Why You Can Trust CNET How to watch The Players Championship golf tournament without cable
For the first time, you can watch every shot live.
Rory McIlroy will attempt to become the first repeat champion in the history of The Players Championship.
I usually circle The Masters in April as the unofficial start to spring and the golf season, but The Players Championship was moved from May to March to become the first big tournament of the year. Known as golf's "fifth major," The Players Championship is held at the famed TPC Sawgrass course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and is set to begin on Thursday, long before the azaleas are in full bloom in Augusta.
Tiger Woods will miss the tournament with a bad back, but the field is still star studded with the world's top golfers, including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson. The Players Championship features the sport's largest purse -- a cool 15 million, 2.7 million of which goes to the winner -- as well as one of golf's most iconic and difficult holes, the par-3 penultimate Island Green. You can see the entire field and round 1 tee times here.
For the first time in a golf tournament, you will be able to watch every shot by every player live. You'll need an NBC Sports Gold subscription for every-shot access, but cord cutters can watch the TV broadcast on NBC and the Golf Channel.
Watch every shot live
For $65 a year or $10 a month, golf fans can subscribe to NBC Sports Gold for in-depth PGA tournament coverage, and not just this week but throughout the golf season. For The Players Championship, you'll be able to watch every shot from every player on every hole live. It's the first time golf fans will have such access to the action on the course. And after each round, you'll be able to watch recaps of each player and every shot he played.
The Players Championship broadcast schedule
More casual fans can tune into the regular broadcast for each round. The first two rounds will be shown on the Golf Channel before moving to NBC for weekend coverage. You can also stream the tournament live online at NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, but you will need to log in with a pay TV account. If you don't have a pay TV subscription, you can livestream the tournament with a live-TV streaming service if you live in the right area. Not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it includes the local network that you want to watch the results on in your area.
Round 1: Thursday, March 12
1-7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel
Round 2: Friday, March 13
1-7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel
Round 3: Saturday, March 14
2-7 p.m. ET on NBC
Round 4: Sunday, March 15
1-6 p.m. ET on NBC
Sling TV's $30-a-month Blue plan includes NBC, and you can get the Golf Channel with the $10-a-month Sports Extra add-on. Sling's packages are discounted by $10 for the first month. Enter your address here to see which local channels are available where you live.
YouTube TV costs $50 a month and includes NBC and the Golf Channel. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Hulu with Live TV costs $55 a month and includes NBC and the Golf Channel. Click the "View channels in your area" link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.
FuboTV costs $55 a month and includes NBC and the Golf Channel. Click here to see which local channels you get.
AT&T TV Now's basic, $65-a-month Plus package includes NBC but you'll need to spring for the $80-a-month Max package to also get the Golf Channel for early-round coverage. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our massive streaming services guide.