Preview and Prediction for the 2015 Players Championship
The Players Championship promises to live up to its billing as the unofficial fifth major when the field tees it up at TPC Sawgrass.
A Lindsey Vonn-less Tiger Woods, after finishing tied for 17th at the Masters, will play in his second tournament since returning from a layoff earlier this year. Rory McIlroy comes in fresh off of winning the WGC-Cadillac Match Play. Jordan Spieth, though exiting from the Match Play earlier than forecasted, still has the greenish glow that makes him dangerous.
"TPC Sawgrass also has a reputation of being a ball-striker's venue. That's rather obvious, given the danger lurking around every railroad tie, and it's revealed in the statistical profile. The course ranked fourth in 2014 in proximity from the rough. With fast greens that average just 4,500 square feet, hitting approaches from the cleanest of lies is a premium. And from a pure scoring standpoint, TPC Sawgrass was once again steady, ranking inside in [sic] the top 20 in par-3, par-4 and par-5 scoring.
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Sounds terrifying.
Read on for what to look for when the field heads to Sawgrass for The Players Championship.
Tournament Info and Where to Watch
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Defending Champion: Martin Kaymer
Where
TPC Sawgrass (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL)
7,215 yards, Par 72
What
Total Purse: $10,000,000
Winning Share: $1,800,000
FedEx Points to Winner: 600
When
Thursday-Friday
1-7 p.m., Golf Channel
Saturday-Sunday
Noon-2 p.m., Golf Channel; 2-7 NBC
Featured Groups
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Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson
Round 1: 1:17 p.m. ET off No. 1
Round 2: 8:07 a.m. ET off No. 10
Justin Rose had a terrific Masters and then followed that by winning the Zurich Classic. Dustin Johnson has been a top 10 machine this year with five to date. Zach Johnson is a steady player who can play with anybody.
Martin Kaymer, Adam Scott, Tiger Woods
Round 1: 1:49 p.m. ET off No. 1
Round 2: 8:39 a.m. ET off No. 10
The "past champions group." Martin Kaymer was last year's champ and he then parlayed that into his second major at the U.S. Open. Woods isn't the only golfer with something to prove as Adam Scott has just one top 10 to date.
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day
Round 1: 8:39 a.m. ET off No. 10
Round 2: 1:49 p.m. ET off No. 1
The "wunderkind group." McIlroy looks to make it two wins in a row and Spieth looks to match his Augusta National form. Jason Day wants nothing more than to be spoken of in the same sentence as McIlroy and Spieth. This week is his chance.
Biggest Storylines
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Tiger Woods Makes His First Start Since the Masters
Former World No. 1 Tiger Woods makes his return at Sawgrass, this after finishing well in the Masters. That tied-for-17th-effort at Augusta National Golf Club proved he’s on the way back to being competitive for the first time since 2013.
The biggest headline swirling around Woods surrounded his recent breakup with skiing champion Vonn.
Woods wrote on his website:
"I have great admiration, respect and love for Lindsey and I'll always cherish our time together. She has been amazing with Sam [daughter] and Charlie [son] and my entire family. Unfortunately, we lead very hectic lives and are both competing in demanding sports. It's difficult to spend time together.
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Will this cloud Woods’ mind heading to Sawgrass, or will it free him to play the best golf we’ve seen in two years?
World No. 1 Rising
McIlroy took home his second career WGC event win in the Match Play, after finishing alone in fourth place at the Masters.
He won his 10th career tournament this past Sunday, becoming the third player to win 10 tournaments before the age of 26. The Golden Bear and Tiger are the only other two. McIlroy handles the comparisons well.
McIlroy said on USA TODAY's For the Win:
"Every time I have a win, I keep hearing those guys’ names come up. It’s great to be mentioned with the likes of Tiger and Jack, the two greatest players that I think have ever played this game. But I’m on my journey, I’ll see where I get to. But right now I’m really happy with my 10th win. And I’m going to go after my 11th next week at TPC.
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So, yes, he's carving out his own path. He's not nearly as prolific as Woods was through his mid-20s. Woods had 29 wins by McIlroy's age, if you can believe that.
McIlroy is starting play like another familiar player not named Woods: 2014 Rory.
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The Favorites
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Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth, who was upset by Lee Westwood in the final match of round-robin play in the Match Play, a tournament in which Spieth played well, returns one week later to avenge that loss.
He even feels another tweak is necessary for the Match Play, to better suit his strengths, in this case. He tweeted, “In my opinion.. If change in format was wanted/needed.. Makes sense to do stroke play first 3 rounds then top 16 into bracket. Agree?”
He hasn’t lost a step since winning the Masters and he’ll play this week with a vengeance.
Rory McIlroy
It’s hard to believe, but McIlroy earned his first win of the 2015 season on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. After romping through the States in 2014, he’d been in a relative drought until the Match Play.
“It's really satisfying to get that first win stateside (this year), no matter what format it is, it's always nice to get a trophy,” he said on CNN.com. “And now we move on to next week (THE PLAYERS Championship) and try to do it again."
He’s on his own journey, so to speak, and he’ll be the choice to win this tournament.
Rob Bolton of PGATour.com wrote that Rory is “playing like the world's top-ranked golfer that he is. Fresh off Match Play win. Solo fourth at the Masters. Top 10s here last two editions.”
The Dark Horses
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Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods appears to have found his game. It’s not elite yet, not up to his own par, but it’s sharpening. He’s a two-time winner of this event and won it in 2013.
Jason Sobel said in an ESPN.com video:
"It’s less tangible results than improvement from the Masters. Prior to playing at Augusta he hadn’t played for nine weeks. Now that he's gotten his game together, now that he's found his swing, found his short game, I expect improvements. But let's remember, The Players Championship has never been Tiger Woods' favorite tournament.
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And Rob Bolton of PGATour.com added, “Didn't defend title last year due to back surgery. Tied for 17th at Masters in last start. Success on and familiarity with TPC Sawgrass support this nod.”
He has a familiarity with the course and shooting for a top 10 would be a victory of sorts for Woods.
Sergio Garcia
Sergio Garcia is a past winner of this event (2008) and if he brings his game—devoid of meltdowns—it’s a winning game.
He won this event in a playoff seven years ago, saying on GolfDigest.com, “This week, I played so nicely. It felt like everything was so hard. I'm just thrilled the week is over and I managed to finish on top."
Aside from finishing in a tie for 17th in the Masters, Garcia has done little to inspire. But when players return to places where they’ve had success in the past, sometimes the best in them surfaces.
Prediction
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Winner: Jordan Spieth
That chip on his shoulder from the Match Play promises to haunt those challenging him this week.
He finished tied for fourth in this tournament a year ago and nobody outside of McIlroy seems like he can beat him. Having only played the course competitively that one time gave him the confidence.
"I was extremely comfortable on this golf course," he said of Sawgrass in The Orlando Sentinel.
Spieth felt similarly after finishing in a tie for second at the Masters in 2014; look how that turned out for him a year later.
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