The Players Championship 2020 Field: Thursday Tee Times for First Round at TPC Sawgrass

Brooks Koepka will play alongside Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm in the first two rounds of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

After sitting out three months at the end of last year due to a serious knee injury, Koepka lost the No. 1 spot in the world rankings to McIlroy.

The four-time major winner could regain top spot with a win at TPC Sawgrass, provided McIlroy finishes 45th or lower. That appears unlikely as in his three starts this year Koepka has finished tied for 43rd at the Genesis Invitational, missed the cut at the Honda Classic and finished tied for 47th last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

McIlroy, meanwhile, has been in an outstanding run of form since missing the cut at the Open Championship in July, with 10 top-10 finishes in his last 11 starts.

Not only are Koepka and McIlroy's forms at the opposite end of the spectrum, the former has never finished in the top-10 at TPC Sawgrass, while the latter has done so four times.

Depending on how McIlroy and Koepka perform, Rahm too could climb to the top of the world rankings, with a win or a solo second-place finish.

Claiming the No. 1 spot in the world rankings this weekend would be a fitting achievement for Rahm, who has enjoyed a solid run of form since squandering a third round lead at The Players 12 months ago.

The trio will tee off at 1:51 p.m. EDT, followed by Brandt Snedeker, last year's runner-up Jim Furyk and world No. 10 Tommy Fleetwood.

Matt Kuchar, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia will also tee off from the first tee, taking the course at 1:29 p.m. EDT, followed by Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele.

Justin Thomas, the bookmaker's third-favorite, will begin the tournament at 8:46 a.m. EDT from tee No. 10 along with Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth.

The trio will preceded, by Patrick Reed, Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama at 8:24 a.m. ED, with Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson following 10 minutes later.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of Thursday.

Selected tee times (All times EDT)

Tee No. 1

• 7:40 a.m.—Brian Harman, Rory Sabbatini, Sepp Straka
• 8:24 a.m.—Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Jimmy Walker
• 8:46 a.m.—Jim Herman, Sung Kang, Louis Oosthuizen
• 9:30 a.m.—Ryan Moore, Danny Lee, Abraham Ancer
• 1:29 p.m.—Matt Kuchar, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia
• 1:40 p.m.—Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele
• 1:51 p.m.—Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm
• 2:02 p.m.—Brandt Snedeker, Jim Furyk, Tommy Fleetwood

Tee No. 10

• 7:40 a.m.—Russell Henley, J.J. Spaun, Denny McCarthy
• 8:13 a.m.—Sungjae Im, Gary Woodland, Bryson DeChambeau
• 8:24 a.m.—Patrick Reed, Patrick Cantlay, Hideki Matsuyama
• 8:35 a.m.—Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson
• 8:46 a.m.—Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth
• 9:08 a.m.—Marc Leishman, J.T. Poston, Francesco Molinari
• 1:18 p.m.—Cameron Smith, Keegan Bradley, Ian Poulter
• 2:13 p.m.—Joaquin Niemann, Shane Lowry, Aaron Wise

The Players Championship TV guide

On Thursday and Friday, coverage begins at 1 p.m. EDT on Golf Channel and runs until 7 p.m. EDT.

Coverage of featured groups and featured holes will be available from 7:30 a.m. EDT on both days via PGA Tour Live.

NBC will broadcast the final two rounds, with coverage starting at 2 p.m. EDT on Saturday and 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday.

Coverage of featured groups and featured holes will be available from 8 a.m. EDT on Saturday and Sunday via PGA Tour Live.

The Players Championship live stream

All four days of the tournament can be watched on PGA Tour Live—beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday and at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday—NBC's digital platforms and fuboTV.