Straka saved par seven times and chipped in for eagle late in his round Thursday to grab a share of the lead at The Players. Whether he remained atop the leaderboard would not be determined until Friday morning.
2026 Players Championship Thursday: Rory, Collin, Rex all playing hurt
In this edition of The Golf Channel podcast with Rex & Lav, the guys, live from TPC Sawgrass, discuss all of the happenings from the first round of The Players, including Collin Morikawa's untimely withdrawal, Rory McIlroy's return from injury and Scottie Scheffler's latest pedestrian round.
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SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Smylie recreates Players shot he saw firsthand by future champ
Smylie Kaufman played with Si Woo Kim in 2017 when Kim won The Players Championship, but not before hitting an electric driver off the deck on the 14th hole. Kaufman tries to recreate the shot.
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LATEST
Tiger Woods gave a health update Tuesday at the Genesis Invitational. When asked if the Masters was off the table, he had a succinct answer.
Woods said Tuesday at Riviera, site of this week’s Genesis Invitational, that the PGA of America has reached out to him about the captaincy, though no decision has been made.
Collin Morikawa’s coach Rick Sessinghaus joined “Golf Today” to talk about his student’s victory at Pebble Beach and the patience it took to end a 28-month drought. He also offered up some advice to amateurs.
Todd Lewis reports from the Genesis Invitational, where he talks about this week’s weather impact and changes made to the iconic Riviera Country Club venue.
The tournament announced that the par-4 17th hole will be extended 10 yards, from 440 to 450, increasing the total course yardage to 7,565 yards.
As part of its California Rises initiative, the Tour is re-launching its Birdies for Good campaign this week at Riviera.
The TGR Foundation is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. A proud Tiger Woods says the foundation is literally “changing the world,” more so than anything he could do on the course.
Jeeno Thitikul is competing this week in the Honda LPGA Thailand, her home country. Charley Hull, meanwhile, won last week in Saudi Arabia to add to her new trophy case. Beth Ann Nichols joins “Golf Today” with some LPGA news and notes.
The PGA Tour is looking for a way to take advantage of bigger markets and the summer schedule. The “Golf Today” team weighs in on what the Tour is eyeing and changes that could be coming.
Collin Morikawa won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a 22 under total. One noted instructor believes Pebble Beach might be too easy for the pros. The “Golf Today” team discusses.