Players Championship 2018: Tee Times, Date, TV Schedule and Prize Money
The 2018 Players Championship begins on Thursday with golf's major stars all aiming for victory in the sport's unofficial fifth major at TPC Sawgrass in Florida.
Si Woo Kim will be back to defend his crown and hope to become the first player to win back-to-back titles, but he faces stiff competition from a stellar field loaded with star names.
Tiger Woods is back for the first time since 2015, while Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Dustin Johnson are all serious contenders.
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Here's how you can watch all of the action, followed by tee times and a closer look at the tournament.
Date: May 10-13, 2018
Where: TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Total Purse: $11,000,000
TV Schedule
The Golf Channel will provide live coverage of the tournament on Thursday, May 10, and Friday, May 11, from 1 p.m. ET. NBC will cover the weekend's action with coverage starting from 2 p.m. ET.
Viewers in the UK can watch live coverage on Sky Sports The Players, with first-round coverage starting at 12:30 p.m. BST on Thursday and at the same time on Friday for the second round. Third- and fourth-round coverage starts at 1:30 p.m. BST on Saturday and Sunday.
Tee Times (ET)
The tee times for the first two rounds have been released, and there are some exciting groups. Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Woods will be the main attraction on the first tee at 1:52 p.m on Thursday. The trio then start from the 10th tee on Friday at 8:27 a.m.
There's another heavyweight group starting on Thursday, with McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Spieth teeing off from the 10th at 8:27 a.m. They will return on Friday at the first tee at 1:52 p.m for their second round.
Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood are part of an all-English group that start at the 10th tee on Thursday at 7:54 a.m. Their second round starts at 1:10 p.m on Friday from the first.
All tee times are Eastern Time. The full tee times are available from the tournament's official website.
Heavyweight Groupings Provide Real Excitement
The grouping of Mickelson, Fowler and Woods really is blockbuster stuff and is bound to capture most of the attention on Thursday and Friday
Woods has said "it will be fun for all of us," and it's the first time he has been paired with Mickelson since the 2014 PGA Championship, per Steve DiMeglio at USA Today.
Mickelson also seemed to be in pretty playful mood when he was asked about being paired with Woods, as shown by the PGA Tour:
The excitement is understandable as they have rarely played together, but both come into the tournament in good form. The addition of Fowler also makes things interesting as he knows exactly what it takes to win at TPC Sawgrass having won the 2015 Players Championship here.
McIlroy, Thomas and Spieth is another mouthwatering trio. Spieth has said winning the Players Championship is harder than winning a major, per the Golf Channel's Chantel McCabe:
Spieth has taken a break since coming third at the 2018 Masters, although he has struggled to make an impact at the tournament on each of his three appearances.
Four-time major champion McIlroy has said he is happy to be grouped with Spieth and Thomas, per Sky Sports.
Golf analyst Ron Mintz said the Northern Irishman is one of four players who could win:
The field is as tough as it could be and, thanks to a challenging course, it should make for some great golf.
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