Players Championship 2022: Tee Times, Pairings and Predictions for Friday

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The Players Championship, one of the biggest events of the golf season, kicked off Thursday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and things certainly didn’t go according to plan thanks to heavy rain and high winds. 

The start of Thursday’s opening round was delayed for about an hour because of overnight rain, and play was suspended again at 11 a.m. ET on account of “dangerous weather in the area.” The second delay lasted more than four hours, and play didn’t resume until 3:14 p.m. ET. 

It was smooth sailing after that until another suspension at 6:36 p.m. ET, this time due to darkness, which concluded the first day of play. Three players from the morning wave were unable to complete the first round, including Hank Lebioda, Henrik Norlander and Taylor Pendrith. None of the players from the afternoon wave completed the first round. 

Despite the delays, Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge impressed on Thursday, finishing at six-under par to lead the first round. Kramer Hickok, Joaquin Niemann, Keith Mitchell and Anirban Lahiri are tied for third at five-under par. 

As previously mentioned, Round 2 will start later than expected Friday, with the remaining Round 1 group set to kick off Friday’s action. The PGA Tour has not announced a specific time for the start of Round 2 but noted it will begin between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET. 

Chris Kirk, Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick will begin the second round on the first hole, while Brian Stuard, Harry Higgs and Brandon Hagy will get the start on the 10th hole. 

*For a complete list of tee times, click here.

Round 2 Predictions

Will Zalatoris, Jon Rahm Make Push for Lead

Zalatoris is currently tied for 11th place after shooting three-under par in the first round Thursday. He got off to a hot start before the weather delay, finishing the front nine with one bogey and four birdies to sit among the top competitors. 

His performance on the back nine wasn’t nearly as good, though, as he sank just two birdies and double-bogeyed to finish in a tie for 11th place. 

If Zalatoris can piece together a similar early run in Round 2 and be more consistent on the back nine, he could challenge Fleetwood for the lead Friday. The 25-year-old is still searching for his first win on the PGA Tour, and what better way to do it than at TPC Sawgrass. 

As for Rahm, he also finished Thursday tied for 11th place, finishing with five birdies and two bogeys through 18 holes. He definitely had a more consistent performance on the back nine, but it wasn’t enough to propel him up the leaderboard. 

Rahm entered the tournament as one of the favorites to win, and if he can position himself atop the leaderboard Friday, he’ll be well on his way to capturing his first victory since the 2021 U.S. Open. 

Friday’s action won’t see much relief from the weather, however, which could lead to more delays. According to the National Weather Service, Ponte Vedra Beach is in for more showers and thunderstorms throughout the day.