Players Championship 2018: Tee Times, Pairings and Predictions for Saturday

The biggest names in the sport of golf all showed up for the Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, this week, and it would not have been a surprise to see Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Bubba Watson or even Tiger Woods holding the lead after 36 holes.

Instead, Webb Simpson holds a five-shot lead at the midway point of the tournament with a remarkable score of 15-under par. His total of 129 sees him ahead of Charl Schwartzel, Patrick Cantlay and Danny Lee, who are all on 134.

Simpson had a remarkable second round as he fired a nine-under 63. Simpson birdied six straight holes starting at the 11th hole, and as he pulled away from the field, he came to the island green at the 17th hole.

Since Simpson was so sharp, it didn't seem that TPC Sawgrass's signature hole would cause a problem, but his tee shot hit the bulkhead at the front of the green and bounced into the water.

"I backed off a couple times because the wind seemed to be changing," Simpson told Steve Sands of Golf Channel (h/t Kyle Porter of CBS Sports). "Honestly, I felt pretty good over it. I just blocked it a little bit. I'm trying to smash it. I don't think it was a mistake, just the wrong club probably."

If Simpson had been able to avoid the water on that hole, he almost certainly would have broken the course record. As it was, he tied the mark with his 63.

"Obviously, when you're out there competing in a big tournament, you're as focused as can be, but then at a certain point ... you just kind of start laughing," Simpson said, per Bob Harig of ESPN.com. "Everything is going in. You feel like no matter what, you're going to make it."

Simpson will tee off with Schwartzel in the final pairing on moving day at 2:40 p.m. ET. Cantlay and Lee will tee off 10 minutes earlier at 2:30 p.m.

John Raoux/Associated Press

Chesson Hadley and Charles Howell III will tee off at 2:20 p.m., and both of those players are nine-under. Jason Day and Alex Noren will tee off just prior to Hadley and Howell at 2:10 p.m. Noren is nine-under, while Day is eight-under par.

Here's a look at all the tee times for the third round of the tournament at the TPC Sawgrass.

Simpson is clearly in a strong position, but he is a hardly a lock to win the tournament. He was making 10-, 12- and 15-foot putts with regularity, and his iron play was razor sharp. It's nearly impossible to imagine him playing any better, so the likelihood is that he will come back to the pack a bit.

If that happens, Schwartzel, Cantlay, Day and Noren would appear to have the best chance of running him down. Still, if Simpson can keep his level of play relatively high, he should have an excellent chance to head into Sunday's final round with the lead.

While the NBC broadcast won't show much of the early action, there are a number of high-profile players who will tee off in the morning. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth will tee off at 8:20 a.m., while Tiger Woods and MacKenzie Hughes will begin their round at 9 a.m. Zach Johnson and Brooks Koepka will begin their round at 11:20 a.m.

Dustin Johnson and Adam Scott, two of the biggest hitters in the game, will tee off at 1:30 p.m.

Predictions for Saturday's third round

Simpson was on top of his game in the second round, and he was somewhat incredulous about his own performance. The question is whether he will wake up from that dream-like round or if he can continue to play quality golf.

It may not be easy to continue to putt the ball at such a high level, but his focus with his irons are a wonderful indicator that he can continue to play well.

Cantlay and Day appear to be the most capable of eating into that lead.

By the time the third round is over, look for Simpson to have a two-stroke lead of Cantlay and Day. We also see Dustin Johnson and Scott making a push to get closer to the lead. 

Simpson will remain in control, but this is still a 72-hole tournament and he is not going to blow the field away in the third round.