Players Championship 2025 at TPC Sawgrass, third round tee times and pairings for Saturday
Despite not being a major, the event always attracts the biggest names in professional golf, leading to it being dubbed “the fifth major.”
We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2025 Players Championship as half the field progress with a cut of -1 marking the threshold.
Min Woo Lee of Australia and Akshay Bhatia upstaged the biggest names in the game as they surged into a tie for the second-round lead on another day of ideal conditions at a sunbathed and relatively calm TPC Sawgrass. Lee and Bhatia each fired 6-under-par 66s to post 11-under totals of 133 in the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
Gates will open Saturday, March 15, at 7:30 a.m.#THEPLAYERS
— THE PLAYERS (@THEPLAYERS) March 15, 2025
J.J. Spaun was alone in third one stroke back after carding a 68 while World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (68), two-time major champion Collin Morikawa (65) and Alex Smalley (67) were grouped at 9 under.
First-round leader Lucas Glover followed his opening 66 with a 70 to finish alongside Will Zalatoris (66) at 8 under, a stroke in front of Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (66) and Jake Knapp (68).
World No. 1 and reigning champion Scottie Scheffler, who is bidding for an unprecedented third successive Players victory, stood at 5 under after returning a 70.
The biggest fireworks of the day came from World No. 9 Justin Thomas, who rebounded from an opening 78 by equaling the tournament record of 62, first set by Tom Hoge in the third round of the 2023 edition. Thomas racked up a single-round record 11 birdies in a blistering display -- marred only by a bogey at the par-4 18th, where his second shot ended up in water.
“That was one of the best rounds I’ve played, for sure,” two-time PGA Championship winner Thomas told reporters after totaling only 24 putts. “Mentally, that was the biggest thing. I felt like I did an unbelievable job of just staying, keeping my eyes forward, keeping my blinders on, not looking backwards, forwards, anything like that. ... I putted the ball beautifully, too. Just one of those days.”
Day three tee times & pairings
8:25 a.m. — Shane Lowry, Danny Walker
8:35 a.m. — C.T. Pan, Justin Lower
8:45 a.m. — Tom Kim, Mac Meissner
8:55 a.m. — Daniel Berger, Xander Schauffele
9:05 a.m. — Rico Hoey, Jesper Svensson
9:15 a.m. — Aaron Rai, Sungjae Im
9:25 a.m. — Russell Henley, Corey Conners
9:35 a.m. — Matt Kuchar, Joel Dahmen
9:50 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, Keegan Bradley
10 a.m. — Matthieu Pavon, Camilo Villegas
10:10 a.m. — Byeong Hun An, Kurt Kitayama
10:20 a.m. — Ryan Fox, Denny McCarthy
10:30 a.m. — Hayden Springer, Will Chandler
10:40 a.m. — J.T. Poston, Chris Kirk
10:50 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, Tom Hoge
11 a.m. — Ryan Gerard, Joe Highsmith
11:15 a.m. — Jhonattan Vegas, Trey Mullinax
11:25 a.m. — Chandler Phillips, Si Woo Kim
11:35 a.m. — Isaiah Salinda, Sami Valimaki
11:45 a.m. — Sahith Theegala, Davis Thompson
11:55 a.m. — Davis Riley, Justin Thomas
12:05 p.m. — Cameron Young, Carson Young
12:15 p.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Bud Cauley
12:25 p.m. — Matt McCarty, Stephan Jaeger
12:40 p.m. — Max McGreevy, Beau Hossler
12:50 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Sam Ryder
1 p.m. — Taylor Moore, Rickie Fowler
1:10 p.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Scottie Scheffler
1:20 p.m. — Sepp Straka, Charley Hoffman
1:30 p.m. — Harris English, Billy Horschel
1:40 p.m. — Jacob Bridgeman, Emiliano Grillo
1:55 p.m. — Tommy Fleetwood, Jake Knapp
2:05 p.m. — Lucas Glover, Will Zalatoris
2:15 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Alex Smalley
2:25 p.m. — Rory McIlroy, J.J. Spaun
2:35 p.m. — Min Woo Lee, Akshay Bhatia
all times in ET
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
Complete your personal details to comment
Your opinion will be published with first and last names