Players Championship 2022: Start Time, Pairings and Predictions for Sunday

It's been a wild and weather-wacky 2022 Players Championship thus far.

The drama began before the tournament, with sour weather delaying the opening-round tee times by an hour. Thursday morning also saw the withdrawal of reigning Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama.

According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, Matsuyama pulled out because of back issue.

The weather issues continued Friday and through Saturday morning, when multiple golfers had yet to finish their opening rounds. Many of them were just getting Round 2 started when play was stopped Saturday evening. Several more have yet to begin their second rounds.

"We are into a Monday finish," chief referee Gary Young said, per the PGA Tour's official site. "We know that."

The action will pick back up Sunday morning with the remainder of Round 2 and, ideally, most or all of Round 3. Here's what you need to know about the Players Championship before play resumes.

2022 Players Championship

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Where: TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Remaining TV Schedule

Sunday, March 13: 1-6 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, extended coverage on Golf Channel

Monday, March 14: 1-6 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock

Live Leaderboard

PGATour.com

Start Time, Pairings

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The second round is scheduled to resume at 8:15 a.m. ET on Sunday—and fans should not that Daylight Savings Time will move the action up an hour.

According to Rex Hoggard of Golf Channel, the plan is to reform groups of three golfers before the start of Round 3.

Some of the marquee groups for Round 2 include:

• Tom Hoge, Tyrrell Hatton, Brandt Snedeker
• Lucas Glover, Shane Lowry, Matthew Wolff
• Peter Malnati, Alex Noren, Anirban Lahiri
• Scott Piercy, Nick Watney, Hayden Buckley
• Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm
• Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen
• Tommy Fleetwood, Kyle Stanley, Wyndham Clark
• Charley Hoffman, Harold Varner III, Will Zalatoris
• Keith Mitchell, Gary Woodland, Lanto Griffin
• Adam Schenk Kramer Hickok, Lee Hodges

A full list of groupings can be found at ThePlayers.com. The tournament cut is scheduled to take place after the conclusion of Round 2, with new three-player pairings being drawn before Round 3. The plan is to hold the final round Monday with two-player pairings.

Sunday Predictions

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Weather Improves but Scores Do Not

TPC Sawgrass has traditionally been a player-friendly course featuring low scores and a focus on the fundamentals—long drives and pinpoint accuracy are rarely required.

Justin Thomas won last year's Players Championship with a score of 14 under, and it was close. Runner-up Lee Westwood shot 13 under, while Brian Harman and Bryson DeChambeau were both one shot behind Westwood. While we did see some familiar low scores early, things were quite different Saturday.

A waterlogged course with rough winds, paired with a long day of golf, caused some unusually high scores. Brooks Koepka, for example, currently sits at nine over par.

The course conditions should be better Sunday, but golfers will face a cold start—expected to be in the 30s when play begins—and another long day. Wind will continue to be a factor.

According to Golf Channel, the wind is expected to "stay steady" at around 20 miles per hour throughout the day Sunday.

Don't expect temperatures or scores in the low- to mid-60s on Sunday.

Fleetwood, Hoge Keep Pace at the Top of the Pack, While Thomas and Watson Surge

Tommy Fleetwood, Tom Hoge and Brice Garnett came into Saturday tied for the lead at six under. While Garnett lost four strokes Saturday, Fleetwood played even golf and remains atop the leaderboard at six-under—albeit through three second-round holes. Hoge has yet to begin Round 2.

Playing par golf was good enough given the conditions Saturday, but a pair of contenders did more than that.

Fleetwood and Hoge now face a strong challenge from the defending champion, Thomas, who played a bogey-free round Saturday. He shot a 69 in Round 2 and is tied for 15th at three under.

Thomas has a chance to become the first back-to-back champion of the Players Championship. He is within striking distance and could make a statement heading into Monday.

Bubba Watson also played a bogey-free round Saturday and is tied with Thomas.

It will be interesting to see who separates themselves from the pack ahead of Sunday's cut. Expect Fleetwood, Hoge, Thomas and Watson to remain among the contenders entering Monday.