Players Championship 2026 LIVE: Tee times, field, prize money and leaderboard as injured McIlroy defends at Sawgrass

Rory McIlroy will do battle with Scottie Scheffler at the flagship $25million Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass this week.

The world’s top two golf stars have won the last three Players titles between them and will both be eyeing glory again at the famous course.

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McIlroy, who will feature despite withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to a back issue, scooped the $4.5m winner’s cheque last season, beating JJ Spaun in a three-hole play-off.

Before that, Scheffler won it back-to-back, blasting the field away in 2023 before shooting a Sunday 64 to race up the leaderboard and win a year later.

The Players is the unofficial fifth major of the season and signals the true start of the golfing season ahead of The Masters in April.

The Players 2025: Date and how to follow

The 2026 Players will run from Thursday, March 12 to Sunday, March 15.

It is being held at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass which is a par 72 and will measure 7,352 yards in length.

Play will begin at 11:40am UK time over the opening two days.

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The event will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK. 

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The Players 2026: Field and tee times 

The field for this event will be made up of 123 players before the cut on Friday night.

McIlroy and Scheffler will headline the event despite struggling with fitness and form respectively.

Other top-ranked players include Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa, Chris Gotterup and Russell Henley.

Europe’s Ryder Cup stars Robert MacIntyre, Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick will also be teeing it up.

Former Players champion Justin Thomas is back in action following his return from injury and Brooks Koepka is in the field.

The full field, tee times and grouping for the opening two days have been announced.

McIlroy, if passed fit to play, will tee off on Thursday at 5:42pm GMT and has been grouped with Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama.

Scheffler is alongside Fleetwood and Thomas for the opening two days and will get going at 12:52pm on the opening day.

The latest leaderboard from Florida can be found here.

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The Players 2026: What has been said? 

Players Executive Director, Lee Smith, has told talkSPORT.com what makes the PGA Tour’s Flagship event so unique.

Smith said: “Part of what makes The Players Stadium Course special is that it favours no one style of play, which is why we’ve seen players like Calvin Peete and Fred Funk capture the title, as well as long-hitters like Tiger, Rory and Scottie.

“When I look at No. 17, it’s the most iconic hole in golf, and I define that as one that any person in a bar, at home, on their phone, could look up and see and instantly know that’s TPC Sawgrass.

“The defining moment that hole provides – not just on Sunday but all week – speaks to the excitement of the moment, our fans holding their breath, and each player being terrified over a 140-yard shot they could hit in their sleep – if it wasn’t for the 10,000 fans and full body of water around the green.

“I love the fact that it’s the 71st hole in The Players and if you want to win this championship, it’s time to hit a great shot.”

Meanwhile, McIlroy said he was taking it ‘hour by hour’ before deciding whether to defend his Players title at Sawgrass due to a back problem.

He said: “It’s better. It’s better than it was. I hit up until a six-iron on the range there and it felt OK.

“I’ve got about, I don’t know, is it 20 hours until I tee-off, or until I’m supposed to tee-off (on Thursday)? So, yeah, we’ll see. I’m taking it sort of hour by hour. But it feels better. That’s all I can say.

“I couldn’t stand to address the ball on Saturday morning on the range at Bay Hill, and it’s obviously better than that.

“So, yeah, probably a game-time decision, but all indications are pointing in the right direction, so hopefully a good night tonight. The drugs are working wonders, and then just keep it going from there.”