start will be telling, and a few birdies in the early going will be an indication he moved past his late struggles from the final two holes and is ready to challenge McGirt, Hughes and others.
Leaders Strive for Separation
McGirt and Hughes were the best players on the course Thursday, but golfers don't win the trophy at The Players Championship on the first day.
This loaded field features 31 golfers at two under par or better after a round, including headline names such as Phil Mickelson, Scott, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler. That's not even taking into account the likes of Dustin Johnson (one under par), Garcia or Rory McIlroy (one over par), who are all in position to make a charge before the weekend.
Breathing room is a precious commodity on the PGA Tour, and McGirt and Hughes can create some if they replicate their performances from Thursday. McGirt's two eagles made up for two bogeys, while Hughes was more consistent with five birdies and zero bogeys.
Confidence shouldn't be an issue for McGirt if his comments are any indication, per DiMeglio: "It's amazing what a little bit of confidence will do [...] So more than anything, it's more of a confidence thing that you take away from it."
A formidable showing Friday would give him even more confidence with so many top-notch competitors chasing him and his co-leader.
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