You’re reading our viewer’s guide to Round 1 of the Players Championship. To see complete TV coverage and streaming information for Friday’s second round, click here.
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The 2026 Players Championship kicks off Thursday morning with the first round at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the tournament on Thursday, including full Players Championship TV coverage, streaming details and Round 1 tee times.
How to watch Players Championship on Thursday
Only six players have won two Players Championship titles at TPC Sawgrass’s historic Stadium Course since the tournament moved there permanently in 1982. No one has won it three times at TPC Sawgrass.
This week, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will try to become the first. Scheffler won back-to-back Players Championships in 2023 and 2024, then watched as Rory McIlroy ruined his chance for a three-peat last year.
But now Scheffler has a chance to add a third Players title in four years, a feat no other golfer has accomplished. The four-time major winner won in his first start of the season this year, but a victory this week would make him the big favorite to capture his third Masters title a month from now.
Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, will make a “game-time” decision to play or not on Thursday. A back injury may force McIlroy to withdraw.
Scheffler will get his Players campaign started early on Thursday, teeing off for the opening round at 8:52 a.m. ET.
You can watch the first round of the Players Championship on TV via Golf Channel beginning at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive streaming coverage starting Thursday at 7:30 a.m. ET, as well as featured group and featured hole coverage all day Thursday.
Below you will find everything you need to know to watch the first round of the 2026 Players Championship.
Get ESPN+
How to watch on TV Thursday
Golf Channel will provide first-round TV coverage of the 2026 Players Championship on Thursday from 1-7 p.m. ET.
How to stream online Thursday
You can stream the first round of the 2026 Players Championship via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, which will offer streaming coverage starting at 7:30 a.m. ET on Thursday in addition to featured group and hole coverage.
2026 Players Championship Round 1 tee times (ET)
Tee No. 1
7:40 a.m. – Mark Hubbard, Thorbjørn Olesen, Mac Meissner
7:52 a.m. – Bud Cauley, Vince Whaley, Chandler Phillips
8:04 a.m. – Emiliano Grillo, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Max Greyserman
8:16 a.m. – Kevin Yu, Cam Davis, Gary Woodland
8:28 a.m. – Ricky Castillo, Ryan Gerard, Patrick Cantlay
8:40 a.m. – Adam Schenk, Garrick Higgo, Matt McCarty
8:52 a.m. – Brian Harman, Maverick McNealy, Davis Riley
9:04 a.m. – Sami Valimaki, Lucas Glover, Matt Fitzpatrick
9:16 a.m. – Michael Brennan, Harris English, J.T. Poston
9:28 a.m. – Haotong Li, Zecheng Dou, Jordan Smith
12:30 p.m. – Lee Hodges, Andrew Putnam, Sam Stevens
12:42 p.m. – Erik van Rooyen, Keith Mitchell, Michael Kim
12:54 p.m. – Taylor Moore, Joel Dahmen, Ryo Hisatsune
1:06 p.m. – Jacob Bridgeman, Ben Griffin, Adam Scott
1:18 p.m. – J.J. Spaun, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry
1:30 p.m. – Sahith Theegala, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth
1:42 p.m. – Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama
1:54 p.m. – Chris Gotterup, Justin Rose, Min Woo Lee
2:06 p.m. – Brian Campbell, Karl Vilips, Aaron Rai
2:18 p.m. – Matti Schmid, Max McGreevy, Takumi Kanaya
2:30 p.m. – Zach Bauchou, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, A.J. Ewart
