Players Championship

The PGA Tour's largest purse of the year is on the line at TPC Sawgrass, where most of the world's best players are gathered for The Players Championship.

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The Sporting News is tracking live scores and highlights from the Players Championship. Follow for results from the first day of the tournament.

Golf Channel and NBC will be the television homes of the 2023 Players Championship. It's a beautiful Thursday morning at TPC Sawgrass and the first wave of players is already well underway in their opening round. — Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of The Players Championship 2023! Rahm is at -2, Scheffler is at even and McIlroy is struggling a bit at +2 right now. — Another bogey for McIlroy drops him all the way down to +4 and close to the very bottom of the leaderboard. — What a round Morikawa has going! They'll be the marquee group as the first round winds down in Ponte Vedra. Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, drops yet another shot to finish the day with a 76 (+4). — Ramey makes a solid par on the last hole to finish with a round of -8 (64). The Sporting News will be tracking live scores and highlights from Thursday's Round 1 leaderboard. — Disaster for Thomas at the 4th hole as he pitches it into the water from just off the green. That doesn't mean the field will be missing all its previous winners.

As the 2023 Players Championship takes place, here's all the details you need to know. 2023 Players Championship: Know how to watch on TV, stream online and ...

3, 12, 16, 17): 7:15 am onwards However, [Thomas](/topic/thomas)needs to improve his recent inconsistent form if he hopes to win for the second time in three years. Although defending champion Cameron Smith will not be in attendance after joining [LIV Golf](/topic/liv-golf), the two prior champions, [Justin Thomas](/topic/justin-thomas)and Collin Morikawa, are among the top names in the field.

Following an interesting and industry-shaping press conference on Tuesday in which McIlroy discussed the future of the PGA Tour and professional golf, he was ...

McIlroy will play late on Friday alongside Rahm and Scottie Scheffler as he tries to shoot something silly to play his way inside the cut and perhaps back into the tournament a bit. This was not helped by the fact that he left a shot in the bunker on that same closing hole. That's why his number ballooned right past even par to 4 over, one of the worst scores in the morning wave. He bounced back with birdie at the par-5 11th, but even his biggest highlight on his first nine (the back nine on the course) wasn't actually a highlight. McIlroy made just one putt longer than 4 feet, and it came on the last hole for bogey to avoid shooting 77. (He played the par-5s at even par, a horrible number for him.)

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy hits a four-over-par 76 to finish 12 shots behind early clubhouse leader Chad Ramey in round one of the Players ...

"I hit a really good shot out of the pine straw and didn't capitalise on that. "I feel like this is as penal as I've seen it out of the rough for a long time. Another pushed drive on the par-five 16th left McIlroy with a tough 200-yard second shot from the pine straw, with water waiting for anything leaked further right. A run of seven pars followed before he dropped his solitary shot on the par-three eighth. His third bounced through the green into a bunker and McIlroy would take three more from there. His opening shot will be a 28-foot eagle putt on the par-five 16th.

World number three Rory McIlroy endured a disastrous start to the Players Championship, shooting a four-over 76 in his first round at TPC Sawgrass.

McIlroy said: “I feel like this is as penal as I’ve seen it out of the rough for a long time. Rahm, who has five wins in his last 10 starts, had a tough day with the putter but still managed a one-under 71. I think you’d have to go back to when the tournament was played in May, when we were in Bermuda rough, for it to be as penal as that. Both went bogey-free in the opening round, with world number 225 Ramey chasing just his second-ever PGA Tour win. He added that he was battling with a new driver in his bag, saying: “I wish I could use my driver from last year, but I can’t just because of -- you use a driver for so long, and...basically it just wouldn’t pass the test. [How LIV lost its ‘pulse’ in golf’s ugly civil war as Norman faces truth he can’t escape](https://www.foxsports.com.au/golf/tiger-woods-ex-accuses-him-of-shocking-act-claims-shes-due-30-million/news-story/d066bd3eedd153402de4baf17d2c64be) [Tiger Woods’ private life is ‘about to take another beating’. Of the other Australians, Cam Davis carded a three-under 69 to sit tied for ninth. It’s very few times you’re going to have a ball in the rough where you can confidently think you can put it on the green.” It’s thick. Even when you’re in the fairway, you have to hit a lot of quality shots to give yourself a birdie chance... Adam Scott is tied for 45th after an even-par 72. The highlight of the day’s play was Hayden Buckley on the iconic 17th hole – the famed Island Green – with a sensational ace leading to wild celebrations.

Rory McIlroy posted an opening 76 at the Players Championship due to some wayward driving, his worst competitive score in nearly two years.

I need to regroup and try to shoot a good one tomorrow and be here for the weekend.” Unsurprisingly, McIlroy was seen battering drives down the range long after his round had concluded. There’s obviously a part of it that’s the user, as well. “They were testing drivers at Riviera but I just didn’t even want to take the chance. “That’s the reason the score is what it is.” McIlroy said: “I went to that new driver in Riviera, and it’s just not … After all, a bounce is precisely what McIlroy needs during round two in order to survive for the weekend.

Chad Ramey didn't look like a PLAYERS Championship rookie on Thursday as he cruised around TPC Sawgrass in a flawless 8-under 64 to take the lead after the ...

Hardest hole: Two holes later, the par-4 18th hole was the most difficult hole of the first round, playing to a stroke average of 4.36. After a double bogey to start, he made birdie on his second hole and felt like he was able to get back into the round on the par-5 16th hole (his seventh of the day), but he three-putted for par. 9, the longest hit on any hole Thursday. 363: The distance of Cameron Young’s drive on No. Andre Stolz made 11 on 18 during the second round in 2005. and the second round will begin as scheduled. 10: The number of strokes it took Aaron Wise to complete the 18th hole after hitting three balls in the water off the tee. His putting held him back immensely as he lost nearly 2.5 strokes on the greens. [Rory Has Work to Do](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2023/03/09/rory-mcilroy-struggles-to-opening-round-76-at-the-players-championship-tpc-sawgrass__;!!EuSotcx3mN0!MPqVqvvzDFl8hAEierKFWTqX0tmxXr0ZtYFNj4IauxGqGBuodKgqpbsV19F087OF4k7urGxH0nZR51rlO22nGe0$): Not much went right for the world No. Ramey led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining more than five strokes on the greens. He then made birdie on the 18th hole, making him the only player in PLAYERS history to go 1-3 on 17 and 18. The 30-year-old from Mississippi, who won the 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship, birdied six of his first 11 holes to sprint out of the blocks, then birdied Nos.

Keep up to date with everything happening at TPC Sawgrass with our live coverage from The Players Championship.

Chad Ramey and his beard own the opening-round lead at the 2023 Players Championship.

Tony Finau usually goes with a goatee, which is just spitting in the face of whatever god is the god of facial hair. Of course, there are more important matters to attend to: Ramey became a father last week, and was looking forward to face-timing his newborn son after the round. You have to have a lot of flannel in your closet with a beard like that. Sahith Theegala and Jon Rahm have had beards in the past but are currently rocking manicured stubble, and that’s a damn shame to keep beasts so beautiful locked in a cage. “Obviously golf is a lot less important now, and you never know, maybe that's why I played better today," Ramey said. It’s at first intimidating but then comforting, like the gruff, crusty nextdoor neighbor with a heart of gold who wakes up before daylight during blizzards to snowplow the neighborhood cul-de-sac. He’s also mired in a sophomore slump; entering this week he had missed the cut—and to be clear, we’re talking about competition, not shaving—at seven of nine full-field events, and he finished 38th out of the 38-player field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. It is worthy only of men who can accomplish great feats of labor, like truck drivers and steelworkers and the pioneers who brought the spirit of Manifest Destiny to fruition. Sawgrass is notoriously unkind to first-timers, yes, and also the inaccurate. Apparently his fear of blades does not just apply to his face. Ramey is making his tournament debut and had never seen the course until Monday. Full and thick and jet black, the love child of a Just For Men model and Civil War general.

Golf star hits THREE drives into the water in a row in all-time meltdown on brutal hole.

He closed his round with an eight-over 80, one of three players on that mark. He finished with a three-over seven – part of a horror 10-over 82 that left him 144th and dead last after the first day. [How LIV lost its ‘pulse’ in golf’s ugly civil war as Norman faces truth he can’t escape](https://www.foxsports.com.au/golf/tiger-woods-ex-accuses-him-of-shocking-act-claims-shes-due-30-million/news-story/d066bd3eedd153402de4baf17d2c64be) [Tiger Woods’ private life is ‘about to take another beating’. But even if you avoid the water and get through that test unscathed – no mean feat to be sure – the next hole is arguably even tougher. But he hit THREE tee shots straight into the water on the 18th, before overcompensating by hitting his fourth attempt into the rough and the trees. Aussie Lucas Herbert fell victim to its brutality in a tough opening round, hitting the water with his first tee shot, before finding the rough on the right in his second attempt before firing his next into a tree branch.

The 2023 Players Championship is officially underway with a relatively unknown on top. Chad Ramey fired a bogey free 8-under 64 on Thursday to command the ...

- 11:50 a.m. - 7:56 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. - 7:34 a.m. - 7:23 a.m. - 7:12 a.m. - 7:01 a.m. - 6:50 a.m. All times Eastern Both Scheffler and Rahm look to apply pressure on Ramey with strong Friday showings while McIlroy attempts to climb towards the cutline from 4 over at 12:56 p.m. Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa was terrific in the first round en route to a 7-under 65. Chad Ramey fired a bogey free 8-under 64 on Thursday to command the solo lead.

Chad Ramey, playing in his first Players Championship, had a one-shot lead over two-time major champ Collin Morikawa after the opening round Thursday.

[Kelly Kraft](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/6689/kelly-kraft) hit two into the water on his way to a quadruple-bogey 7. [Taylor Pendrith](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9658/taylor-pendrith) and [Ben Griffin](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/440499/ben-griffin) were at 67, while [Justin Suh](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/10583/justin-suh) also was at 5 under with three holes to finish before darkness suspended play. [Scottie Scheffler](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9478/scottie-scheffler) led the group at 68. He was part of the marquee group that featured the top three players in the world -- [Jon Rahm](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9780/jon-rahm) at No. [Rory McIlroy](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/3470/rory-mcilroy) had his highest score in just over a year. The 17th hole had a front pin, typically not seen until Saturday's round, and delivered plenty of excitement, good and bad. But he followed with an eagle on the 11th and added three other birdies to get back to 72. I'm not even in the top 10.' That's just the way this tournament has been for me," he said. His signature shot was a 4-iron to 3 feet for eagle on the par-5 second hole, his 11th of the day, and it came during an eight-hole stretch he played in 6-under par. [Hayden Buckley](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/436475/hayden-buckley) made an ace on the famed island green at the 17th, a hole he had only seen on TV until he arrived this week for his Players Championship debut. [Aaron Wise](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/10577/aaron-wise) lost four balls in a span of two holes -- in the water on the 17th and then three straight tee shots in the drink left of the 18th fairway, where he closed with a 10, one short of the record for highest score on the closing hole. He believes he belongs and can beat anyone, even the strongest field of the year so far.

The Northern Irishman had arrived at the PGA Tour's flagship event seeking a return to the world number one spot, but little went right for him on day one after ...

"The Island Green" -- three words that have struck fear into the hearts of even the most talented golfers.

The fairytale continued as Buckley birdied the subsequent par-four, making him the first player on record at The Players Championship to follow up a hole-in-one at the 17th with a birdie at the 18th, according to the PGA Tour. 107 and is chasing his first PGA Tour title, it marked the second hole-in-one of his PGA Tour career following his first at the Shriners Children’s Open in 2021 – coincidentally, also at the 17th hole. For Buckley, who arrived in Florida as world No.

Rory McIlroy went straight from the final green to the driving range after slumping to an opening round of 76 at The Players Championship.

The intimidating sight of Collin Morikawa is looming large in Ramey’s mirrors. “I hit a really good shot out of the pine straw there and didn’t capitalise on that, and making bogey on one and bogey on three … - T6. - T3. - 2. - 1.

Until this week, journeyman Chad Ramey had never before played the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass but certainly found it to his liking, ...

"It's probably about like I thought it would be." "I believe I can beat them," said Ramey who welcomed his first child last week. "It kind of means you care. "Not easy. "I might have made it look that way but it wasn't easy at all. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story

American Hayden Buckley has yet to taste victory on the PGA Tour, but celebrated his second hole-in-one, with an ace at The Players Championship at TPC ...

Chad Ramey managed to avoid stress and bogeys Thursday at The Players, making him an unlikely leader in the opening round.

Kelly Kraft hit two into the water on his way to a quadruple-bogey 7. But he followed with an eagle on the 11th and added three other birdies to get back to 72. The 17th hole had a front pin, typically not seen until Saturday’s round, and delivered plenty of excitement, good and bad. His signature shot was a 4-iron to 3 feet for eagle on the par-5 second hole, his 11th of the day, and it came during an eight-hole stretch he played in 6-under par. He has missed the cut in five of his last seven appearances. I’m not even in the top 10.’ That’s just the way this tournament has been for me,” he said. He was part of the marquee group that featured the top three players in the world — Jon Rahm at No. Otherwise, it was an eclectic mix of players at 69 or better, which is not unusual for the Players Stadium Course. 1 had a 71 and McIlroy is at No. He believes he belongs and can beat anyone, even the strongest field of the year so far. “The game has felt really close,” Ramey said. Rory McIlroy had his highest score in just over a year.

Collin Morikawa roared out the gates Thursday morning at TPC Sawgrass, firing a bogey free 7-under 65 to sit one stroke off Chad Ramey's lead. Coming into this ...

Spieth got it going on the second nine with one of the filthiest shots of the day on No. got a taste of Spieth's manic way of life (on the course). But interesting to see him point to that when his work on the greens seems to be a more consistent concern in recent weeks. Driving the ball well is almost always a prerequisite to playing good golf at this championship, but that's going to be especially true this time around, it seems. "I feel like this is as penal as I've seen it out of the rough for a long time," said McIlroy. Data Golf noted that Morikawa is one of the best in the world at pairing a great putting week with a great ball-striking week, which is what it looks like he's going to do this week. Lee, who owns the most scintillating mustache in all of sports, shared the lead for a bit before kicking it away with bogeys at the last two holes. This is a microcosm of his wisdom, but add it up over 18 or 72 holes -- and combine it with his ball-striking talent -- and you start to see why he wins so many golf tournaments. On Thursday, Morikawa gained right at a stroke on the greens, but he led the field in iron play and tee-to-green play overall. "I would say, for the most part, I'm back to playing how I used to." The stat that gets cited (that I've cited) during runs of good play like this is his putting prowess. Yet he is not the only young major champion to play himself into the mix at the PGA Tour's flagship event as the reigning Player of the Year has as well.

The Island Green at TPC Sawgrass is an iconic hole. Here's how it became the world's most famous.

Chad Ramey had a one-shot lead over two-time major champion Collin Morikawa in mild conditions, while Canada's Taylor Pendrith was in a three-way tie ...

@TaylorPendrith (-5)
T3. @Just_Suh (thru 15)
T6. @Collin_Morikawa (-7)
T3. @ChadRamey2 (-8)
2. @BenGriffinGolf
T3. Xander Schauffele was a runner-up in his debut (four shots behind) and then missed the cut in his next three appearances. pic.twitter.com/Bg1DyHIr7Y— Leaderboard after Thursday @THEPLAYERSChamp ⬇️

1. He has missed the cut in five of his last seven appearances. He was part of the marquee group that featured the top three players in the world — Jon Rahm at No. His signature shot was a four-iron to three feet for eagle on the par-five second hole, his 11th of the day, and it came during an eight-hole stretch he played in six-under par. He believes he belongs and can beat anyone, even the strongest field of the year so far.

Until this week, the journeyman Ramey had never before played the Stadium Course at Florida's TPC Sawgrass, but he certainly found it to his liking.

On a fiery TPC Sawgrass course with treacherous greens, Morikawa went out and shot a bogey-free opening-round 65. His seven-under total left him one shot behind ...

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. 8:51 a.m. 8:40 a.m. [PGA Tour Live on ESPN+](https://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/3208296/931309/9070), which will have exclusive coverage beginning at 6:45 a.m. 7:12 a.m. 7:01 a.m. 6:50 a.m. You can stream the second round of the Players Championship via [PGA Tour Live on ESPN+](https://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/3208296/931309/9070) beginning at 6:45 a.m. ET on Friday. Pricing may vary. His seven-under total left him one shot behind first-round leader Chad Ramey. [Rickie Fowler](https://golf.com/news/rickie-fowler-tpc-scottsdales-16th-crowd/) and [Adam Scott](https://golf.com/gear/irons/adam-scott-miura-irons-players-championship/).

World No. 1 golfer Jon Rahm was the favorite to win entering the tournament. It would be Rahm's first TPC title.

The Players Championship will be broadcast on NBC and Golf Channel. 1 Live stream Stream Rahm's fourth PGA Tour win of the season would be his best yet. His highest finish came in 2009, when he tied for ninth. Last year's event was especially unforgiving; he finished tied for 55th. 10 Rahm has yet to win the Players Championship in his career. 1 golfer Jon Rahm entered first-round play as the tournament favorite.

Turnover is the main theme, seeing as no player has ever defended their title at the PGA Tour's flagship event, which has been held annually at TPC Sawgrass in ...

Away from professional golf two years ago, Ben Griffin launched an early challenge for the leaderboard at the Players Championship in 2023.

From March to August 2021, he said, he placed his golf career on hold to work as a loan officer in the mortgage industry. “My ball got stuck in a tree, just short of the green on No. Ben Griffin looks on during the second round of the 2023 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. And although he’s not yet a household name, he has been steadily climbing his way up the leaderboard. One who, as of the week’s start, didn’t even have a Wikipedia page. Following a bumpy start with bogeys on two of his first four holes, Nos.

Rahm is the No. 1 ranked player in the Sports Illustrated World Golf Rankings, and did not tee off to begin his second round.

Rahm has been on an absolute tear this year, winning three times in his seven starts on the PGA Tour and rising to World No. 1 with a victory at the Genesis ...

Jon Rahm, who shot a 1-under 71 in the first round at the Players Championship, withdrew from the event Saturday because of a stomach illness.

McIlroy was 4 over after the first round and was in danger of missing the cut. 1 ranking if he finishes in the top five, according to the OWGR. According to the OWGR, McIlroy or Scheffler would move to No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking if he plays well this weekend. [Rory McIlroy](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/3470/rory-mcilroy) and [Scottie Scheffler](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9478/scottie-scheffler) for the second straight day. It ended his streak of 10 straight top-10 finishes in worldwide starts and was his worst finish since tying for 55th at the Genesis Scottish Open in July.

Jon Rahm was announced as a late WD ahead of his second round tee time Friday at TPC Sawgrass.

A victory this week would have given Rahm the most wins this early in a tour year since Jack Burke, Jr. Rahm had entered TPC Sawgrass on a heater, winning three times and finishing T-7 or better in six of seven starts this season. 1 player in the world was announced as a late WD ahead of his second round tee time Friday at TPC Sawgrass.

Rahm, the No. 1 golfer in the world, left the field before the start of Round 2 at TPC Sawgrass.

It is still unknown where Rahm will tee it up next, but conventional wisdom would suggest the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in two weeks. Rahm entered the week having won three times already in 2023. The Spaniard opened his Players Championship with a 71 and sat only seven strokes off pace of first-round leader Chad Ramey.

Jon Rahm withdrew from the Players Championship before the start of his second round Friday with an illness, the PGA Tour said.

The new “ [designated events](https://golf.com/news/the-players-meeting-media-mvp-tpc-sawgrass-family-rogers-report/)” format has arrived to much controversy at the Tour, though Rahm took his pre-tournament press conference to voice his support of the changes. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow. [WD’d from the Players Championship](https://twitter.com/jamescolgan26/status/1634246093658632192) due to illness, ending his run at the PGA Tour’s flagship event before the start of his second round. [What channel is the Players Championship on? Now, Rahm will watch from home as the Tour hands out its largest-ever purse at its fourth designated event since debuting the new format. “I haven’t had anybody coming to me disappointed about the changes, but a lot of people don’t like change at first,” Rahm said.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jon Rahm, the top-ranked player in the world ranking and FedExCup, withdrew before the second round of THE PLAYERS.

Rahm has finished in the top 10 in six of his seven starts this season, including his three wins. One member of the trio of Rahm, Scheffler and McIlroy has held the No. Friday with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in a group comprised of the top three players in the world ranking.

Big stakes and big money will be on the line at the PGA Tour's flagship event.

The top 41 finishers of the Players Championship will collect at least six figures with the eventual winner taking home $4.5 million. The size of the purse at the 2023 Players Championship cannot be overlooked. Totaling $25 million, it fund will surely be on the minds of players in the waning moments of this championship as those who have quality showings at TPC Sawgrass will be taken care of handsomely even if they are to leave without a trophy.

World No. 1 Jon Rahm withdrew from the Players Championship before Friday's second round, citing stomach illness.

It also marks the end of the Tour’s longest streak of making the 36-hole cut at 25, dating to the Fortinet Championship in September 2021. He was scheduled to tee off along with No. 1 with a victory at the Genesis Invitational last month.

Will Gordon, Jason Day and Viktor Hovland have also completed 36 holes and are all at 4 under. First-round leader Chad Ramey is early in his second round.

Take a little bit off of it, and then the wind kind of switches more left to right and almost into, and I didn't hit the best of shots, but I thought for sure it was going to be on the green, just a little short right. On Friday he made five birdies and is in contention. Yeah, barely covered, hit the planks and barely stayed on the green, so it was a little too much drama there.” He’s a 4 under and only two shots off the clubhouse lead. 1 had already moved from 112 to 43 in the OWGR and is 20th in FedExCup standings. I'm just happy to be in the position that I'm in to make a charge this weekend and hopefully finish on top.” Hovland said: “When we were standing on 17, the wind was down and off the left, so I just figured I don't even need to hit a full 50-degree. His ball bounced hard off the bulkhead in front of the green, went flying high into the air and ended in the fringe in the back of the green a foot from the water. He was cruising in his second round, standing on the 18th tee 3 under on the day, but he blew his drive on the last hole well right, had to punch out and made double bogey. Ben Griffin is the leader in the clubhouse after shooting 71 in the morning wave Friday at THE PLAYERS. [Rahm WDs Before Round 2](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2023/03/10/jon-rahm-withdraws-from-the-players-championship-due-to-illness-fedexcup-world-no-1__;!!EuSotcx3mN0!PrGp6595726NKLY7d6JYcrkB1iCy_ycbSRKUasPVz7AaXBOqrt4HPHFHoNq_1XpRhYxG3hqcxhW6PwvoPb6i8-Y$): The world No. I'm not going to be the first guy to make a double there,” Griffin said.

Five trips to the water turned into a pair of quintuple bogeys Friday at the Players Championship for Lucas Herbert, who shot an 85.

At No. He previously appeared at the Players in 2022, making the cut but ending in a tie for 68th with a 7-over 295. Playing five from the tee, he hit the rough left, chipped on and two-putted for an 8. Though the conditions were largely favorable for the first two rounds, the course still inflicted a few disasters. According to Players Championship media guide records, Herbert’s 167 is the highest two-round score for a player missing the cut since Mike Brisky shot 170 in 2000. He finished with a second-round 85 to follow his opening 82, a total score of 23 over par.

The Players Championship favourite and world number one Jon Rahm withdrew from the tournament ahead of his second round on Friday in Ponte Vedra Beach, ...

The Spaniard, who entered the week having finished in the top 10 in six of his seven starts on the PGA Tour this season, had been scheduled to tee off at 12:56 (1756 GMT) alongside fellow major champions Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. March 10 (Reuters) - The Players Championship favourite and world number one Jon Rahm withdrew from the tournament ahead of his second round on Friday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, due to illness. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story

World number 51 Herbert's opening round was already tough, with a triple bogey on the final hole seeing him card an 10-over 82. His second round at TPC Sawgrass ...

He carded five birdies on the day to go with three bogeys. And his scorecard could have been worse, if not for a birdie on his final hole of the day. Remarkably, it wasn’t the worst round of the day, with American Max McGreevy hitting a 17-over 89. He shot a fine 68 in the first round and backed it up well, moving into third on six-under overall through 15 holes when play was stopped. That included sending another three balls into the water. Luckily, there’s better news for some other Aussies.

Utahn and PGA Tour golfer Tony Finau opened his play at THE PLAYERS Championship with a Day 1 round above par for the course.

“We got to know the crew because it was the same people. “They were everywhere,” Finau said. Finau is a five-time PGA Tour champion and has finished in the top five of each of golf’s major championships. Adam Svensson (-4) He finished the opening day shooting one over par for a score of 73. The tournament runs from Thursday, March 9 to Sunday, March 12.

What are the odds?! @JordanSpieth's tee shot was heading into the water before his ball hit a fan and ricocheted back in the fairway. It likely would have made ...

I said, ‘It’s really easy to make a quick double here.' And I ended up doubling the hole. He tied the record for worst score set by Michael Campbell in the first round in 2003. Lucas Herbert of Australia already had quite the adventure in the opening round when he shot 82. He was 20 shots worse on Friday (Saturday NZT), when he tied the Players Championship record at the TPC Sawgrass. Jason Day, who has quietly worked his way back into the top 50 in the world, played alongside Herbert. Day felt badly for both of them, but tried to keep his focus. He chipped to a foot for birdie on the closing hole to break 90. And then it was in the fairway. Instead, he got a break he never imagined on Friday (Saturday NZT) at The Players Championship. Hovland three-putted for bogey on the eighth. Spieth was just trying to avoid missing the cut. Viktor Hovland finished his opening round on Thursday (Friday NZT) with four birdies on his last five holes.

When the horn blew Friday afternoon, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Adam Svensson sat atop the leaderboard at the Players Championship.

The second round will resume at 7 a.m. 2 (currently on No. 5 (currently on No. 13 and 1, and a quadruple-bogey at the par-3 17th thanks to two balls in the water. Collin Morikawa, who entered the second round one shot behind Ramey, is 1 over through 11 holes and now sits at 6 under. 11 and 12 — his second and third of the day — but came back to Earth with bogeys on Nos.

After a rain delay sent the PGA Tour careening toward yet another Saturday cut, Tour officials addressed another week of slow play.

“We warn them and we time them to keep the rack tight together.” The numbers are the numbers. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow. But those warnings, some of which have resulted in players being placed on the slow play “clock,” haven’t yielded faster playing averages, and they haven’t moved the Tour any closer to reaching a traditional Friday evening cutline. [a considerable competitive advantage](https://golf.com/news/players-championship-frigid-sunday-advantage/) over those in the second wave thanks to that week’s weather. That’s just the way it is. “We try to maximize the starts for our members. The Players was destined for a The caddies moseyed up the fairways, pausing to gaze at the tee box ahead of them, and the one ahead of that. PGA Tour chief referee Gary Young addressed pacing concerns after play was called for the day. This tournament has remained within the historical averages, Young said, even if things have slowed as the day wore on. The weather meant they never had a chance, anyway.

Round 3 of THE PLAYERS Championship begins Saturday as the best players in the world descend on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course. Round 2 was suspended due to ...

Featured Holes: 8:15 a.m.-1 p.m. Featured Holes: 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Featured Groups: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Featured Groups: 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Marquee: 8:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Marquee: 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Featured Hole: 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Featured Group: 1 p.m.-6 p.m. ET And that's just to name a few. Players will tee off in threesomes from both the first and third holes at 10:40 a.m. local time on Friday and will resume Saturday morning at 7 a.m.

Into the weekend and suspended Round 2 play at the 2023 PLAYERS Championship, and some surprise huge longshots are on top of the leaderboard.

Based on the adjusted [golf odds](https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/golf) to win, Saturday’s moving day will produce more lead changes at the top of the leaderboard. Those odds will change through the remainder of the tournament, and [live betting](https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/live) provides additional ways to cash in when betting to win. 3 and 2019 PLAYERS champion Rory McIlroy (+6) has some major work to do on his final 8-holes for Round 2 early Saturday if he plans to make the cut and continue. 9 Justin Thomas (+2) is finished and will have to wait around to find out if he plays the weekend. I wasn't swinging my best, but I made two nice birdies toward the end of the round and then obviously the delay will hurt a little, but start back up in the morning. 10 Collin Morikawa (-6) lead the field at the PLAYERS in strokes gained approach and greens in regulation. Huge longshots are at the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend at THE PLAYERS, and [ leading online sportsbooks](https://www.forbes.com/betting/sports-betting/best-online-sportsbook/) have updated and adjusted the odds to win and other prop bets. That could change to +2 with the completion of Round 2 on Saturday. Griffin is making the most of opportunities and support from others to make it on the PGA Tour. [PLAYERS Championship](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jayginsbach/2023/03/06/golf-odds-picks-and-props-2023-the-players-championship-betting-preview/?sh=563b41925f3c) for the second straight year due to weather conditions. Griffin was bogey-free through 17 holes in Round 2 before a double-bogey on 18 dropped him 2-shots off the lead. However, a rough finish on his second nine (front) included a double-bogey on No.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Chad Ramey became the only player to reach double digits under par at The Players Championship. The TPC Sawgrass, as usual, ...

But instead of going into water — it was so far right the water typically isn't in play — it hit a spectator in the leg and bounced back to the fairway. That depends on the pace of play, and some of that depends on Sawgrass. Hovland was at 4-under 140 along with Will Gordon (67) and the resurgent Jason Day (70), a former world No. McIlroy, meanwhile, took a double bogey on the sixth hole and was at 6 over for the tournament. But then he ran into trouble over his final seven holes and had to settle for a 71. Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa and Adam Svensson of Canada shared the lead at 8-under par, both doing what it takes to stay in front on this course.