The Players Championship: 5 best pairings for first two days, ranked

The Players Championship is upon us and promises to be an incredible week. Golf’s unofficial fifth major… on an iconic course… it is hard not to be overly excited.

Here are the top five groups to remember as things get underway in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida on Thursday morning.

5. Wyndham Clark, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Last week, this particular author picked Wyndham Clark to win, and I felt good through the first two rounds. Sometimes the weekend just gets you.

Clark can win at Ponte Vedra, but so can Jason Day if we go off of recent results. Day was fantastic at Bay Hill.

Jordan Spieth is obviously who he is and perhaps the most interesting part of this group. How will he play after whining about not getting an exemption to the API? He has a lot of cashing of checks to do, so to speak.

First Round on Thursday at 8:46 a.m.*

Second Round on Friday at 1:51 p.m.

4. Russell Henley, Shane Lowry and Viktor Hovland

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Speaking of Russell Henley!

He’ll play his first rounds after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational with Shane Lowry and Viktor Hovland. This could be a peek at some Ryder Cup moments for Henley as he is currently slated to make the team and both Lowry and Hovland are likely locks for the European side. The former has been in solid form here lately, but the latter is still searching for something.

This is a solid group as well.

First Round on Thursday at 8:35 a.m. ET*

Second Round on Friday at 1:40 p.m. ET

3. Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott and Tommy Fleetwood

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This group would have a totally different feel if Collin Morikawa hadn’t thrown away a victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. But he got Russell Henley’d on the 16th hole and has no one to blame but himself.

Morikawa will have to watch the prettiest swing in golf in Adam Scott for the tournament’s first two days, but the sneaky name to watch is the third leg of this tripod in Tommy Fleetwood. The Englishman is playing solid golf and is always a name to watch to shock and awe.

First Round on Thursday at 1:40 p.m. ET

Second Round on Friday at 8:35 a.m. ET

2. Ludvig Åberg, Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Sometimes we forget things quickly in golf and we need to remember that Ludvig Åberg was all the rage just a few weeks ago after winning at the Genesis Invitational. His time appears to be arriving.

Åberg will play alongside Hideki Matsuyama, also a winner this season, and Justin Thomas, which will make for a great way to start the morning of the first round.

First Round on Thursday at 8:24 a.m. ET*

Second Round on Friday at 1:29 p.m. ET

1. Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

This is the cream of the crop. You have the two-time defending champion of the event, who just so happens to be the number one golfer in the world. Plus, he is coming off of the most dominant season that anyone has seen since peak Tiger Woods. It is a good time to be Scottie Scheffler.

Next to him is Xander Schauffele; between him and Scottie, three of last year’s four major victories are accounted for. Not to be outdone, Rory McIlroy rounds out the group — he damn near captured the other major in the U.S. Open.

Put simply, this is the group.

First Round on Thursday at 1:29 p.m. ET

Second Round on Friday at 8:24 a.m. ET

Honorable Mention: Maverick McNealy, Brian Harman and Tony Finau

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

We limited our selection to five groups, but this one also stood out to me.

Tony Finau is always fun to watch and Maverick McNealy came close to winning just a couple of weeks ago. We should not forget that Brian Harman is a major champion in his own right… this group is hardly robust with star power, but it should provide for some quality golf.

First Round on Thursday at 8:13 a.m.*

Second Round on Friday at 1:18 p.m.

Tee Times for Rounds 1 and 2 of The Players Championship:

Here is the complete tee sheet for the 2025 Players Championship, which features a 144-man field going off of split tees: