The Players Championship (often styled as THE PLAYERS Championship) is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, the inaugural event in 1974 was played at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia before moving to the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas in 1975 and Inverrary Country Club in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1976. Beginning in 1977, the event relocated to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, first being played at Sawgrass Country Club's Oceanside Course (a combination of the "East" and "West" 9-hole courses). Since 1982 it has been played across the road from Sawgrass Country Club, on the Stadium Course at the "Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass" (usually referred to as the TPC at Sawgrass). It is not uncommon for "TPC" in this context to be conflated with "The Players Championship" because they happen to have the same initials - in fact, this confusion was the reason why the tournament's original name was shortened to just "Players Championship" prior to the 1988 event, although some confusion between the two still persists occasionally. The Players Championship offers the highest prize fund of any tournament in golf ($8 million 2004–06, $9 million in 2007, $9.5 million in 2008), and is sometimes referred to as the "Fifth Major", but it does not have official major status. The field usually includes the top 50 golfers in the world rankings, but unlike the three majors which are staged in the United States, it does not count as an official event on the European Tour, which has the Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe, although it is an imperfect parallel. The winner receives a fixed allocation of 80 points towards his Official World Golf Ranking, which is the most allocated to any event apart from the majors, in which winners earn 100 points. For comparison, the winners of the three individual World Golf Championships held during the PGA Tour regular season generally receive between 70 and 78 points.[1] The Players Championship also receives a 5-year exemption on the PGA Tour, a three-year invitation to the Masters Tournament, a three-year exemption for the British Open, and an exemption to the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship for that year. The Players Championship can be further distinguished from the "Majors" in that it is owned and administered by the PGA Tour. In contrast, The Masters is owned by the Augusta National Golf Club; the U.S. Open by the United States Golf Association (USGA); the British Open by The R&A, an offshoot of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews; and the PGA Championship by the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America). The Players Championship is best known for what may be the single most recognizable par 3 in professional golf, the Stadium Course's 17th hole, known to golf fans worldwide as "the Island Green" and what has become TPC Sawgrass' signature hole. The final three holes are considered one of the toughest finishes in golf. The Players Championship had been played in late March for most of its existence, two weeks before The Masters. In 2007 it was moved to mid-May, as part of a restructuring of the PGA Tour. This restructuring involved the introduction of the lucrative FedEx Cup, which concludes with The Tour Championship, now played six weeks earlier, in mid-September. This gives the PGA Tour a marquee event in six consecutive months (The Masters in April, The Players in May, the U.S. Open in June, the British Open in July, the PGA Championship in August, and the Tour Championship in September). Following the 2006 event, the course underwent a major renovation, which received very positive reviews from the players in 2007. Included in the renovation was a new 77,000 square-foot (7153 m²) Mediterranean Revival-style clubhouse. With the rearrangement of 2007, the final round of The Players Championship is scheduled for the second Sunday of May, Mother's Day. This parallels the U.S. Open, which concludes on the third Sunday of June, Father's Day.
Past Winners 2009 Henrik Stenson 2008 Sergio García 2007 Phil Mickelson 2006 Stephen Ames 2005 Fred Funk 2004 Adam Scott 2003 Davis Love III 2002 Craig Perks 2001 Tiger Woods 2000 Hal Sutton 1999 David Duval 1998 Justin Leonard 1997 Steve Elkington 1996 Fred Couples 1995 Lee Janzen 1994 Greg Norman 1993 Nick Price 1992 Davis Love III 1991 Steve Elkington 1990 Jodie Mudd 1989 Tom Kite 1988 Mark McCumber Tournament Players Championship 1987 Sandy Lyle 1986 John Mahaffey 1985 Calvin Peete 1984 Fred Couples 1983 Hal Sutton 1982 Jerry Pate 1981 Raymond Floyd 1980 Lee Trevino 1979 Lanny Wadkins 1978 Jack Nicklaus 1977 Mark Hayes 1976 Jack Nicklaus 1975 Al Geiberger 1974 Jack Nicklaus
Jay Haas and son Bill show generational links Jack Nicklaus was once asked why more sons of former players never make it on the PGA Tour, given they should have an advantage in everything from access to the best golf equipment to a storehouse of knowledge about how to play the game. "It's just a hard game to play," he answered. "It difficult for anyone to make it." This week Jay Haas, 56, and Bill Haas, 27, will become the first father-son duo to compete in The Players Championship in the same year. There have been other fathers and sons compete in the past 36 times the tournament has been played, but no other father-son pair played in the same year. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2010-05-05-jay-and-bill-haas-at-the-players_N.htm
McIlroy's star arrives after first PGA win One day after his 21st birthday, Rory McIlroy had a smile on his face as he slowly made his way up the long, roped-off path leading from the 16th green to the 17th tee during a practice round for the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Wednesday. The game’s newest boy wonder was signing whatever was thrust over the rope at him, accepting birthday congratulations from fans. Finally he arrived on the tee, well after playing partners Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood. They were joined by Padraig Harrington, who’d spent the day putting and chipping but wanted to give his caddie Ronan Flood a chance to try to hit the island green, as is the Wednesday custom. Poulter and McDowell each hit the green, leaving medium-length birdie putts. McIlroy stepped up and, despite most players hitting 9-iron to clear the water, swung a pitching wedge with his inimitable fluidity. His ball shot toward the pin and checked up four feet left of perfect; the crowd gave a lusty cheer. Read more: http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1987384,00.html#ixzz0n7jCGQ49
Couples withdraws from Players with back injury Twice winner Fred Couples has pulled out of this week's Players Championship because of a long-term back injury, officials said on Wednesday. The 50-year-old American, champion at the TCP Sawgrass in 1984 and 1996, follows compatriots Steve Stricker and Anthony Kim and South African Retief Goosen, who also withdrew from the tournament due to injury. World number three Stricker has a sore right shoulder, Kim an injured left thumb and Goosen a broken toe. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...yers-with-back-injury/articleshow/5896230.cms
Furyk, Els in position to snap PLAYERS Championship droughts What's held you back from winning here? Jim Furyk let the question tumble around in his brain for, oh, about 30 seconds. He grimaced. He shook his head. He wanted to lie, but he couldn't. It was -- at the start -- Pete Dye's Sawgrass Stadium layout. The course he contrived from swamp land. The one players once wondered aloud was a dinosaur burial ground. "Quite honestly it's an age of architecture that you know that I've never been all that comfortable with,'' Furyk said. "When I stand on most of the holes early on in my career I was not comfortable with this golf course at all. It's a manufactured golf course.'' Visually disturbing -- like another Dye course, Whistling Straits -- was the term he used. Uncomfortable to the eye. Not his -- as grandma would say -- his cup of tea. http://www.pgatour.com/2010/tournaments/r011/05/05/hauser-els-furyk/
Kim withdraws from Players Championship Anthony Kim became the second top player to withdraw from the upcoming Players Championship because of injury. Kim, the 11th ranked player in the world, cited a left thumb injury as the reason for his decision and will join third-ranked Steve Stricker on the sideline for this week's prestigious tournament, dubbed by many as golf's fifth major. Stricker is battling a sore right shoulder.
Kelly bounces back with 66 at TPC Jerry Kelly missed out on the birdiefest in the first round of The Players Championship, but the Madison golfer got into the act in a big way Friday morning. Kelly carded a 6-under par 66 in the second round that -- while leaving him well off the lead -- at least guaranteed he'll play through the weekend at the tournament, considered golf's unofficial fifth major. Kelly stands at 5-under through 36 holes. http://host.madison.com/sports/golf/article_46f8c6c4-59fa-11df-8e5d-001cc4c03286.html
Woods makes cut at THE PLAYERS Championship Tiger Woods shot a 1-under-par 35-36=71 in the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship, and will play the weekend. For the second straight day, the world's No. 1 hit 14 greens and took a grinding 31 putts. None of his five birdies fell from beyond 10 feet. Among the shots you'll likely see in video recaps of today's round is his tee ball at the 14th hole. It went so far right that ShotLink personnel needed to confer on where to mark it. Woods took a penalty and double-bogeyed the hole. He finished eight strokes back of the clubhouse lead.
McIlroy misses the cut at THE PLAYERS Champ. Rory McIlroy settled for an even-par 34-38=72 in his second round of THE PLAYERS Championship, and will miss the cut. The rookie enjoyed a run of three consecutive birdies that started with a conversion from 22'11" at the 5th hole, but sloppy play at the 10th (double bogey) and the 13th (rinsed tee ball led to a bogey) dashed his hopes to make the cut. After he rolled in his final birdie from 13'10" on the 12th hole, he didn't have another legitimate birdie opportunity. His next scheduled start is the BMW PGA Championship in two weeks. He'll return to the U.S. for the Memorial on June 3-6.
Fred Funk finds his groove, surges to 8 under at The Players Fred Funk has used three drivers and two putting grips this week at The Players Championship. He finally got a combination that clicked in the third round Saturday at the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course. The Ponte Vedra Beach resident and 2005 Players champion, playing in the first twosome of the day with John Merrick, birdied five of six holes at one point, eagled the par-5 16th then made a miraculous par at the par-4 18th to shoot 66 and finish at 8-under-par 208. http://jacksonville.com/sports/golf...-funk-finds-his-groove-surges-8-under-players
McDowell finally finds that bit of magic SOMETIMES, YOU’VE just got to step out of the shadows. In a season where, until now, his putter had stubbornly stayed cold, Graeme McDowell – who had sought inspiration from his friend Rory McIlroy’s maiden win on the US Tour – finally found a hot putter and some magic with his short game to fire a second-round 65 for a midway total of 137, seven under, in the Players Championship at Sawgrass. On another day of generally low scoring, Europe’s number one Lee Westwood – who has finished third (British Open), third (US PGA) and second (US Masters) in his last three majors – assumed the clubhouse lead after adding a 65 to his opening 67, for 132. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0508/1224269951855.html
J.B. Holmes, Robert Allenby share lead at The Players Championship J.B. Holmes doesn't get much of a chance at The Players Championship to unleash the weapon he's best known for. For 13 or 14 holes, Holmes' driver remains under wraps — too risky for a precision driving course such as the TPC Sawgrass. But he doesn't understand why people suggest that his choice would make him any less of a contender. "You don't keep your card by hitting drivers out here all the time," the Kentucky native said. Holmes showed Thursday that he can think his way around the course as well, shooting a six-under-par 66 to join fellow Isleworth member Robert Allenby in taking the best advantage of one of the easiest opening days in Players history. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-tpc-20100507,0,4730847.story
Tiger 4 back but pleased after Round 1 Tiger Woods may not have finished the way he liked -- hitting his tee shot in the water at the 18th hole -- but the look and feel of his opening round at the Players Championship was far different from last Friday when he had one of his worst days as a professional. Woods was unable to complete his round without a bogey, a feat he has never accomplished in 13 years at the TPC Stadium Course. Nor was he able to break 70, something he's never done in the opening round here. But his 2-under-par 70, which left him four strokes back of first-round leaders Robert Allenby and J.B. Holmes, was a nice comeback after shooting 79 in the second round of the Quail Hollow Championship to miss the cut. "Absolutely," Woods said when asked if it was important to get off to a good start after last week's disaster when he missed the cut by eight strokes. "This is a big event. This is a huge event. http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=5169441
Phil Mickelson can't get it going at The Players Championship Phil Mickelson couldn't get much going Friday in the second round of The Players Championship, shooting a 1-under par 71 for a 141 total, tied with Tiger Woods for 46th place. The Masters champion, however, still thinks he can rally from the nine-shot deficit he faces to Lee Westwood. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/m...y_lags_but_hopes_to_charge.html#ixzz0nNE0iCP4
Lee Westwood is liking the Players Championship a little more It was a little over a week ago that Lee Westwood raised more than a few eyebrows with the suggestion that the Players Championship had slipped to about No. 8 in golf's hierarchy of big events. Well, guess who carries the lead into the weekend at the TPC Sawgrass? "Well, a Players victory would be incredibly important," Westwood said after Friday's seven-under-par 65 enabled the English pro to match the second-best 36-hole total in the tournament's history. "You look at the list of past winners, and there's some great champions." At No. 4 in golf's world rankings, Westwood certainly owns the pedigree. But he'll probably have to keep his foot on the accelerator amid some of the easiest scoring conditions ever seen at golf's richest event. Westwood reached the midway checkpoint at 12-under 132, a total outdone only by Greg Norman's 130 in 1994, when he went on to shatter most tournament scoring records. It was a little over a week ago that Lee Westwood raised more than a few eyebrows with the suggestion that the Players Championship had slipped to about No. 8 in golf's hierarchy of big events. Well, guess who carries the lead into the weekend at the TPC Sawgrass? "Well, a Players victory would be incredibly important," Westwood said after Friday's seven-under-par 65 enabled the English pro to match the second-best 36-hole total in the tournament's history. "You look at the list of past winners, and there's some great champions." At No. 4 in golf's world rankings, Westwood certainly owns the pedigree. But he'll probably have to keep his foot on the accelerator amid some of the easiest scoring conditions ever seen at golf's richest event. Westwood reached the midway checkpoint at 12-under 132, a total outdone only by Greg Norman's 130 in 1994, when he went on to shatter most tournament scoring records. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-tpc-20100508,0,4796384.story
Golf fan gets Tasered at Players Championship Another unruly sports fans felt the electro-magnetic wrath of a policeman’s Taser this week. At the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach on Friday, an intoxicated and belligerent fan was zapped with a Taser before being booted from the tournament. This comes on the heels of 17-year-old high school senior hopping the fence and getting controversially Tasered after he ran on the field during a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game. Some claim a Taser is going way overboard in subduing fans at a sporting event. I don’t agree. I believe a modern-day Taser is a much more safe and efficient way of controlling rowdies than than the old-school method — a few whacks on the noggin with a policeman’s billy club. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_bianchi/2010/05/taser-the-players-championship-golf-fan.html
Woods withdraws from Players Tiger Woods withdrew from the Players Championship on Sunday after playing six holes. He cited a neck injury as his reason. Woods was two-over par for his round with bogeys on the third and fifth holes. Those bogeys dropped him to two-under for the tournament, 12 strokes behind Lee Westwood at that point. "I've been playing with a bad neck for quite a while," admitted Woods, who said he first felt the pain before The Masters. "They want me to go get a picture (MRI) on it next week. I might have a bulging disk. I've been playing through it. I can't play through it anymore." With this withdrawal, Woods is in danger of losing his No. 1 world ranking. Phil Mickelson could pass Woods for the top spot in the rankings with a win at the TPC Sawgrass. http://www.seattlepi.com/scorecard/golfnews.asp?articleID=280491
Clark wins The Players Championship Tim Clark no longer has to hear about being the best player to have never won on the PGA Tour. He settled that Sunday by beating the best field in golf. Clark played the final 26 holes without a bogey and made an 8-foot par on the final hole for a 5-under 67 to win The Players Championship with a record 36-hole comeback at TPC Sawgrass.
