The continuation of the first round was suspended Friday at 11:15 a.m. due to what the PGA TOUR called "unplayable golf course conditions." Play will not resume on Friday due to more storms.
That leaves Saturday at 11 a.m. the earliest the tournament will resume, the PGA TOUR said.
The first round still needs to be completed before moving on to official second-round play. As soon as those playing now complete their opening rounds, they'll start again on their second round.
Players that finished play on Thursday will not play until the second wave of the second round, which could get pushed to Sunday.
Then tournament resumed this morning despite difficult conditions created by the rain. Volunteers were sweeping water off greens and puddles were visible throughout. Players were visibly upset at times as heavy rain poured down.
It didn't impact Brice Garnett, who is tied for the lead at 6-under through 13 holes.
Thursday Night Update
Thursday's opening round of THE PLAYERS Championship saw a late start and four-hour delay, resulting in some golfers not even teeing off. It might not get much better Friday.
Half the field still has to finish the official first round on Friday before the second round can even begin. With more rain in the forecast, it's going to be another long day on Friday.
"Dangerous weather in the area" caused play to be suspended at 11 a.m. local time with players returning at 3:15 p.m. Lee Westwood teed off in the afternoon and raced through seven holes. No one else starting late finished more than six.
Twelve players did not hit an official shot and will begin play at 7:15 a.m. ET. Three players — Hank Lebioda, Henrik Norlander and Taylor Pendrith — still have to finish from Thursday's morning session.
The second round is tentatively set to begin at 11 a.m. ET on Friday.
Will that actually happen?
PLAYERS Championship Friday Weather Forecast
TPC Sawgrass took in 1.30 inches of rain before Thursday began and another 0.45 inches during suspended play.
According to the National Weather Service, 0.11 inches of rain is expected to accumulate overnight. Rain is considered "likely" at 8 a.m. with almost a half-inch of water expected by noon. Another 0.56 inches could accumulate from noon until 6 p.m. local time.
A consistent light rain shouldn't cause delays during the tournament, and TPC Sawgrass is set up with a drainage system that can expedite the process to dry the greens.
The wild card once again becomes thunder and lightning, which has a small chance throughout the day. Any sort of electricity in the air would be cause for suspended play.
Wind is not expected to play a major role until Saturday. On Friday, winds can range from 6 to 9 miles per hour.
Any golfers not able to finish play will be forced to tee off early Saturday when the wind will be an issue. Saturday winds should sustain 20 mph with up to 40 mph gusts. Those are tough conditions for a player fighting to make the cut.
