Golf's elite line up for The Players Championship
IN: News | US PGA | The Players Championship (2004) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 23 Mar 2004
The Players Championship has for some time been considered the game's unofficial 'fifth major' and even the introduction of the World Golf Championship events in recent years has not changed that.
Perhaps it is the quality of the field, the timing of the event or perhaps the course at the TPC of Sawgrass that makes the event so special, but likely it is a combination of all three.
Just two weeks before the first major of the year at Augusta, the event brings together arguably the best field of the year and is played over one of the strongest and demanding tests in the game. Everyone who is anyone is here as far as world golf is concerned and as a consequence when you pit the best against the best over one of the game's most demanding layouts then it has every right to be considered one of golf's greatest events.
A look back at the tournament winners in recent times suggests just what an event it is. The only mystery winner in the last thirteen years came in 2002 when New Zealander Craig Perks headed off Stephen Ames with perhaps the most dramatic finish in the history of the event. Perks chipped in for eagle at the 16th then holed a long putt across the green for birdie at the 17th then holed a pitch from behind the green for par at the last. It is Perks' only win on tour and since then he and his game have gone into almost oblivion.
Aside from that rather quirky year in 2002 however, the last twelve winners of the event have been winners of majors, with only Steve Elkington and Davis Love III winning more than once in that time. Fred Couples and Hal Sutton, also winners in that period, are two-time winners of the Players Championship, but their first wins came in the eighties. Jack Nicklaus won the event when it was first held in 1974 and then again in 1976 and 1978.
The event has had its home at Sawgrass near Jacksonville since 1977, although the event was staged on three occasions prior to that at the Atlanta Country Club, the Colonial Country Club in Texas and the Inverrary Golf and Country Club in Florida. Prior to the TPC course being built, the event was played at the Sawgrass Golf Club before being moved to the TPC in 1982.
The course and stadium concept is the brainchild of original Tour Commissioner Deane Beaman, who in the 1960's had seen the merit in developing a course that would accommodate large galleries and make viewing golf, user-friendly.
He engaged the respected but, perhaps at the time, controversial course designer Pete Dye to assist in the project and the concept of TPC courses was born. It opened to rather mixed reaction, especially from the players, but the fans and sponsors loved it and soon the players warmed to the course and the concept.
They are all here this week and with Tiger struggling a little at present, despite winning the Accenture a month ago, there is a wide spread amongst those likely to take the title.
Woods will logically be the favourite but the likes of Love, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, last week's winner Chad Campbell who was 6th here last year, Phil Mickelson, Darren Clarke also 6th last year and in good form currently, Robert Allenby who was fourth here last year, Stuart Appleby and in the form Scott Verplank are all expected to do well.
One who may surprise and at long odds for those interested in a bet on the event is Stephen Ames, who played well last week, was runner up to Craig Perks here in 2002 and was 17th last year.
These are but a few of the chances in a field where so many of the word's leading players are lining up.
Australasians are Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Stephen Allan, Aaron Baddeley, Steve Elkington, Stephen Leaney, Peter Lonard, Geoff Ogilvy, Greg Norman, Rod Pampling, Craig Parry, Adam Scott, John Senden and Craig Perks.
