It's a new tournament,” Scheffler said on Tuesday during a pre-tournament press conference at TPC Sawgrass. Perhaps that’s just a way for Scheffler to manage expectations—both his own and golf fans in general.

No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass — at 10:30 a.m. ET, the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 ranked players in the world staging a head-to-head-to-head showdown at the so-called "fifth major." It was a rare must-see moment for a divided sport that has spent the last few years with its best players spread around the world,

Rory McIlroy is fighting atop the leaderboard amid the second round of the 2025 Players Championship on Friday, yet most of the public attention on him is more concerned with what happened during a practice round at TPC Sawgrass earlier this week.

It might be easier for Rory McIlroy if Scottie Scheffler were a little bit less likable, so he could manufacture at least some sort of enemy vibe.