The Players Championship, unofficially called golf’s “fifth major,” represents the first big tournament of the year on the PGA Tour schedule.
Nearly all of the world’s top 50 golfers are competing at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., with Tiger Woods as one notable omission. The 15-time major winner is nursing a stiff back and has not played on the PGA Tour since he finished a lowly 68th — last of all players who made the cut — at the Genesis Open three weeks ago.
The Players makes up for the lack of prestige compared to the other majors with its massive purse, the largest on the PGA Tour in 2020, and that’s enough to ensure a well-endowed field. World No. 1 Rory McIlory will attempt to become the first player in history to repeat as champion in the tournament. He’ll tee off with Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka as part of a start-studded featured grouping.
The field also includes Patrick Reed, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and others.
Of course, Sawgrass is an attraction in itself, known as one of the most storied courses in golf. It features the famous 17th hole, a par 3 surrounded almost exclusively by water.
Here is a guide to watch the Players Championship in 2020, including a list of tee times (updated daily), the complete TV schedule and more. You can also follow SN’s live leaderboard for scores from each round.
MORE: Players Championship picks, sleepers, betting advice
Watch the Players Championship 2020
Dates: March 12-15, 2020 TV channels: NBC, Golf Channel Live stream: PGA Tour Live
NBC and the Golf Channel will broadcast live coverage of the Players Championship in 2020. The tournament airs exclusively on Golf Channel for the first two days, before shifting to NBC for the final rounds on Saturday and Sunday. You can stream The Players on PGA Tour Live, which offers early coverage starting at 7:30 a.m. ET daily.
LIVE: Follow SN’s Players Championship leaderboard
Who is in the 2020 Players Championship field?
The biggest news about the 2020 Players Championship field is who isn’t playing: Tiger Woods. The 15-time major champion is nursing a lingering back injury and hasn’t played on the PGA Tour in three weeks, skipping the WGC-Mexico Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Otherwise, the 144-player field is not lacking for star power with 47 of the world’s 50 top-ranked golfers on hand at Sawgrass, including each of the top five: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson.
McIlroy, the 2019 winner, leads a handful of recent Players champions including Webb Simpson, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler.
Players Championship tee times for 2020
Thursday’s featured group includes the three top players in the World Golf Ranking: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. They tee off at 1:51 p.m. ET.
Here is the complete list of Players Championship tee times for Thursday’s first round.
Round 1: Thursday, March 12
Players Championship purse
The 2020 purse at the Players Championship is $15 million — a sharp increase from the $12.5 million purse in 2019. The winner will pocket $2.7 million in prize money, making it the most lucrative tournament on the PGA Tour this year. Rory McIlroy earned $2.25 million for winning the 2019 Players.
Players Championship odds, picks for 2020
Rory McIlroy +700 Jon Rahm +1200 Justin Thomas +1600 Bryson DeChambeau +2000 Dustin Johnson +2500 Patrick Cantlay +2500 Tommy Fleetwood +2500 Hideki Matsuyama +2800 SungJae Im +2800 Webb Simpson +2800 Xander Schauffele +2800
Despite historical trends, Rory McIlroy is the betting favorite (+700) to repeat as winner of The Players Championship, according to odds from BetOnline.ag. That means a $100 bet would win $700. You can find odds for the entire field here.
Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner are among Sporting News’ picks and sleepers for 2020.
Players Championship past winners
No golfer has ever repeated as Players champion, but there has been an especially strong variety in recent winners. Prior to Tiger Woods, the last golfer to win multiple Players was Davis Love III in 2003. Greg Norman’s 24-under par in 1994 is the Sawgrass record, while Steve Elkington’s seven-stroke win in 1997 is the largest margin of victory.
