Golf season has finally arrived.

After a long winter in many parts of the country, the beautiful greenery of a golf course on your screen signals that warmer days are here.

This weekend, the world’s top players will compete for one of the sport’s biggest prizes: The Players Championship. Dubbed the unofficial fifth major of golf, The Players is the PGA Tour’s most prestigious tournament outside of the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship.

So, when does all the action begin? Where is it taking place this year? And how can you watch it all? Here’s everything you need to know for The Players.

When is The Players Championship?

The 2026 Players Championship starts Thursday, March 12 with the first round and wraps up Sunday, March 15, with the fourth and final round.

Where is The Players Championship this year? Course info and history

As is tradition, The Players is held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Sawgrass has hosted The Players every year since 1977. The East-West course at Sawgrass was used from 1977-81 before the Stadium Course took over starting in 1982. It’s been used ever since, with the iconic Island Green on 17 becoming a staple of the tournament.

The Players was first held in 1974, rotating to different venues for its first three years before Sawgrass became the permanent host.

How to watch The Players Championship in 2026

The Players will be broadcasted on NBC and Golf Channel, with streaming available on Peacock this weekend.

First round (Thursday, March 12)

Second round (Friday, March 13)

Third round (Saturday, March 14)

Fourth round (Sunday, March 15)

The Players Championship favorites and recent winners

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have dominated The Players in recent years, and that could continue in 2026.

McIlroy is the defending winner after he defeated J.J. Spaun in a playoff last March. Scheffler won the two years prior, cruising to victory in 2023 before a one-stroke triumph in 2024. McIlroy and Scheffler are two of just eight players to win The Players multiple times, and they’ll both be looking at match Jack Nicklaus’ record of three wins this year.

Tiger Woods is another two-time winner (2001 and 2013), but he won’t play this year as he continues to recover from a ruptured Achilles suffered in March 2025 and back surgery in October 2025. He has teased that he could return for the Masters in April.

Here’s five things to know about golf legend Tiger Woods, who began golfing with his dad at the age of three.

The Players Championship tee times for first and second rounds

Tee times have been revealed for the first and second rounds. For the weekend, they’ll be determined based on the scoreboard with only the top 65, including ties, making the cut.

Here’s when some stars will be on the course Thursday and Friday (all times ET):

First round

8:40 a.m. – Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Åberg, Si Woo Kim (tee No. 10)

8:52 a.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas (tee No. 10)
9:04 a.m. – Viktor Hovland, Russell Henley, Robert MacIntyre (tee No. 10)

1:18 p.m. – J.J. Spaun, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry (tee No. 1)

1:42 p.m. – Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama (tee No. 1)

Second round

8:28 a.m. – J.J. Spaun, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry (tee No. 10)

8:52 a.m. – Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama (tee No. 10)

1:30 p.m. – Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Åberg, Si Woo Kim (tee No. 1)

1:42 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas (tee No. 1)

1:54 p.m. – Viktor Hovland, Russell Henley, Robert MacIntyre (tee No. 1)

Here’s five things you should know about Northern Ireland golfer Rory Mcilroy.