The Players Championship

(Redirected from Players Championship (golf))

The Players Championship (commonly known as simply The Players, stylized by the PGA Tour as The PLAYERS Championship) is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, it began in 1974.[2] The Players Championship at one point offered the highest purse of any tournament in golf (from $12.5 million in 2019 up to $25 million in 2023).[3][4] The field usually includes the top 50 players in the world rankings, but, unlike the major championships, it is owned by the PGA Tour and not an official event on other tours.

The Players Championship
Tournament information
LocationPonte Vedra Beach, Florida
Established1974
Course(s)TPC at Sawgrass
(Stadium Course)
Par72
Length7,189 yards (6,574 m)[1]
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$25,000,000
Month playedMarch
Tournament record score
Aggregate264 Greg Norman (1994)
To par−24 as above
Current champion
United States Scottie Scheffler
2024 Players Championship
Location map
TPC Sawgrass is located in the United States
TPC Sawgrass
TPC Sawgrass
Location in the United States
TPC Sawgrass is located in Florida
TPC Sawgrass
TPC Sawgrass
Location in Florida

Despite not being a major, it has been promoted as such by the tour, dubbed the fifth major,[5] and is often regarded as the next most prestigious tournament in golf. This is because of the characteristics it shares with the majors, such as the high class field and its large purse. It also has a renowned host course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course at which the tournament has been played since 1982, home of the iconic par-3 No. 17 "Island Green").[6][7]

Format

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As of 2023, the victor receives $4.5 million, the winner's share (18%) of the largest purse in golf ($25 million),[8] and receives 80 points towards his world ranking, the largest share aside from the majors, for which winners earn 100 points. For comparison, the winners of other leading tournaments receive between 65 and 70 points.[9]

The winner also receives a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour (formerly ten years),[10] a three-year invitation to the Masters Tournament, and three-year exemptions for the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. The winner earns 600 FedEx Cup points, if a PGA Tour member.

Field

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The field consists of 144 players consisting of the following criteria:

  1. Winners of PGA Tour events since last Players
  2. Top 125 from previous season's FedEx Cup points list
  3. Top 125 (medical)
  4. Major champions from the past five years
  5. Players Championship winners from the past five years
  6. The Tour Championship winners from the past three years
  7. World Golf Championship winners from the past three years
  8. Memorial Tournament, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Genesis Invitational winners from the past three years
  9. Top 50 from the Official World Golf Ranking
  10. Senior Players Championship champion from prior year
  11. Korn Ferry Tour money leader from prior season
  12. Money leader during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, if not the regular-season money leader
  13. Top 10 current year FedEx Cup points leaders
  14. Remaining positions and alternates filled from the current season FedEx Cup standings

History

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The Players Championship was conceived by the PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman; the inaugural event in 1974 was played at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia, concluding on Labor Day weekend in early September.[2] It moved to Texas in 1975, at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth in August, and then to south Florida in 1976 at Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill, at its East Course in late February.[11] In these first three years the event replaced existing events, the Atlanta Classic in 1974, the Colonial National Invitational in 1975 and the Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic in 1976, which each returned to the schedule the following year.[12][2]

In 1976 the PGA Tour agreed a multi-year deal to play the event up the coast at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach in mid-March, beginning in 1977.[13][14] Since 1982,[15][16] it has been played across the road to the west, at the Stadium Course at TPC at Sawgrass.[7] The word "Tournament" was dropped from the title following the 1987 event.

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 (7,150 m2) Mediterranean Revival-style clubhouse.

The 2020 Players Championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]

Six players have won The Players and a major championship in the same calendar year: Jack Nicklaus (1978, Open), Hal Sutton (1983, PGA), Tiger Woods (2001, Masters), Martin Kaymer (2014, U.S. Open), Cameron Smith (2022, Open), and Scottie Scheffler (2024, Masters).

Move to May

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For the first thirty years at Ponte Vedra Beach, the championship was played in mid- to late March, several weeks before The Masters. (Three weeks prior for the first six seasons (19771982), then two weeks prior in 1983.) It was moved to May in 2007, to the weekend including the second Saturday, 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. The change gave 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 Open Championship in July, the PGA Championship in August, and the Tour Championship in September).[18]

With the rearrangement of 2007, the final round of The Players Championship was usually on the second Sunday of May, Mother's Day in the United States. To mark this, most players wore pink shirts or accessories on Sunday, and many in the galleries also joined them in donning pink garb. (The two exceptions were in 2011 and 2016, when the final round was on Sunday, May 15.)[citation needed]

In August 2017, it was announced that The Players would return to March beginning in 2019, due to a realignment of the golf season that moves the PGA Championship from August to May.[19][20][21]

Playoffs

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The playoff format was sudden-death through 2013, lately starting at the par-3 17th hole. The format was changed to a three-hole aggregate in 2014, similar to the PGA Championship, played over the final three holes, in order. If still tied, the playoff goes to sudden-death on the same three holes, but starts at the 17th.[22]

Since moving to the Stadium Course in 1982, only four playoffs have been necessary (1987, 2008, 2011, 2015). The 1987 playoff started at the par-5 16th and went to a third extra hole at the par-4 18th, with three pars by the winner;[23][24][25] the next two ended at the first extra hole (17), also with pars by the victors. (The only playoff prior to the Stadium Course was in 1981; it also ended on the first hole with a par by the winner.)[26][27]

The 2015 playoff was the first for the three-hole aggregate and included three participants; two birdied 17 and the other player was eliminated after three holes. It went to sudden-death at 17 and became the first playoff at the Players to end with a birdie.

Defending champions

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Scottie Scheffler (2024) is the only player to successfully defend the title. Jack Nicklaus won three of the first five events, but in alternating years on different courses. Since moving to TPC Sawgrass in 1982, five players have won twice, but the shortest span between victories is six years (Steve Elkington: 1991, 1997).

Venues

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Years Events Venue City State
19822024 43 TPC Sawgrass, Stadium Course Ponte Vedra
Beach
Florida
19771981 5 Sawgrass Country Club
1976 1 Inverrary Country Club, East Course Lauderhill
1975 1 Colonial Country Club Fort Worth Texas
1974 1 Atlanta Country Club Marietta Georgia

Course lengths

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Years Events Length Venue
20172022 6 7,189 yards (6,574 m) TPC Sawgrass
Stadium
Course
20072016 10 7,215 yards (6,597 m)
2006 1 7,098 yards (6,490 m)
19992005 7 7,093 yards (6,486 m)
1998 1 6,950 yards (6,355 m)
19901997 8 6,896 yards (6,306 m)
19821989 8 6,857 yards (6,270 m)
19801981 2 7,000 yards (6,400 m) Sawgrass CC
1979 1 7,083 yards (6,477 m)
19771978 2 7,174 yards (6,560 m)
1976 1 7,128 yards (6,518 m) Inverrary CC
1975 1 7,190 yards (6,575 m) Colonial CC
1974 1 6,883 yards (6,294 m) Atlanta CC
  • Par 72, except for 1975 (par 70)

Winners

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Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Purse
(US$)
Winner's
share ($)
The Players Championship
2024   Scottie Scheffler (2) 268 −20 1 stroke   Wyndham Clark
  Brian Harman
  Xander Schauffele
25,000,000 4,500,000
2023   Scottie Scheffler 271 −17 5 strokes   Tyrrell Hatton 25,000,000 4,500,000
2022   Cameron Smith 275 −13 1 stroke   Anirban Lahiri 20,000,000 3,600,000
2021   Justin Thomas 274 −14 1 stroke   Lee Westwood 15,000,000 2,700,000
2020 Canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic 15,000,000 2,700,000
2019   Rory McIlroy 272 −16 1 stroke   Jim Furyk 12,500,000 2,250,000
2018   Webb Simpson 270 −18 4 strokes   Xander Schauffele
  Charl Schwartzel
  Jimmy Walker
11,000,000 1,980,000
2017   Kim Si-woo 278 −10 3 strokes   Louis Oosthuizen
  Ian Poulter
10,500,000 1,890,000
2016   Jason Day 273 −15 4 strokes   Kevin Chappell 10,500,000 1,890,000
2015   Rickie Fowler 276 −12 Playoff   Sergio García
  Kevin Kisner
10,000,000 1,800,000
2014   Martin Kaymer 275 −13 1 stroke   Jim Furyk 10,000,000 1,800,000
2013   Tiger Woods (2) 275 −13 2 strokes   David Lingmerth
  Jeff Maggert
  Kevin Streelman
9,500,000 1,710,000
2012   Matt Kuchar 275 −13 2 strokes   Ben Curtis
  Rickie Fowler
  Zach Johnson
  Martin Laird
9,500,000 1,710,000
2011   K. J. Choi 275 −13 Playoff   David Toms 9,500,000 1,710,000
2010   Tim Clark 272 −16 1 stroke   Robert Allenby 9,500,000 1,710,000
2009   Henrik Stenson 276 −12 4 strokes   Ian Poulter 9,500,000 1,710,000
2008   Sergio García 283 −5 Playoff   Paul Goydos 9,500,000 1,710,000
2007   Phil Mickelson 277 −11 2 strokes   Sergio García 9,000,000 1,620,000
2006   Stephen Ames 274 −14 6 strokes   Retief Goosen 8,000,000 1,440,000
2005   Fred Funk 279 −9 1 stroke   Luke Donald
  Tom Lehman
  Scott Verplank
8,000,000 1,440,000
2004   Adam Scott 276 −12 1 stroke   Pádraig Harrington 8,000,000 1,440,000
2003   Davis Love III (2) 271 −17 6 strokes   Jay Haas
  Pádraig Harrington
6,500,000 1,170,000
2002   Craig Perks 280 −8 2 strokes   Stephen Ames 6,000,000 1,080,000
2001   Tiger Woods 274 −14 1 stroke   Vijay Singh 6,000,000 1,080,000
2000   Hal Sutton (2) 278 −10 1 stroke   Tiger Woods 6,000,000 1,080,000
1999   David Duval 285 −3 2 strokes   Scott Gump 5,000,000 900,000
1998   Justin Leonard 278 −10 2 strokes   Glen Day
  Tom Lehman
4,000,000 720,000
1997   Steve Elkington (2) 272 −16 7 strokes   Scott Hoch 3,500,000 630,000
1996   Fred Couples (2) 270 −18 4 strokes   Colin Montgomerie
  Tommy Tolles
3,500,000 630,000
1995   Lee Janzen 283 −5 1 stroke   Bernhard Langer 3,000,000 540,000
1994   Greg Norman 264 −24 4 strokes   Fuzzy Zoeller 2,500,000 450,000
1993   Nick Price 270 −18 5 strokes   Bernhard Langer 2,500,000 450,000
1992   Davis Love III 273 −15 4 strokes   Ian Baker-Finch
  Phil Blackmar
  Nick Faldo
  Tom Watson
1,800,000 324,000
1991   Steve Elkington 276 −12 1 stroke   Fuzzy Zoeller 1,600,000 288,000
1990   Jodie Mudd 278 −10 1 stroke   Mark Calcavecchia 1,500,000 270,000
1989   Tom Kite 279 −9 1 stroke   Chip Beck 1,350,000 243,000
1988   Mark McCumber 273 −15 4 strokes   Mike Reid 1,250,000 225,000
Tournament Players Championship
1987   Sandy Lyle 274 −14 Playoff   Jeff Sluman 1,000,000 180,000
1986   John Mahaffey 275 −13 1 stroke   Larry Mize 900,000 162,000
1985   Calvin Peete 274 −14 3 strokes   D. A. Weibring 900,000 162,000
1984   Fred Couples 277 −11 1 stroke   Lee Trevino 800,000 144,000
1983   Hal Sutton 283 −5 1 stroke   Bob Eastwood 700,000 126,000
1982   Jerry Pate 280 −8 2 strokes   Brad Bryant
  Scott Simpson
500,000 90,000
1981   Raymond Floyd 285 −3 Playoff   Barry Jaeckel
  Curtis Strange
440,000 72,000
1980   Lee Trevino 278 −10 1 stroke   Ben Crenshaw 440,000 72,000
1979   Lanny Wadkins 283 −5 5 strokes   Tom Watson 440,000 72,000
1978   Jack Nicklaus (3) 289 +1 1 stroke   Lou Graham 300,000 60,000
1977   Mark Hayes 289 +1 2 strokes   Mike McCullough 300,000 60,000
1976   Jack Nicklaus (2) 269 −19 3 strokes   J. C. Snead 300,000 60,000
1975   Al Geiberger 270 −10 3 strokes   Dave Stockton 250,000 50,000
1974   Jack Nicklaus 272 −16 2 strokes   J. C. Snead 250,000 50,000

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Source:[28][29]

Multiple winners

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Six players have won the tournament more than once:

Each of Nicklaus' three victories were at different courses but none were at the Stadium Course, where the other multiple winners won both their titles. Scottie Scheffler is the only back-to-back winner by virtue of his wins in 2023 and 2024.

Tournament highlights

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Phil Mickelson with the 2007 Players Championship trophy
  • 1974: Jack Nicklaus wins the inaugural edition of the tournament. He beats J. C. Snead by two shots near Atlanta.[30]
  • 1977: Mark Hayes wins by two shots over Mike McCullough at Sawgrass Country Club, despite shooting the highest winning score on the PGA Tour, 289, since Nicklaus at the 1972 U.S. Open.[31]
  • 1978: Jack Nicklaus wins his third Tournament Players Championship title. He edges Lou Graham by one shot.[32]
  • 1979: Bob Murphy, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, shoots a final round 92. Winds were gusting up to 45 miles per hour that day.[33]
  • 1980: Playing in a final threesome with Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino shoots a final round 70 to edge Ben Crenshaw by one shot.[34]
  • 1981: Raymond Floyd defeats Curtis Strange and Barry Jaeckel on the first hole of a sudden death playoff. In addition to the tournament title, Floyd collects an additional $250,000 bonus due to his win at the Doral-Eastern Open the week before.[35]
  • 1982: After winning the first tournament at the Stadium Course by two shots over Brad Bryant and Scott Simpson, Jerry Pate tosses PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman and course architect Pete Dye into the water adjacent to the 18th green before jumping in himself.[15][16]
  • 1983: Hal Sutton wins by one shot over Bob Eastwood. John Cook came to the 72nd hole tied for the lead with Sutton before hitting his tee shot in the water on his way to a double bogey.[36]
  • 1984: Fred Couples shoots a course record 64[37] during the second round of play on his way to a one-shot victory over Lee Trevino.[38]
  • 1986: John Mahaffey wins by one shot over Larry Mize after Mize makes bogey on four of the last five holes during the final round of play.[39]
  • 1987: Sandy Lyle defeats Jeff Sluman with a par on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff. At the playoff's second hole, Sluman stood over a 6-foot (1.8 m) birdie putt to win, and a spectator jumped into the water surrounding the 17th green. He backed away, then missed.[23][24][25]
  • 1988: Jacksonville area resident Mark McCumber wins by four shots over Mike Reid.[40]
  • 1989: Tom Kite wins for the second consecutive week. He beats Chip Beck by one shot.[41]
  • 1991: Steve Elkington wins by one shot over Fuzzy Zoeller. Phil Blackmar had solo possession of the lead before hitting his tee shot into the water on the 71st hole resulting in a double bogey.[42]
  • 1992: Mark Calcavecchia and John Daly, the first pair on the final day of the tournament, are reprimanded by Deputy PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem "for failure to exert their best effort" after they finish their 18 holes of golf in only two hours and three minutes.[43]
  • 1994: Greg Norman shoots the 72-hole record score for the tournament, 264, on his way to a four shot victory over Fuzzy Zoeller.[44]
  • 1995: After Norman's record score, the course is made tougher by the creation of new, rock hard greens. Lee Janzen shoots 283 to win the tournament, the biggest one-year swing for a tournament played on the same layout in PGA Tour history.[45]
  • 1996: Twelve years after his first win at the TPC at Sawgrass, Fred Couples triumphs again. He shoots a final round 64 to beat Colin Montgomerie and Tommy Tolles by four shots.[46]
  • 1999: David Duval wins by two shots over Scott Gump. The win by Duval propels him to No. 1 in the World rankings.[47]
  • 2000: Hal Sutton wins at the TPC at Sawgrass for a second time. He edges Tiger Woods by one shot.[48]
  • 2002: Playing for the first time ever in The Players Championship, Craig Perks finishes eagle-birdie-par to win by two shots over Stephen Ames. It is the only PGA Tour win for Perks.[49]
  • 2003: Davis Love III wins The Players Championship for a second time. He shoots a final round 64 to win by six shots over Jay Haas and Pádraig Harrington.[50]
  • 2004: In spite of hitting his 2nd shot at the 72nd hole into the water, Adam Scott is able to get it up and down for bogey to win by one shot over Pádraig Harrington.[51]
  • 2005: Fred Funk becomes the tournament's oldest champion by edging Tom Lehman, Luke Donald, and Scott Verplank by one shot. During the final round, Bob Tway hits four balls into the water surrounding the 17th green, scoring a twelve on the hole.[52]
  • 2010: After 206 career PGA Tour starts, Tim Clark breaks through for his first Tour win.
  • 2011: K. J. Choi becomes the first Asian born golfer to win The Players Championship. He defeats David Toms on the first hole of a sudden death playoff.[53]
  • 2013: Roberto Castro ties the course record with a 9-under 63 in the opening round.[54] Sergio García, tied for the lead with Tiger Woods at 13-under par going to the par-3 17th hole in the final round, puts two balls into the water. Tiger Woods wins the event for the first time since 2001. It is his 78th career PGA Tour win in his 300th start.
  • 2014: Ongoing injuries prevent Tiger Woods from defending his title. In the first round, Martin Kaymer ties the course record with a 63 matching Fred Couples (1992), Greg Norman (1994) and Roberto Castro (2013).[55] Kaymer goes on to win wire-to-wire.
  • 2015: Following a three-way tie at 12-under par in regulation play, the tournament's first aggregate three-hole playoff over holes 16–18 is conducted between Rickie Fowler, Kevin Kisner and Sergio García. Kisner and Fowler both go par-birdie-par to end the playoff at 1-under par, while García can only muster three pars to finish at even par and is eliminated. The playoff continues into sudden death, starting at the 17th, where both Kisner and Fowler have birdie opportunities. Kisner's birdie try from about 12 feet is unsuccessful, while Fowler's effort, inside of five feet, drops home for the victory.[56]
  • 2017: 21-year-old Kim Si-woo becomes the event's youngest winner.
  • 2020: The tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[57] The first round had been played. Hideki Matsuyama led, having tied the course record with a score of 63 (−9).[58] Half of the $15 million purse was distributed to the players who played the first round, $52,000 each.[59]
  • 2024: Scottie Scheffler overcomes a five shot deficit heading into the final round to become the first back-to-back winner.[60]
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References

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  1. ^ "Stadium Course". TPC Sawgrass. (scorecard). November 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Biggers, Don (June 23, 1974). "Move over 'big four,' here comes another". Rome News-Tribune. Georgia. p. 1C. Archived from the original on Jun 16, 2024 – via Google News Archive.
  3. ^ Herrington, Ryan (March 14, 2022). "Players 2022: Here's the record prize money payout for each golfer at TPC Sawgrass". Golf Digest. Archived from the original on Nov 30, 2023.
  4. ^ Smits, Garry (Mar 7, 2023). "Players Championship purses: The best field in golf has almost always been paid the most". Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on Aug 23, 2023.
  5. ^ Hawkins, John (March 13, 2019). "Players Championship, the fifth major? Nah. The PGA Tour's own moves have hurt the claim". Golf.com. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Crouse, Karen (May 7, 2013). "Men's Fifth Major May Remain Mythical". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Burke, Monte (May 9, 2012). "The Players Championship Is Not The "5th Major," But It's Still A Great Tournament". Forbes. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  8. ^ "Players Championship to award $2.7M to winner, $15M overall". ESPN. Associated Press. January 24, 2010.
  9. ^ "OWGR – Events to date". Official World Golf Ranking. Archived from the original on 2023-07-30. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  10. ^ "Rich TPC locates champion in Love". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Knight-Ridder. March 30, 1992. p. C1.
  11. ^ "Inverrary event wants to join pro golf's 'big four'". Boca Raton News. Florida. UPI. February 24, 1976. p. 7.
  12. ^ "PGA schedules title event for Atlanta". Rome News-Tribune. (Georgia). November 6, 1973. p. 6.
  13. ^ "TPC tounrey in Florida". Rome News-Tribune. (Georgia). May 19, 1976. p. 7A.
  14. ^ Murray, Jim (March 28, 1977). "Pro golf heavyweights can't duck Sawgrass course". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Los Angeles Times). p. 5C.
  15. ^ a b Boswell, Tom (March 22, 1982). "Splish, splash! Pate is the winner with a wet, wild finish". Milwaukee Journal. (Washington Post). p. 3, part 3.
  16. ^ a b "Beaman, Dye celebrate with Pate". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. March 22, 1982. p. 15.
  17. ^ Wacker, Brian (March 12, 2020). "Players 2020: PGA Tour cancels Players Championship, next three tournament". Golf World. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "PGA Tour reaches television agreements". PGA Tour. January 11, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-03-14. Retrieved 2006-02-27.
  19. ^ Shedloski, Dave (August 7, 2017). "The PGA Championship is moving to May and players are on board". Golf Digest. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  20. ^ "P.G.A. Championship Will Move from August to May in 2019". The New York Times. Reuters. August 8, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  21. ^ Herrington, Ryan (August 7, 2017). "The PGA Championship will be moving to May, sources say". Golf Digest. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  22. ^ Martin, Sean (April 16, 2014). "The Players Championship announces change to playoff format". PGA Tour. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  23. ^ a b "Lyle wins TPC in extra holes". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. March 30, 1987. p. 3, part 2.
  24. ^ a b Fowler, Bob (March 30, 1987). "Fan's dive kept Lyle afloat". Spokane Chronicle. (Orlando Sentinel). p. C2.
  25. ^ a b White, Gordon S. Jr. (March 30, 1987). "Lyle wins T.P.C. in playoff". The New York Times. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  26. ^ "Floyd wins playoff for record payoff - $322,000". Chicago Tribune. wire services. March 24, 1981. p. 3, sec. 6.
  27. ^ "Floyd recoups his losses, takes golf's biggest check". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 24, 1981. p. 4C.
  28. ^ "The Players Championship – Past Champions". PGA Tour.
  29. ^ "The Players Championship – Winners". golfobserver.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27.
  30. ^ 'Hungry' Nicklaus wins
  31. ^ Hayes uses wind in surprising win over talented field
  32. ^ Nicklaus not up to par
  33. ^ Wadkins survives elements to win by five-strokes
  34. ^ Trevino tames Sawgrass
  35. ^ Record payoff for Floyd
  36. ^ Sutton gets lucky to win rich tour players' toruney
  37. ^ Couples shoots 64 to take lead of two strokes
  38. ^ Fred Couples shows he can handle the pressure
  39. ^ Mahaffey tops $2-million
  40. ^ McCumber wins, sets record
  41. ^ Players champion flying high
  42. ^ Breakfast club putting advice gives Elkington the Players title
  43. ^ "Love conquers all to win Players Championship". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. March 30, 1992.
  44. ^ Norman storms to record in Players Championship
  45. ^ Zullo, Allan, "Astonishing but True Golf Facts", Andrew McMeels Publishing, Forest Fairview, North Carolina, 2001.
  46. ^ Couples finishes too strong to win Players Championship
  47. ^ Perfect weekend for Duval
  48. ^ Sutton holds on for one-stroke victory
  49. ^ Perks wins Players Championships
  50. ^ Love's incredible round of golf wins Players Championship
  51. ^ Scott survives 18 to win Players Championship
  52. ^ "Funk wins Players: Donald falls back as tournament hits home stretch". Sports Illustrated. March 28, 2005. Archived from the original on March 30, 2005.
  53. ^ Choi wins Players Championship
  54. ^ DiMeglio, Steve (May 9, 2013). "Roberto Castro ties course record at Sawgrass with 63". USA Today. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  55. ^ "Players Championship: Martin Kaymer leads after first round". BBC Sport. May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  56. ^ "Rickie Fowler rallies, overcomes 2 in playoff to claim Players". ESPN. Associated Press. May 10, 2015.
  57. ^ Wacker, Brian (March 12, 2020). "Players 2020: PGA Tour cancels Players Championship, next three tournaments". Golfworld.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  58. ^ Ferguson, Doug (March 12, 2020). "Coronavirus dominates talk as Hideki Matsuyama ties course record to lead". Golf Channel. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  59. ^ Ross, Helen (March 13, 2020). "Horschel donates half his earnings from The Players to Feeding Northeast Florida". PGA Tour.
  60. ^ Bantock, Jack (17 March 2024). "Scottie Scheffler becomes first to ever defend Players Championship after Wyndham Clark's crucial putt lips out". CNN. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
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30°11′53″N 81°23′38″W / 30.198°N 81.394°W / 30.198; -81.394