PLAYERS Championship Preview

PLAYERS Championship Preview

PLAYERS Championship Preview

The Course:

TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Par 72, 7,200 – 7,300 Yards

There are few courses created specifically for certain events, but TPC Sawgrass is one of them. This is yet another Pete Dye track, along with the recent TPC Louisiana at the Zurich Classic and Harbour Town at the RBC Heritage. Sawgrass features smaller than normal greens, a bunch of doglegs and a lot of agua. Of course, the island green at #17 is a featured hole, but there is plenty of trouble along the way, and #18 often plays as the toughest hole on the course. #12 was renovated this year to play anywhere from 285-380 yards as a risk/reward par 4 (the best holes on Tour, IMO).

Accuracy tends to be more important than distance at TPC Sawgrass, and scrambling will be at a premium. The temps look great for the entire weekend, but there could be some rain on Sunday.

The Field:

There ain’t no Ian Woosnams in this field. Every top-50 player in the world will be golfing at Sawgrass, and there are no amateur invites or Tony Romo exemptions. You’ll hear it upwards of five thousand times this weekend, but this is the strongest field of any golf tournament in the world. This is also a “normal” tournament, with 144 players and top 70 and ties making the cut. You’ll once again hear arguments for THE PLAYERS (only going to do it once) being the 5^th major.

Interesting Tidbits:

-The past 11 winners of THE PLAYERS (damnit) have finished 23^rd or better the previous year

-Five of the past seven winners have finished T12th or better at the Masters that year

-The course is completely designed for the fans, with mounds and stands built into the course for good viewing

-Only six golfers have won more than once – Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Hal Sutton, Davis Love III, and, of course, Tiger Woods

-Only one has won three times – Jack Nicklaus

-There has never been a back-to-back PLAYERS champion

-Will Wilcox made an ace on the iconic 17^th hole in 2016. It was the first ace in 6,300 tee shots.

Prediction:

Who knows? I’m going to go with the big Swede, Henrik Stenson, but I really have no clue. In all honesty, no one does.

Losing Draftkings Lineup:

Henrik Stenson

Justin Thomas

Tommy Fleetwood

Alex Noren

Kyle Stanley

Ollie Schniederjans

Have a fantastic Mother’s Day weekend! Remember, Mom’s green fees are taken care of this Friday through Sunday at Hart Ranch. Happy Golfing!

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