THER PLAYERS Championship is 50 years old this year and, if it had its way, it would be a major championship by now.
Conceived as the PGA Tour’s flagship event, various strategies have been utilised to boost an already lofty opinion of itself. It’s had the highest purse in the sport, built a stage of its own, was played in late rather than early spring, tried overwhelming centuries of grammatical convention (in fashioning itself THE PLAYERS Championship), and, when all else has failed, simply referred to itself as “the fifth major”.
It’s interesting to consider what might have happened to the championship’s status had it not been quite so cravenly desperate for validation. Because the creation of the first Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass was a genuine evolutionary moment in the sport (the notion didn’t exist before Pete Dye created it), the field is unquestionably of the highest class (although, of course, it is weakened again this year by LIV Golf) and, for all the hoopla, the week possesses significant gravitas.
But it’s also easy to think of a fellow who irritates a club by insisting that he is worthy of membership rather than quietly proving himself and then being asked to join. The upper classes would consider the tournament a bit new money; the rest of us might hear Harry Enfield’s Brummie boasting: “I’m considerably richer than you.”
Scottie Scheffler defends the title this week, 12 months on from posting a Saturday 65 that opened up a two-shot advantage which he extended to five by the end of Sunday. It was a sixth win in 27 starts and his status as the world number one was in little doubt.
More success took longer to arrive than anyone could have predicted, however. True, his consistency was startling with a run of 19 events, all of them earning finishes of T31st or better and 12 were top six. As we all know, for all his tee-to-green magnificence, his putting was poor. The excellence of the former no doubt exaggerated the weakness of the latter, but it was a glaring sore that he first brushed off and then found impossible to ignore as social and traditional media constantly asked questions of it.
In those 19 starts between this event last year and last week he was measured for Strokes Gained 18 times. On 16 occasions he ranked 17th or better Off the Tee, 16 times he ranked top 20 for Approach, he was 18-for-18 at ranking top 15 Tee to Green (and 13 times he was top three). But in that entire run he had a best ranking for Putting of 30th.
“It would be borderline unfair if he starts putting really good,” Wyndham Clark said last week. “I never want to wish ill on anybody, but if he starts putting positive each week it’s going to be really hard to beat.”
If you sensed fear in Clark’s words you’d be right because last week Scheffler got himself a new putter and started seeing the ball drop in the hole. He ranked fifth in the field and won the Arnold Palmer Invitational by, in a neat echo of this event last year, five.
If he keeps that putter warm his quest to go back-to-back in the event and also for the season will be hard to vanquish. Those keen on him can get 11/2 and it’s tempting but we’ll look elsewhere.
Each Way – Shane Lowry at 33/1
Just about all parts of Shane Lowry’s game were in good nick last week – his only problem when third at Bay Hill was running into a red-hot Scheffler. It also backed up his fourth place the week before and it’s within him to ride the wave this week. He ranks fifth for Strokes Gained Approach for the season and it’s a key element of the Sawgrass test. He has a good record on Dye designs with a pair of thirds at Harbour Town, fourth in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island and T19th at River Highlands last summer. He was T16th at Sawgrass, when second through 18 and 36 holes, in 2016 but his returns have headed in the right direction since the tournament’s return to March. He was eighth in 2021, three back of the 54-hole lead when T13th in 2022 and T35th last year having sat T125th after 18 holes.
Each Way – Tom Hoge at 66/1
Tom Hoge has been in a lovely run of form since hitting the mainland in January, landing five top 20s in seven starts and this might be the ideal spot for him to contend. He kicked off that run in The American Express with a pair of 65s on another Dye stadium course and he’s also been second and sixth there. He was third in this event last year (fuelled by a sparkling third round 62) and ranks first for Approach this season.
Top 20 – Ryo Hisatsune at 13/2
In terms of consistency, there has been a connection between Sawgrass and Europe’s premier stadium course, Le Golf National which is to say that winners in Paris were also solid at landing Sawgrass top 20s in their heyday. Colin Montgomerie nabbed three and so did Martin Kaymer. Retief Goosen and Robert Allenby landed four each and in recent times Alex Noren and Tommy Fleetwood two apiece. Francesco Molinari didn’t win at either but he was prolific at finishing top 20 on both. Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune did win at Le Golf last year, he was sixth in the Zozo Championship soon after, landed T11th in The American Express (confirming it with weekend rounds of 68-65 on the Dye Stadium Course) and he’s in form. He was T18th last week when the first round leader.
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