Dustin Johnson has been grouped alongside fellow major champions Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa; Rory McIlroy begins title defence in a threeball with Webb Simpson and Sergio Garcia - watch live on Sky Sports The Players
Tuesday 9 March 2021 19:38, UK
Golf’s three most recent major champions have been grouped together for the first two rounds of The Players, while Rory McIlroy will go out alongside two other former TPC Sawgrass winners.
World No 1 Dustin Johnson, who claimed the Masters in record-breaking fashion in November, will headline the afternoon wave on the opening round as he tees it up alongside PGA champion Collin Morikawa and US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau at 6pm UK time (1pm ET).
Morikawa will make his first full appearance at the PGA Tour's flagship event, having seen his debut in the 2020 contest cancelled after the opening round due to Covid-19, while DeChambeau arrives looking for back-to-back PGA Tour wins after his success at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday.
World No 2 Jon Rahm is in a morning marquee group as he features with three-time major champion Jordan Spieth and Farmers Insurance Open winner Patrick Reed, while Justin Thomas has been put in a threeball with Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland.
2019 champion McIlroy, looking to become the first player to successfully defend his Players title, is also among the early starters on Thursday and goes out at 12.40pm UK time (7.40am ET) with 2018 winner Webb Simpson and 2008 champion Sergio Garcia.
Hideki Matsuyama, who held a two-shot lead when last year's contest was abandoned, goes out with Harris English and 2017 champion Si Woo Kim, while English duo Tyrrell Hatton and Paul Casey have been paired with world No 5 Xander Schauffele.
Phil Mickelson marks his first appearance outside the world's top 100 since 1993 in an all-American threeball with Tony Finau and Charles Howell III, with 48 of the world's top 50 set to tee it up in Florida this week.
Sky Sports' dedicated Players champion will have two Featured Groups from both sessions available to enjoy over the first two days, along with feeds of two additional groups, with all the extra coverage shown live via the red button.
Featured Groups (all times GMT)
Thursday
1229 Thomas, Hovland, Cantlay
1240 McIlroy, Simpson, Garcia
1749 Rahm, Reed, Spieth
1800 Johnson, DeChambeau, Morikawa
Friday
1229 Rahm, Reed, Spieth
1240 Johnson, DeChambeau, Morikawa
1749 Thomas, Hovland, Cantlay
1800 McIlroy, Simpson, Garcia
Watch the Players Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports' dedicated Players channel. Live coverage begin on Thursday from 11.30am on Sky Sports The Players and Sky Sports Main Event.
