The 15th hole, a year after it played to a record-high scoring average of 5.137 in the second round, was only slightly easier in Thursday’s opening round of this Masters, yielding a 5.121 clip.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
McIlroy (67): Desire to win the Masters still very much there
Just because he's won the Masters doesn't mean Rory McIlroy doesn't want — badly — to win it again. He talks after his opening-round 67 at Augusta National.
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Scottie Scheffler made his Players Championship debut on Monday, taking practice shots on the range at TPC Sawgrass. Golf Channel is Live from The Players Championship to access how the world’s top-ranked player has looked recently and what expectations are for him entering the year’s “fifth major.”
Akshay Bhatia was brilliant on and around the greens in winning the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Penske looks inside the numbers in how he got it done.
Bay Hill was a beast at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Whoop showed some increased heart rates this past week from the likes of Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy.
The PGA Tour’s official weather report for Thursday calls for a 70% of rain as a cold front is expected to move through, though Justin Thomas, a weather optimist, thinks it’ll be fine.
Akshay Bhatia captured his third PGA Tour victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, riding an unstoppable short game as showcased in this Callaway Speed Run focus.
Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis got an update from Rory McIlroy on the set of Live from The Players Championship. The world’s No. 2-ranked player told Lewis his back was still giving him trouble and that he would take Monday and Tuesday to rehab it at home. McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday before his third round.
Rory McIlroy’s back is being “stubborn” and might prevent him from playing a practice round ahead of his Players Championship title defense.
The Players Championship might not officially be a major, but a loaded field converges on TPC Sawgrass this week for the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
The 2026 Players Championship starts Thursday at TPC Sawgrass. Oddsmakers have several prop markets covering the first round. Here are some recommended plays.
Scottie Scheffler enters The Players Championship as the prohibitive favorite to win for a third time. Defending champion Rory McIlroy’s odds is coming off a withdrawal at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Here’s how the back injury impacts his outlook this week at TPC Sawgrass.