What’s sometimes called golf’s ‘fifth major’ – The Players Championship – gets underway today at the iconic Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The most lucrative event on the PGA Tour calendar with its $25 million purse, The Players once again will have an incredibly strong field with 48 of the top 50 golfers in the world competing.
Throw in one of the signature holes in all of golf, the island-green par-3 17th, and you have a recipe for plenty of excitement as the 2025 season hits the peak of its annual Florida swing.
Keep checking back for in-progress updates from Round 1 of The Players.
The Players Championship leaderboard
Find the live updating Players Championship leaderboard here.
Villegas keeping pace with Lee
Camilo Villegas has shot up the leaderboard, playing arguably better than Lee, sitting at -5 through 8 holes after a birdie on eight. If he can match Lee’s 9th hole birdie, Villegas will be tied for the lead at -6 with half the day still to go.
Lee birdies on 9
Lee is on fire. After a stellar 4-under through eight holes, Lee continued his dominance with a birdie on 9. He’s now only one stroke off the lead with the entire back-nine to play.
Min Woo Lee continues dominance
Through eight holes, Lee sits at -4, tied for second among all golfers. Only Lucas Glover (6-under 66), has a better score than Lee. Of course, Glover has already finished his round, while Lee still has ample opportunity to match and surpass Glover. Among all golfers on their first nine, Lee and Chandler Phillips are the only ones with scores better than -3.
Scheffler with back-to-back birdies
Scheffler has won each of the last two Players Championships and he is playing like he wants a third. After a pair of pars on 1 and 2, Scheffler was able to birdie holes 3 and 4, which have been much tougher for golfers today.
Min Woo Lee at 3-under through 5
Arguably the best start of the day belongs to Min Woo Lee, who has birdied three of the first five holes. Lee birdied the fifth hole thanks to a solid mid-length putt. Already, Lee is tied for sixth, with only Charley Hoffman matching Lee’s marks through five holes.
Golfers finding massive success on Hole 2
Keegan Bradley is the latest golfer to birdie the Par-5 second hole. It appears most golfers playing today have been able to get off to a good start thanks to the hole’s ease. However, given that only one golfer has finished the first round better than -4, it’s clear that the rest of the course has been troublesome for the field.
Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele start fast
McIlroy and Schauffele have each birdied the opening two holes of their first round at The Players Championship. Schauffele recently returned to PGA Tour action after being sidelined by a wrist injury. McIlroy already has one win this season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Jordan Spieth’s wild first round
Jordan Spieth sits inside the top-10 of The Players Championship leaderboard at the moment after carding a 2-under 70 first round that was anything but routine. Spieth finished with one double bogey, three bogeys, two eagles and three birdies.
Lucas Glover closes first round strong
The former U.S. Open champion recovered from back-to-back bogeys on the back nine with four-straight birdies to finish out his first round in sole possession of first place atop the leaderboard at 6-under.
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele tee off
The marquee group of the opening two rounds at The Players Championship featuring the top three golfers in the world rankings have teed off at TPC Sawgrass. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele are all playing together as Scheffler seeks an unprecedented three-peat at this tournament.
Alex Smalley is early clubhouse leader
Alex Smalley, ranked No. 133 in the world golf rankings this week, just closed out a bogey-free 4-under 68in the first round to become the clubhouse leader at The Players Championship. Aaron Rai also sits at 4-under through 14 holes and tied with Smalley atop the leaderboard. There are five other golfers currently one shot back, most notably Jordan Spieth and Sepp Straka.
Victor Perez withdraws
Victor Perez has withdrawn from The Players Championship due to a back injury, the PGA Tour announced. Ricky Castillo will take his spot in the field. Perez joins Jason Day as golfers to withdraw from the tournament ahead of Thursday’s first round.
Beau Hossler grabs solo lead from Lucas Glover
Beau Hossler leads The Players Championship at 4-under, grabbing sole possession from former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover after he made the turn to the back nine at TPC Sawgrass in first place. The lead change happened after consecutive birdies on No. 13 and No. 14 by Hossler, combined with a bogey by Glover on No. 11.
Another eagle for Jordan Spieth
What a rollercoaster ride of a first round for Jordan Spieth. He’s in a decent spot at 1-under as he closes out his first nine holes, but how he got there was anything but smooth. Spieth has two hole-out eagles, two bogeys, one birdie and one double bogey.
Justin Thomas suddenly struggling
You’ll recall Justin Thomas was briefly tied for the lead Thursday morning at 2-under. Consecutive double bogeys on No. 17 and No. 18 have dropped him into a tie for 56th at 3-over.
New leaders after water balls at TPC Sawgrass No. 17
The ‘Island Green’ at No. 17 is one of the signature holes on the PGA Tour and a highlight every year when The Players Championship is held at TPC Sawgrass. Well, Justin Thomas just lost the lead by hitting into the water on his tee shot. Then Thomas hit into the water again at No. 18 (he started his first round on the back nine). He wasn’t alone.
Golfer Justin Lower had a more memorable adventure on No. 17, hitting into the water only to hole out on his next swing for an unconventional par.
Lucas Glover, Vince Whaley and Bud Cauley are currently in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard at 3-under.
Justin Thomas tied for lead
A double bogey by Jordan Spieth dropped him out of the lead and has temporarily created a 14-way tie at 2-under atop the The Players Championship leaderboard at TPC Sawgrass. Justin Thomas is the most notable name among the leaders, with past major winners Wyndham Clark and Lucas Glover also in the mix.
Jordan Spieth eagles 11
Early heroics from Jordan Spieth who followed a birdie on 10 with an eagle on the par-5 11th. It’s remarkably early at TPC Sawgrass but the 31-year-old is out in front by his lonesome to start the day.
The Players weather
It’s a beautiful morning at the Stadium Course, with temperatures in the upper-50s and the sun shining bright as The Players Championship began. The forecast calls for a high of 74 degrees.
Jordan Spieth tees off at The Players
Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth is underway at TPC Sawgrass alongside Wyndham Clark and Danny Walker, who is replacing Jason Day.
Spieth has missed the cut at The Players in three of his past five appearances.
Jason Day unexpectedly withdraws
Citing an illness, 2016 Players champion Jason Day withdrew from this year’s tournament Thursday morning.
Day was scheduled to tee off at 8:46 a.m. ET in a group with Wyndham Clark and Jordan Spieth. Instead, he will be replaced by 29-year-old Korn Ferry Tour grad Danny Walker as the first alternate.
Day was in contention last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, ultimately finishing in eighth place following a final-round 74.
The Players Championship Round 1 start time
The first round of The Players Championship is underway with Chad Ramey, C.T. Pan and Vince Whaley teeing off from the first tee and Lanto Griffin, Andrew Novak and David Lipsky starting from No. 10.
Lipsky became the first player to get into red figures when he birdied his first hole to move to 1-under.
How to watch The Players Championship: TV, streaming coverage
TV channels: Golf Channel all four days/NBC (third and final rounds)
Live stream: ESPN+, Peacock and Fubo, which is offering a free trial
The Players Championship will be carried live on TV by Golf Channel all four days. NBC will pick up live coverage of the third and final rounds. There is streaming coverage available on ESPN+, Peacock and Fubo, which is offering a free trial.
Watch The Players Championship with Fubo
The Players Championship tee times for Round 1
Here is every tee time and grouping for Round 1 of The Players Championship.
The Players Championship 2025 odds
Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to win The Players Championship again in 2025, according to BetMGM, with McIlroy, Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg and Justin Thomas also among the top five for oddsmakers in terms of chances to win this week’s PGA Tour signature event.
Scheffler became the first golfer to win The Players Championship in back-to-back years in 2024.
Odds as of Wednesday, March 12
Favorites
Scottie Scheffler (+500)
Rory McIlroy (+1200)
Collin Morikawa (+1200)
Ludvig Aberg (+1600)
Justin Thomas (+2500)
Tommy Fleetwood (+2500)
Hideki Matsuyama (+2800)
Russell Henley (+2800)
Xander Schauffele (+2800)
Sepp Straka (+2800)
The Players Championship picks: Sleepers
Picks by USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire
Denny McCarthy (+8000): ‘McCarthy fired a final-round 67 to finish 18th at Bay Hill on Sunday, continuing some strong play as of late. That was after also coming in fifth at the Genesis last month. In 5 career starts here, he’s never missed the cut and has a career-best finish of 13th in 2023.’
Akshay Bhatia (+10,000): ‘Bhatia struggled on Thursday at Bay Hill, shooting a 9-over 81. He bounced back with a 1-under on Friday but still missed the cut by a lot. He’s playing much better than those scores indicate and his odds shouldn’t be this long at a course where shot shaping is important.’
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