The Players Championship at Sawgrass again promises drama-filled week
PONTE VEDRA BEACH—Major or not, The Players Championship rarely lacks for entertainment.
Still fresh is Rory McIlroy going from a four-shot deficit to a three-shot lead only to wind up in a playoff that he won last year when JJ Spaun failed to find land on the island green.
That kind of drama has been more rule than exception over the years on the ever-daunting, never-dull Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
“Exciting” was the one word Adam Scott chose to describe The Players Championship, the premier tournament on the PGA Tour that has all the trappings of a major except the label.
“I grew up watching this, seeing a lot of birdies and a lot of dramatic stuff happening,” Scott said. “I think that’s exciting and I think that’s why people like watching this tournament. You go out there with the dream that you can shoot 10-under somehow and spin balls back off slopes. And it’s not that easy once you’re out there.”
Scott won The Players in 2004, and he recalled being at the bar of a restaurant with his girlfriend after opening with a 65. Some fans were talking about the day’s action when one asked who was leading the tournament.
“The guy looked at him and said, ‘Some expletive no-name.’ And it was me,” Scott said. “My wife, or girlfriend at the time, was ready to jump in there and let him have it. So it was good to go on and win and maybe get out of the no-name category.”
The Players have had plenty of surprise winners. Craig Perks won his only PGA Tour title at Sawgrass, memorable for his three-hole finish when he chipped in for eagle, made a 30-foot birdie putt and then chipped in for par.
Meanwhile, Ryan Fox of New Zealand withdrew from The Players Championship on Thursday because of an illness about five hours before he was to start.
Fox was replaced in the 123-man field by David Ford, who will be among the 15 players competing for the first time at Sawgrass.
The Players has rewarded everything from the power of Tiger Woods to the precision of Fred Funk.
“You see a variety of winners, and you also don’t see one style of player winning this tournament a bunch of times,” said Scottie Scheffler, the only player to win back-to-back at TPC Sawgrass.
His second win in 2024 required a rally from five shots behind, holing out with a full wedge for eagle on the fourth hole and a 64 to post the lowest final round by a winner. This was after he nearly withdrew because of a neck injury. There’s always drama.
