The “Florida Swing” continues on the PGA Tour this week and The PLAYERS Championship takes center stage in Ponte Vedra Beach! The Tour’s signature event will take place for the 50th time at TPC Sawgrass.
This will most likely be the last time we see all of the top players on the PGA Tour together in the same field until the season’s first major, The Masters.
TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course shot of the 16th hole prior to THE PLAYERS Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR)
Here’s some stats and info about The PLAYERS Championship…..
The tournament has been hosted at TPC Sawgrass every year since 1982.
No player has ever repeated as champion at The PLAYERS.
Only six golfers have ever won The PLAYERS more than once. Jack Nicklaus is the only man to have won it three times and he is joined by Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Hal Sutton, Davis Love III, and Tiger Woods as the men who have won multiple PLAYERS titles.
Australian golfer Greg Norman holds the record for the lowest 72-hole total in the tournament with a 24-under par 264. Norman completed the feat at the 1994 tournament.
Since 1974, the only tournament that wasn’t contested was the 2020 edition. The tournament completed one round before being canceled due to COVID-19 shutdowns. Hideki Matsuyama led the tournament after a 9-under 63 to open before it was ultimately canceled.
The PLAYERS has gone to a playoff just five times in its history. The last playoff was in 2015 when Rickie Fowler came out on top over Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia.
The PLAYERS has the largest purse on the PGA Tour in 2024 with a total of $25,000,000 in payouts. The winner of the tournament will be receiving a total of $4,500,000 in earnings.
Now here’s a look at some storylines ahead of the 2024 tournament…
Can Scottie Scheffler repeat as champion?
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MARCH 10: Scottie Scheffler of the United States hits a tee shot on the 11th hole during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 10, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Nobody has ever repeated as champion at The PLAYERS Championship and Scottie Scheffler will be looking to change that. The now seven-time winner on the PGA Tour is coming off a runaway victory at Arnie’s Place last week and has seemingly found his putter again. Scottie Scheffler is the best player in the world right now, which will set up nicely for him looking to win The PLAYERS back to back times.
Has Tiger Woods played in his last PLAYERS Championship?
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 17: Tiger Woods waits to play a shot during the final round of The PLAYERS Championship at the TPC Stadium course on March 17, 2019 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
The 2024 PLAYERS was the last of his exemptions into the tournament thanks to his 2019 Masters victory and he did not enter the field. With Tiger dealing with a ton of injuries, a limited schedule, and age, it feels like we may never see Woods tee it up at TPC Sawgrass in tournament play ever again.
The field strength
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 11: A general view of the 17th green is seen during the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2023 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
There’s no denying that the LIV Tour has claimed some of the biggest names in the game. This tournament will be without the likes of top world players like Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and more in 2024. The PLAYERS has always had one of the (if not the) toughest fields in golf. With such big names missing, it feels like overall field strength at The PLAYERS will be less than a couple of the majors in 2024.
Will Jay Monahan give us any news?
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 07: Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA Tour speaks to the media in a press conference prior to THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 07, 2023 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
With this being the signature event of the PGA Tour, one would hope that PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan, will give us an update of where everything stands in relation to the Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) that owns the LIV Tour. Golf fans around the world would like to know what’s next in a possible merger between the Tours, so hopefully Monahan gives some news on the latest.
Pick for the week…..Shane Lowry
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 10: Shane Lowry of Ireland plays his shot from the 18th tee during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 10, 2023 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Lowry has been in contention the last two weeks in Florida but hasn’t been able to get across the finish line. He’s closed the last two tournaments with final rounds of even par to finish T4 at the Cognizant Classic and 3rd place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. All that’s left for him in to finally close it out, which we tend to see happen with guys who are sniffing around the top of the leaderboard for a few consecutive weeks. I think Lowry finally gets the job done this week and adds a PLAYERS title to his trophy case that already includes a Claret Jug.
