Many often wonder why The Players Championship is such a big deal on tour, so here are a few reasons. Aside from a large amount of money, winning The Players results in a large amount of World Golf Rankings points, a 5 year exemption on the PGA Tour, a 3 year invitation/exemption to the Masters, the Open Championship and the US Open, as well as an exemption into the PGA Championship later on in the season. Talk about a career starter...
Another reason why The Players is such a big deal is the course, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass that is. The Stadium Course was designed by Pete and Alice Dye, for the sole purpose of hosting The Players. Widely recognized as one of the toughest courses played on Tour, the Stadium Course brings water into play on many of it's holes and is known for it's tough finishing holes. Perhaps the most famous part of the course is the par 3 17th, known as the "Island Green". And it is just that; you tee off with a lake in front of you and must land your ball on a small 70-foot green in the middle of the lake. The Island Green is hands down the most famous and iconic hole in golf and has been known to make or break a players round.
The field at The Players is usually more distinct and deeper than the average PGA tournament, as it includes top-ranked golfers, as well as past winners of notable tournaments such as the Senior Players, Tour Championship, WGC events, etc. Given this, it was a little harder to make our picks this week, but we've narrowed down the 144-man field to three players. Here's who we think might win this week:
1) Justin Rose
2) Jordan Spieth
3) Dustin Johnson
Justin Rose is an all round safe pick. He plays great golf, is a world class player, and always a favourite in my books when he's playing well. Speaking of playing well, Jordan Spieth is a pick for most people and myself, after winning the Masters and for probably being the best player in golf for the last 6 months. Dustin has a handful of top-10 finishes (including one at the Masters) as well as a win this year. Needless to say, he is playing pretty good golf at the moment and he also drives the ball a long way; that's why he's our last pick this week.
Also we'll be watching TGR favourite Graeme McDowell (who almost won The Players a few years ago).
To close, one thing I found interesting about this tournament was that since 2011, the winning score has been 13-under par. It'll be interesting to see if this trend continues this year. Play is set to start tomorrow morning at just after 7AM EST and is sure to be filled with excitement, especially at the 17th. Stay tuned for our Weekend Update post on Friday evening to see who's leading going into the weekend.
Who are your picks this week? Comment below and let us know...
-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews
The iconic "Island Green" at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass
No comments:
Post a Comment