Justin Thomas’ hot start at The Players Championship 2026 shifts Friday plans
Justin Thomas began his week at TPC Sawgrass by making birdies on his first three holes and finishing Thursday with a 68, putting him at four under. The players championship 2026 moves to its second round on Friday, March 13, and Thomas will switch from a 10th-tee start to a 1st-tee, afternoon start that pairs him with Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood.
Justin Thomas at TPC Sawgrass: comeback in motion
Thomas missed the start of the 2026 PGA Tour season while recovering from back surgery and his first start back at the Arnold Palmer Invitational produced back-to-back 79s and a missed cut. At TPC Sawgrass, he made an immediate run Thursday morning with birdies on holes 10 through 12 and closed with a 68, tying him for second at four under. He began on the 10th tee in Round 1 and will begin Round 2 on the 1st tee.
Round 2 start times and coverage for The Players Championship 2026
Round 2 of The Players Championship 2026 begins Friday, March 13, on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Thomas tees off at 1: 42 pm ET in a trio with Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood. Broadcast windows list Golf Channel from 1-7 pm ET and early streaming coverage on PGA Tour Live on + beginning at 7: 30 am ET, with featured group and featured hole coverage scheduled later in the day.
The published groupings show a broad split across morning and afternoon waves. Early starters include Tom Hoge, Denny McCarthy and Nicolai Højgaard at 7: 40 am ET, followed by other morning trios such as Patrick Rodgers, Kevin Roy and Marco Penge at 7: 52 am ET, and Cameron Young, Davis Thompson and Sam Burns at 9: 04 am ET. Afternoon groups build toward the featured windows, with Max Homa, Daniel Berger and Michael Thorbjornsen scheduled at 12: 42 pm ET and Viktor Hovland, Russell Henley and Robert MacIntyre at 1: 54 pm ET.
TPC Sawgrass, weather and debate shaping the field
Weather forecasts and a long-running debate about the event’s stature are shaping how players approach the week. Forecasted conditions call for winds, rain and a potential storm on Thursday afternoon, creating a significant split between morning and afternoon starts and amplifying the advantage of early tee times. Morning starters historically gain smoother greens and calmer conditions; this week that pattern is expected to be more pronounced, with Saturday identified as the clearest scoring window and Sunday carrying a higher probability of rain and afternoon gusts.
Beyond weather, discussion about where this tournament sits in golf’s hierarchy continued this week. Brandel Chamblee argued that the event should be elevated to major status based on the strength of the field, noting there are no amateurs or club professionals at the event, only PGA Tour players. Rory McIlroy pushed back, calling himself a traditionalist and saying the sport has four major championships, while also praising the tournament as one of the best in the world for players and fans.
That debate frames how some view strong early rounds. For players like Thomas, a hot start at Sawgrass under shifting conditions can change a comeback narrative and influence how the week is remembered.
Back at the opening scene, Justin Thomas will return to the 1st tee Friday at 1: 42 pm ET alongside Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood, moving the players championship 2026 into a day shaped by television windows, streaming coverage and weather-driven scoring splits. For Thomas, the confirmed next development is clear: an afternoon Round 2 start that could define his return from back surgery at TPC Sawgrass.
