5 big-name groups to watch this week at TPC Sawgrass

Fresh off an absolutely cracking finish at Bay Hill, the PGA TOUR rolls north to TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship.

The big-name events have delivered great drama so far this season, and a loaded field has taken shape once again for the annual trip around the historic layout.

With 43 of the top 50 players in the world set to tee it up, there are superstar groups all over the leaderboard. Here are five to keep an eye on this week (all times ET).

Group: Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy

Thursday: 7:56 a.m. off No. 10
Friday: 12:56 p.m. off No. 1

The biggest blockbuster trio on the course is Rahm, Scheffler, and McIlroy. The top three ranked players have been passing around the title of World No. 1 since July 18, 2021. Rahm currently holds the crown with Scheffler and McIlroy on his heels entering play this week. The three will be together for the opening two rounds in Florida, setting the stage for incredible viewing both days.

McIlroy claimed the PGA TOUR's crown jewel back in 2019, while Rahm and Scheffler have struggled in limited appearances at TPC Sawgrass. The Spaniard has one top-10 finish in five starts at the Players Championship, and Scheffler's experience is even more limited, with just two starts and one made cut.

Group: Max Homa, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth

Thursday: 12:56 p.m. off No. 1
Friday: 7:56 a.m. off No. 10

Get ready for the endless friend mentions and a look at the famous junior golf photo this week in the Thomas, Spieth, and Homa trio. Thomas and Spieth's friendship is well-documented in the golfing world and Homa is arguably the most well-liked player on the PGA TOUR. Despite what should be a collegial atmosphere in the group, all three are big threats to win at Sawgrass this week.

Thomas showed off his elite shotmaking ability down the stretch in a memorable victory here in 2021, and the 29-year-old will look to join a very exclusive six-man club of multiple winners of The Players Championship. Spieth was firmly in the mix to win last weekend at Bay Hill before his putter let him down over the closing stretch to finish tied for fourth. Homa has yet to post a top-10 finish in a major or The Players, but he is as hot as any golfer on TOUR heading into the week.

Group: Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala, Cameron Young

Thursday: 1:07 p.m. off No. 1
Friday: 8:07 a.m. off No. 10

Young American firepower is the best way to describe this explosive trio, with three rising stars looking for the biggest victory of their careers thus far. Burns, Theegala, and Young are three of the longer hitters on the PGA TOUR, and they're all under the age of 27.

TPC Sawgrass has not been kind to the youthful trio in limited action; Burns' tie for 26th last year is the only made cut in four combined appearances from the three stars. Young and Theegala both come in hot after finishing inside the top 15 last week at Bay Hill.

Group: Kurt Kitayama, Xander Schauffele, Will Zalatoris

Thursday: 12:45 p.m. off No. 1
Friday: 7:45 a.m. off No. 10

A win last week at Bay Hill placed Kitayama at a new level on the PGA TOUR and the 30-year-old finds himself in a big-name group alongside Schauffele and Zalatoris. Kitayama should be comfortable in his Players Championship debut playing with Schauffele, as the two frequently practice together back home in Las Vegas.

Schauffele burst onto the scene at Sawgrass in 2018 with a tie for second, but he's been foiled by the Pete Dye design since with three missed cuts. Zalatoris has appeared twice in the event with a 17th- and 26th-place standing to show for his work.

Group: Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler

Thursday: 7:45 a.m. off No. 10
Friday: 12:45 p.m. off No. 1

Morikawa was 5 years old when Scott made his debut at The Players Championship in 2002. Some 21 years later, the two are paired together alongside Fowler for the prestigious event. The Australian is making his 21st all-time appearance at The Players with one victory to his name in 2004. Fowler has also claimed the trophy at Sawgrass in dramatic fashion with his incredible shotmaking down the stretch in 2015.

Playing with past champions will give Morikawa some extra motivation as the two-time major winner looks to add a Players Championship to his already beefy resume. Morikawa has played the event just twice in his young career, with a tie for 41st his best showing.