Rahm, McIlroy, Scheffler grouped together at TPC

Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will be battling it out for World No. 1 as a group during the first two days of The Players Championship, starting Thursday at TPC Sawgrass.

Rahm, 28, enters the event in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., at the top of the world rankings for the second straight year, despite coming off his worst finish at any worldwide event since the Scottish Open last July. The Spaniard started strong at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational but eventually faded after back-to-back rounds of 76, ending the tournament tied for 39th.

Prior to last week's performance, Rahm had built an impressive streak of five victories in a nine-tournament stretch.

Both Scheffler and McIlroy had a chance to take over the No. 1 spot but couldn't get the job done. Scheffler, 26, ended the week with a share of fourth place, while Northern Ireland's McIlroy, 33, finished a shot behind Kurt Kitayama for second place.

Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Max Homa will be the other Featured Group for the first two days at TPC Sawgrass.