Frustration has erupted among fans at The Players Championship on Saturday. The event’s opening round on Thursday was briefly halted by lightning and heavy rain. It even forced a 21-minute suspension and delayed afternoon tee times. And now yet again, officials have announced a delayed opening of the main gates during the third round.

“Due to operational considerations, gates for today’s third round will now open at 9 a.m. ET Tee times will remain as previously scheduled, and all on-course hospitality venues will open at 11 a.m.ET.,” read the update from the official social handles of The Players Championship ahead of Saturday’s action.

The tournament, being played at TPC Sawgrass, has already faced multiple disruptions this week due to weather and operational issues. After the delay in kicking off the match play on March 12, there was further delay as daylight ran out. The round was eventually stopped at 7:37 p.m. ET and left several players to complete their rounds the following morning. 

While play eventually resumed, scheduling challenges continued to affect the tournament’s flow. Furthermore, Collin Morikawa withdrew from the event after playing the first hole. Recent reports have, however, stated that tee times will proceed as scheduled, with on-course hospitality venues opening later at 11 a.m. ET.

Currently, Ludvig Aberg is leading the 2026 Players Championship leaderboard at 12-under par after 36 holes. Xander Schauffele stands at second position with 10 under par, and Cameron Young is third at 9-under. On the other hand, key figures, including Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, both finished at 1-under to make the cut, which landed at +1 or +2.

While the event is waiting to be resumed, the decision regarding the delay in the opening of the gates immediately sparked backlash online.

Fans slam Players Championship organizers after sudden gate delay sparks chaos

Fans have started to criticize organizers for the delayed access while play was already set to begin. One fan seemed dissatisfied at how the officials decided to make the announcement without any detailed explanation. “”operational considerations”  ok dude thanks for the detailed info,” read the comment.

“Where are we supposed to go? Can we still park? Nonsense,” chimed in another golf fan who seemed concerned about where he must park his career after arriving at the venue. 

The scheduled time for opening the gates were fixed at 7:30 am. Just 10 minutes prior to that, when fans had already reached the venue, they received official information about gates remaining closed till 9 am. “That’s just rude. Horrible PR look for @THEPLAYERS ‼️ Advertised Gates open at 7:30am and 7:20am email that now not opening until 9am?! Poor planning honestly. 🙄 @PGATOUR,” read a comment from an infuriated golf enthusiast. 

Another X user highlighted how it’s a sold out day. This implies that all the fans would have to crowd outside and wait for the gates to be opened. “Ahh yes, this makes perfect sense, especially since tickets and parking tickets are sold out for today.”

Dissatisfied at the management of the administration, another disappointed fan lashed out saying, “This is stupid. You encourage everyone to arrive early and then announce this 4 minutes before the gates were supposed to open. There are already thousands of people here. Why can’t you people figure out how to run this event? What a clown show.”

As spectators continue to voice their frustration, the controversy added another layer of drama to an already disrupted week at the PGA Tour’s flagship event.