Golf’s unofficial fifth Major, The Players Championship, is coming up soon and a stellar field is expected to take centre-stage at TPC Sawgrass once again.
Australia’s Open champion Cameron Smith claimed glory at the iconic golf course at Ponte Vedra Beach last year as he held off challenges from Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey and Kevin Kisner.
However, Smith will not be back to try and defend his title as LIV Golf players have not been invited to The Players this year.
Instead, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm will be among those eyeing glory.
TPC Sawgrass is infamous the world over for its Island Green, the par-3 17th that has produced countless memorable moments over the years.
It will no doubt create more drama in the upcoming tournament as golf’s best gear up for the four Majors this summer.
The Players 2023: Date and start time
The Players will be held between Thursday, March 9 and Sunday, March 12 this year.
Play will begin at 11:45am UK time for the opening two rounds.
It will be held at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. The course will be a par 72 and will measure 7,189 yards in length.
There will be 144 players in the field before the cut on Friday night.
The Players 2023: How to follow
talkSPORT 2 will have live coverage of all four days from TPC Sawgrass.
The action will be shown live on Sky Sports Golf throughout the week too.
More information on how to follow the golf will be confirmed soon.
The Players 2023: Field and tee times
The Players is often hailed for having the most competitive field in golf with the top 50 players in the world rankings set to tee it up.
LIV Golf players have not been invited to the tournament meaning defending champion Smith will not take part.
Former Players champions Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson will also miss out.
The full field will be announced soon with the pairings and tee times for the opening two rounds to be confirmed on Tuesday, March 7.
The Players 2023: Leaderboard
The leaderboard will follow after the first day’s play.
Here’s how the final leaderboard looked at The Players last year as Smith claimed glory.
- 1. Cameron Smith −13
- 2. Anirban Lahiri −12
- 3. Paul Casey −11
- 4. Kevin Kisner −10
- 5. Keegan Bradley −9
- T6. Doug Ghim −8
- T6. Russell Knox -8
- T6. Harold Varner III -8
- T9. Adam Hadwin −7
- T9. Viktor Hovland -7
- T9. Dustin Johnson -7
- T9. Sepp Straka -7
The Players 2023: What has been said?
Adam Scott, the 2004 Players champion, says LIV Golfers like his fellow Aussie Smith knew they would sacrifice big events by leaving the PGA Tour.
He said: “They’ve made their decisions and some of those decisions… well, that decision may come with some sacrifice in the short or long-term.
“In the short-term it was sacrificing the ability to have world ranking points. If they didn’t know that, then they’re realising that’s the case at the moment.
“Cam also made these decisions, as did Marc Leishman and Matt Jones and any other Aussie who has gone on there. There may be some sacrifice.
“It seems like they’re OK with living with that, mostly.”
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News Summary:
- The Players Championship 2023 date: UK tee times, field and how to follow TPC Sawgrass action
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