Rickie Fowler expects it to be "crazy" playing alongside Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods for the opening two rounds of The Players Championship.

The trio are one of the featured groups for the tournament at Sawgrass, though Fowler understands he will not be the focus of attention during Thursday and Friday.

Yet Fowler - the highest ranked player out of the three - hopes to make sure he is the one in the spotlight at the end of the tournament.

The 29-year-old is bidding to win at Sawgrass for a second time in his career, having previously triumphed at the event back in 2015.

"I’ve got the best seat in the house," Fowler told the media 

"Not many people get to walk the fairway. It should be fun. I’m looking forward to playing with both of them.

"I know it’s going to be crazy out there. Tiger and Phil are two of the biggest names of sport, so they deserve the talk. Hopefully I can do something this week to be talked about by week’s end."

Fowler trailed leader Sergio Garcia by five shots on the back nine to play three years ago, only to produce a blistering finish on the demanding course.

He used just 11 strokes in the last four holes to force a play-off, then saw off Garcia and Kevin Kisner to clinch a stunning victory.

"To step up and play the final six holes the way I did, especially the last four, and step up in the playoff and consistently make the swings I did, to step up and hit those shots one after the other, when I really had to, it was nice to have that reassurance," he recalled.

"Am I ever going to be able to pull off four holes like I did here in 2015? Probably not. It’s nice to know it can be done, and has been done."