2021 Players Championship live coverage: How to watch Round 1 on Thursday

Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy has been the reigning champion since his 2019 Players win.

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Beginning on Thursday, golf fans will be treated to a star-studded field at the PGA Tour’s flagship tournament: the 2021 Players Championship. Here’s what you need to know to watch the first round on Thursday.

Previewing Players Championship Round 1

No matter what kind of spectator you are, or who your favorite player is, there is something for everyone to watch Thursday at TPC Sawgrass. You may want to tune in to see the return of the Players, which was cut short after one round when the Covid-19 pandemic took hold. Maybe you want to see if Rory McIlroy, who remains the defending champion thanks to his 2019 victory, can capture the second Players title of his career.

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Dustin Johnson fans will get to see if the reigning Masters champion and World No. 1 can build some cushion in the World Ranking with another victory. Or perhaps you want to watch Bryson DeChambeau, winner of last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational and inspiration for a new local rule at TPC Sawgrass. And don’t forget about Jordan Spieth, who will continue his entertaining quest to get back to the winner’s circle this week.

Below you will find everything you need to watch the first round on Thursday.

How to watch Players Championship Round 1 on TV

Golf Channel will air the action for the first round of the 2021 Players Championship with six hours of coverage from 12-6 p.m. ET on Thursday.

How to stream Players Championship Round 1 online

You can stream the first round of Golf Channel TV coverage of the 2021 Players Championship on golfchannel.com. Fans can also view Featured Group coverage of the opening round all day Thursday via PGA Tour Live with a subscription. The PGA Tour is also showcasing its “Every Shot Live” technology again this year, which will allow fans to watch every shot from their favorite players. It will be free via PGA Tour Live on Thursday and available to subscribers the rest of the week.

How to bet on the Players Championship — risk-free!

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2021 Players Championship Round 1 tee times (All times ET)

Tee No. 1

6:45 a.m. – Alex Noren, Xinjun Zhang, Doug Ghim
6:56 a.m. – Louis Oosthuizen, Lee Westwood, Robert MacIntyre
7:07 a.m. – Phil Mickelson, Charles Howell III, Tony Finau
7:18 a.m. – Sungjae Im, Kevin Kisner, Henrik Stenson
7:29 a.m. – Keith Mitchell, Troy Merritt, Brice Garnett
7:40 a.m. – Brian Gay, Michael Thompson, Sebastián Muñoz
7:51 a.m. – Cameron Smith, Dylan Frittelli, Keegan Bradley
8:02 a.m. – Kevin Na, Carlos Ortiz, Matthew Fitzpatrick
8:13 a.m. – Max Homa, J.T. Poston, Russell Knox
8:24 a.m. – Stewart Cink, Nick Taylor, Austin Cook
8:35 a.m. – Byeong Hun An, Henrik Norlander, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
8:46 a.m. – Vaughn Taylor, Jerry Kelly, Joel Dahmen
8:57 a.m. – Scott Brown, Sam Ryder
12:05 p.m. – Cameron Tringale, Denny McCarthy, Matthew NeSmith
12:16 p.m. – Brian Harman, Cameron Percy, Bernd Wiesberger
12:27 p.m. – Martin Laird, Tyler Duncan, Joaquin Niemann
12:38 p.m. – Richy Werenski, Aaron Wise, Kevin Streelman
12:49 p.m. – Patrick Reed, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth
1:00 p.m. – Bryson DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson
1:11 p.m. – Daniel Berger, Adam Scott, Shane Lowry
1:22 p.m. – Andrew Landry, Cameron Champ, Brendan Steele
1:33 p.m. – Jason Kokrak, Francesco Molinari, Jason Day
1:44 p.m. – Charley Hoffman, Rory Sabbatini, Cameron Davis
1:55 p.m. – Matt Jones, Maverick McNealy, Will Zalatoris
2:06 p.m. – Chris Kirk, Luke List, Bo Hoag
2:17 p.m. – Brian Stuard, Danny Lee, Beau Hossler

Tee No. 10

6:45 a.m. – Kyle Stanley, Lucas Glover, Tyler McCumber
6:56 a.m. – Russell Henley, Tom Hoge, Scottie Scheffler
7:07 a.m. – C.T. Pan, Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar
7:18 a.m. – Gary Woodland, Billy Horschel, Ian Poulter
7:29 a.m. – Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas
7:40 a.m. – Sergio Garcia, Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy
7:51 a.m. – Si Woo Kim, Harris English, Hideki Matsuyama
8:02 a.m. – Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Casey, Xander Schauffele
8:13 a.m. – Lanto Griffin, Corey Conners, Rickie Fowler
8:24 a.m. – Brendon Todd, Adam Long, Andrew Putnam
8:35 a.m. – Charl Schwartzel, Doc Redman, Harry Higgs
8:46 a.m. – Sam Burns, Wyndham Clark, Victor Perez
8:57 a.m. – Scott Stallings, Adam Schenk
12:05 p.m. – Peter Malnati, Emiliano Grillo, Abraham Ancer
12:16 p.m. – Anirban Lahiri, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Robby Shelton
12:27 p.m. – Branden Grace, Sung Kang, Jimmy Walker
12:38 p.m. – Hudson Swafford, Brandt Snedeker, Scott Piercy
12:49 p.m. – Jim Herman, Ryan Armour, Mackenzie Hughes
1:00 p.m. – Nate Lashley, Ryan Palmer, Zach Johnson
1:11 p.m. – Robert Streb, Marc Leishman, Justin Rose
1:22 p.m. – Chez Reavie, Bubba Watson, Pat Perez
1:33 p.m. – Patton Kizzire, Jason Dufner, Danny Willett
1:44 p.m. – James Hahn, Tommy Fleetwood, Harold Varner III
1:55 p.m. – Adam Hadwin, Patrick Rodgers, Mark Hubbard
2:06 p.m. – Ryan Moore, Sepp Straka, Scott Harrington
2:17 p.m. – Jhonattan Vegas, Talor Gooch, Tom Lewis

Kevin Cunningham

Kevin Cunningham

Golf.com Editor

As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes stories on GOLF.com, and manages the brand’s e-newsletters, which reach more than 1.4 million subscribers each month. A former two-time intern, he also helps keep GOLF.com humming outside the news-breaking stories and service content provided by our reporters and writers, and works with the tech team in the development of new products and innovative ways to deliver an engaging site to our audience.