Final day of practice kicks off at TPC Sawgrass before THE PLAYERS Championship begins Thursday

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — It’s a player and fan favorite every year: THE PLAYERS Championship is back once again at TPC Sawgrass for another year.

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Those players are ready to get swinging Wednesday morning for some practice ahead of tee-off on Thursday.

The weather is supposed to be nice and warm for the event as well, according to the First Alert Weather Center.

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It all tees off at 7:40 a.m. Thursday with the first group of golfers and 23 players in the field making their tournament debut with TPC Champ Scottie Scheffler, who entered the week ranking #1 in the world. He wants to be the first ever golfer to win back-to-back THE PLAYERS Championships.

Going into the tournament, however, it’s hard to ignore the biggest headline in golf at the moment: the ongoing talks of a merger between LIV Golf and PGA.

Read: First Alert Traffic: Parking upgrade for Lexus drivers at THE PLAYERS

After years of “distractions,” as PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan called them, it seems progress is being made on that front.

“I do know everyone is curious about our negotiations with PIF … I recently met with the governor of PIF, Yasser Al-Rumian … While we have several key issues that we still need to work through, we have a shared vision: to quiet the noise and unlock golf’s worldwide potential,” Monahan said in a news conference.

This is something the golf world will be keeping a close eye on, but as for now, Action News Jax will be keeping a close eye on TPC and will bring you updates throughout the day.

Read: First Alert Traffic: Golf cart, bike parking at THE PLAYERS Championship

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