Preview and Predictions for the 2016 Players Championship
Off to Ponte Vedra Beach we go for the Players Championship (officially, THE PLAYERS, but we don't want to look like we're shouting here at Bleacher Report).
Golf's "fifth major" features the largest purse on the PGA Tour, a stacked field and a pristine TPC Sawgrass. We'll see Jordan Spieth and Danny Willett return to action following their very different outcomes at the Masters in April.
And of course, with all three members of golf's Big Three teeing it up—and Rickie Fowler—we're due for much discussion of which golfer is truly the game's best. Yet, Fowler has had the most recent success at TPC Sawgrass, triumphing in a playoff last year to claim The Players.
What additional storylines should golf fans keep tabs on? Who are the favorites and the dark horses?
Read on to find out.
Tournament Information
1 of 5
Defending Champion
Rickie Fowler
Where
TPC Sawgrass (7,215 yards, par 72)
What
Total Purse: $10.5 million
Winning Share: $1.89 million
FedEx Points to Winner: 600
When
Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday-Sunday, 2-7 p.m. ET (NBC)
Biggest Storylines
2 of 5
Of course, storylines this week start with the course itself.
Centerpiece of the TPC network of courses, viewers will be subjected to no shortage of discussion of the merits Pete Dye-designed, Deane Beman-envisioned TPC Sawgrass. Here's the short version: Beman purchased the land for $1, no two holes on the course face the same direction and it is designed to not favor any particular style of golfer.
Also, and obviously, the 17th hole. How many balls will find the water? What drama will unfold on its island green?
What Fowler will do for an encore to last year's brilliant performance will be of primary interest. So too will Spieth's play in his first start since his Masters finish.
Predictably strong field with 46 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking slated to tee it up.
The Favorites
3 of 5
Rory McIlroy: Coming off a fourth-place finish at the Wells Fargo, McIlroy returns to TPC Sawgrass, where he's tallied top-10 finishes in his last three appearances. He is eighth on tour in strokes gained: tee-to-green and fourth in birdie average.
Jordan Spieth: Back in action for the first time since the Masters—and #SB2K16—Spieth is putting a peg in the ground at a venue where he's had two very different results: a fourth-place finish in 2014 and a missed cut last year. Spieth is 20th in strokes gained: putting and second in birdie average.
Jason Day: The Australian finished fifth at the Zurich Classic in his most recent start, and he, like Spieth, has been hot and cold at TPC Sawgrass. Day missed the cut last year but finished 19th in 2013 and sixth in 2011. Day is sixth in birdie average and second in strokes gained: putting.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
The Dark Horses
4 of 5
Charley Hoffman: After winning the Valero Texas Open, Hoffman managed an 11th-place finish at the soggy Zurich Classic. He's made three of his last four cuts at TPC Sawgrass. He's a hot golfer, a little rested and has a decent course record. You never know.
Kevin Na: The enigma that is Na finished fourth at the RBC Heritage in his most recent start. He placed sixth at TPC Sawgrass last year. Forget everything else: When a golfer enters a tournament with a top-10 showing in his most recent finish and a top-10 finish last time he played the week's tournament, he deserves a look.
Prediction
5 of 5
Winner: Hideki Matsuyama
It seems you could pick Matsuyama every time he tees up. Good in strokes gained metrics, birdie average and seemingly always coming off a top-15 finish and heading to a course where he's performed admirably, the Japanese national is again a good bet this week.
Matsuyama has four top-20 finishes in a row, placing 11th at the Wells Fargo in his most recent outing. He's finished inside the top 25 in both of his turns at TPC Sawgrass.
Beyond this, he's 34th proximity to the hole and 33rd in total driving—both key this week. Also, he's fifth in strokes gained: tee-to-green and third in birdie average.
His putter is a concern, but if he can use the flatstick serviceably, look for him to be in contention on Sunday.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
