Category: PGA Tour
Articles and links about the PGA Tour -- and, incidentally, the Nationwide, Champions Tour and European Tours.
The Money Majors
If you subscribe to the cynical theory that it’s all about the money, the list of golf’s “Majors” would look quite different. Forbes has a list of the top twenty, and these would be the real majors:
The Players - Purse of at least $9.5 million
WGC Bridgestone - $8.5 million
WGC Cadillac - $8.5 million
WGC Accenture Match Play - $8.5 million
In comparison, the four existing Majors have payouts of around $8 million each.
Posted By The Original Golf Blogger
Phil Mickelson, Philanthropist
If you’re a Phil Mickelson hater and want to stay that way, don’t read this article..
For his fans (like myself), though, it’s a confirmation of what we had long strongly suspected. Phil is a quality guy.
From the introduction:
Mickelson, 41, has always enjoyed a deeply personal connection with his fans, thanks to his interaction on the course and the endless autographs he signs when the round is over. (He is also beloved in the service industry because of a penchant for dispensing $100 tips.) In the wake of Evan’s harrowing delivery, Mickelson has become an agent of change, beginning with an eponymous foundation that does not solicit outside contributions. Mickelson is a science nerd and the son of an Air Force pilot, so supporting education and providing for military veterans have become twin passions. In recent years he has found other creative ways to give back. “I’m lucky to be in a position to help,” Mickelson says, and he’d like to leave it at that. It is up to others to tell of his impact outside of golf.
Posted By The Original Golf Blogger
PLAYERS Championship Tee Times
Here are a few of the marquee groups for Thursday’s PLAYERS:
1st Tee
7:47 Geoff Ogilvy, Vijay Singh, Scott Verplank
8:18 Brandt Snedeker, Ben Crane, Nick Watney
1:07 Scott Stallings, Jim Furyk, Davis Love III
1:28 Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Adam Scott
1:39 Luke Donald, Bill Haas, Lee Westwood
10th Tee
8:29 Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley, Matt Kuchar
8:39 Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan, Tiger Woods
8:50 Sean O’Hair, David Toms, Henrik Stenson
12:57 Frederik Jacobson, Lucas Glover, Retief Goosen
1:28 Graeme McDowell, Zach Johnson, Ernie Els
Posted By The Original Golf Blogger
Some PLAYERS Championship Records
A random selection of interesting course and tournament records from the PLAYERS Championship:
PLAYERS Championship Records
Low 18 Hole Scores
63 (9-under), Fred Couples, 1992, TPC Sawgrass, 3rd round (30-33);Birdied 2, 4, 7, 8, eagled 9, birdied 10, 12, bogeyed 15, birdied 16, 18 (Finished T13)
63 (9-under), Greg Norman, 1994, TPC Sawgrass, 1st round (33-30); Birdied 1, 2, 5, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 (Won)
High 18-hole score:
92 (20-over), Bob Murphy, 1979, Final round, Sawgrass CC
91 (19-over), John Lister, 1977, 2nd round, Sawgrass CC
Low final-round score:
64 (8-under), Fred Couples, 1996, TPC Sawgrass
64 (8-under), Davis Love III, 2003, TPC Sawgrass
65 (7-under), Jack Nicklaus, 1976, Inverrary
65 (7-under), Isao Aoki, 1985, TPC Sawgrass
65 (7-under), John Cook, 1991, TPC Sawgrass
65 (7-under), Gil Morgan, 1993, TPC Sawgrass
65 (7-under), Robert Allenby, 2003, TPC Sawgrass
65 (7-under), Sergio Garcia, 2011, TPC Sawgrass
Low finish by winner:
64, Davis Love III, 2003, TPC Sawgrass
64, Fred Couples, 1996, TPC Sawgrass
65, Jack Nicklaus, 1976, Inverrary
High finish by winner:
75, Jack Nicklaus, 1978, Sawgrass CC
Low 72 Hole Score
264 (24-under), Greg Norman, 1994, TPC Sawgrass (63-67-67-67)
268 (20-under), Fuzzy Zoeller, 1994, TPC Sawgrass (66-67-68-67)
Holes-in-one (28 total; 24 at TPC Sawgrass):
1976: Wally Armstrong, 6th hole, Inverrary, 2nd round
1978: Grier Jones, 12th hole, Sawgrass CC, 2nd round; John Mahaffey, 15th hole, Sawgrass CC, Final round
1981: Bill Kratzert, 6th hole, Sawgrass CC, 3rd round
1986: Jim Gallagher, Jr., 3rd hole, TPC Sawgrass, 1st round; Brad Fabel, 17th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 1st round
1991: Brian Claar, 17th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 3rd round
1992: Chip Beck, 13th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 1st round
1994: Russ Cochran, 3rd hole, TPC Sawgrass, Final round
1994: Gary Hallberg, 8th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 3rd round
1995: Phil Mickelson, 13th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 2nd round
1996: Jay Don Blake, 13th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 3rd round
1997: Mark Brooks, 8th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 2nd round; Fred Couples, 17th hole, TPC Sawgrass, Final round
1999: Bob Friend, 8th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 1st round; Joey Sindelar, 17th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 1st round
2000: Paul Azinger, 17th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 3rd round; Ted Tryba, 8th hole, TPC Sawgrass, Final round; Joe Ozaki, 8th hole, TPC Sawgrass, Final round
2001: Chris DiMarco, 3rd hole, TPC Sawgrass, Final round
2002: Miguel A. Jimenez, 17th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 1st round; Craig Stadler, 13th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 3rd round
2004: Jose Maria Olazabal, 13th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 2nd round
2006: Justin Leonard, 13th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 2nd round; Jesper Parnevik, 13th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 2nd round; Henrik Stenson, 13th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 3rd round; Fred Couples, 13th hole, TPC Sawgrass, Final round.
2008: Robert Garrigus, 13th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 2nd round.
Double-eagles:
2007: Hunter Mahan, 11th hole, TPC Sawgrass, 2nd round (Driver/5-iron from 227 yards); Peter Lonard, 2nd hole, TPC Sawgrass, 3rd round (Driver/5-iron from 229 yards)
Multiple winners:
Jack Nicklaus, 1974, 1976 and 1978
Steve Elkington, 1991 and 1997
Hal Sutton, 1983 and 2000
Fred Couples, 1984 and 1996
Best come-from-behind victories:
6 strokes, Raymond Floyd, 1981, Sawgrass CC
5 strokes, Justin Leonard, 1998, TPC Sawgrass
5 strokes, Henrik Stenson, 2009, TPC Sawgrass
Wire-to-wire winners (no ties):
Al Geiberger, 1975, Colonial
Greg Norman, 1994, TPC Sawgrass
Steve Elkington, 1997, TPC Sawgrass
Hal Sutton, 2000, TPC Sawgrass
Davis Love III, 1992 and 2003
Widest victory margin:
7 strokes, Steve Elkington (over Scott Hoch), 1997
6 strokes, Davis Love III (over Jay Haas, Padraig Harrington), 2003
6 strokes, Stephen Ames (over Retief Goosen), 2006
SOURCE: PGA TOUR
Posted By The Original Golf Blogger
TPC At Sawgrass Photo Montage Video
Posted By The Original Golf Blogger
Phil’s Big Gamble At The 2007 Players
An amazing shot that only Phil The Thrill would attempt.
Posted By The Original Golf Blogger
Satellite Photos of the TPC Sawgrass
The TPC Sawgrass boasts perhaps the most famous hole in golf—the island green 17th—but the rest of the course doesn’t evoke such interest. However, in examining it closely with satellite images from Google Earth, I found a course that’s not only long (more than 7,200 yards), but that is also mentally taxing. As a high school golf coach, I will help my players plan their way around an unfamiliar course by drawing lines on a scorecard, helping them to plan their shots to maximize reward for the risk. Most important, I thought, was to plan the tee shot so that they could get the best look at the green.
But that turned out to be fiendishly difficult at the TPC Sawgrass. Usually, the best like to the green is guarded by imposing bunkers, water or trees (and sometimes all three). On a lot of the holes I couldn’t figure out where the “bail out” shot was.
Of course, I’m thinking like a mid handicapper who coaches high school golf. The Tour player likely see it quite differently. But from The Golf Blogger’s perspective, it looks like a trip through golfing hell. I firmly believe that every hole should have a variety of options for play, including an easy one that’s bound to lead to a bogey, but at least prevents a disaster. But I don’t think that Pete Dye agrees with me.
At any rate, you can see a couple of satellite photos below, and hole-by-hole satellite photos of the entire TPC Sawgrass course here.
Posted By The Original Golf Blogger
