Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler paired together for Round 1 and 2 at the Players Championship 

THE PLAYERS Championship is the next stop on the PGA Tour and all eyes in the golf world are already set on the TPC Sawgrass. The so-called "Fifth Major" officially announced its groups for the first two rounds and the one with Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler immediately stood out.

Scheffler, Thomas and Fowler will play together during the first two rounds of THE PLAYERS Championship. Their tee time is 1:40 pm (Eastern Time) on Thursday and the group is very likely to receive plenty of attention from fans and the media.

Scheffler is the defending champion of THE PLAYERS Championship, while both Thomas and Fowler are former winners of the tournament. Thomas won at TPC Sawgrass in 2021, while Fowler had won in 2015.

In addition, Scottie Scheffler just posted one of his best performances in recent memory to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Thomas has also been good during 2024, with two Top 10s and two other Top 12s in five tournaments. Fowler has cleared five cuts in five tournaments during the season.

Other former champions in attendance include Rory McIlroy (2019), Webb Simpson (2018), Si Woo Kim (2017), Jason Day (2016), Matt Kuchar (2012) and Adam Scott (2005).

McIlroy is grouped with 2023 FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland and 3x major champion Jordan Spieth, while Scott starts with Ludvig Aberg and Patrick Cantlay.

Simpson shares a group with Billy Horschell and Sungjae Im, while Kim, Day and Kuchar make up the other trio of former champions.

Why THE PLAYERS Championship is known as "the fifth major"

The definition of "fifth major" generally aplied to THE PLAYERS Championship is not official, but it is widely known. The nickname stems from the characteristics of this tournament, particularly its very strong field and high purse.

For the 2024 edition, the event will have a purse of $25 million, with $4.5 million going to the winner. The champion will also receive 750 points for the FedEx Cup ranking (the same as the majors) and 80 points for the world ranking (the majors award 100 points).

In addition, the winner of the TPC Sawgrass will receive a five-year exemption to the PGA Tour and a place in the field of each of the four majors for the following three seasons.

The event always has a field of the highest caliber, as it attracts, among others, the winners of PGA Tour events from one edition to the next, the major champions of the last five years, the Top 125 of the FedEx Cup from the previous season and the Top 50 of the world ranking.

Given its high purse and enormous prestige, few eligible players miss the opportunity to play there. In fact, several LIV Golf players could qualify, but are prevented from doing so by PGA Tour rules. Another notable absence is that of Tiger Woods, who did not commit to the event without revealing the reasons, yet.