FLORIDA’S PONTE VEDRA BEACH — The weather has been bad for the 48th Players Championship, but look who’s flocking to TPC Sawgrass’ Players Stadium Course like ducks to water.
For example, Tom Hoge. He’d been on the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour for eight years and had made more than 200 Tour starts before winning last month at Pebble Beach.
Another is Brice Garnett. For his career highlight, the 38-year-old seven-year Tour veteran triumphed in the Dominican Republic in 2018.
They were tied for first in The Players Championship at 6 under with Tommy Fleetwood of England when the field was hauled in at 11:15 a.m. ET on Friday due to unsuitable course conditions. Play was suspended for the day shortly after 3 p.m. ET, and it will resume at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday.
Garnett was 6 under through 13 holes on Friday, closing his day with an eagle 2 at No. 4. Hoge and Fleetwood fired 66 on Thursday, and Garnett was 6 under through 13 holes on Thursday.
Kramer Hickok, Anirbarn Lahiri, Taylor Pendrith, and Doug Ghim are among the other contenders vying for their first Tour victory. Eight of the 17 players tied for ninth or higher have won one or no PGA Tour titles, and just one has won a major event, Dustin Johnson.
Just before the horn blew …@JordanSpieth will have this for par at the 17th. pic.twitter.com/jiAd4jX81g
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 11, 2022
And where is Justin Thomas, the defending champion? Rory McIlroy, champion of 2019? Other notable winners include World No. 1 Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, and Brooks Koepka.
Back in the throng. But not completely out of it.
The biggest stars appear to have had the most difficulties navigating the wet grounds during the worst weather pattern to impact the week of the PGA Tour’s showpiece event in 17 years during two stop-start days at the Players.
A Tuesday completion is feasible, according to the tour.
How awful is it? Since Wednesday night, the course has received 4.25 inches of rain, with another 2.5 inches falling on Friday. Only 96 players had completed their first rounds by the time of the ban on Friday, out of the 143 who started (Luke List pulled out after seven holes on Friday with a neck injury).
The combination of wet hands and gloves led to some comical shots, such as Morikawa’s squirting fairway wood at No. 11 and Spieth’s yank at No. 17 that came to rest on the footpath leading to the Island Green. TPC Sawgrass agronomy staff had to squeegee greens of standing water between groups (the par-5 11th green seemed especially problematic), and the combination of wet hands and gloves led to some comical shots,
Gary Young, the PGA Tour’s head referee this week, stated, “It’s quite unusual to see this pattern this prolonged at this time of year.”
Young appeared to concede the tournament’s eighth Monday finish (and fifth at the Stadium Course) and didn’t rule out the prospect of the tournament’s first Tuesday finish.
He stated, “There is that potential.”
As horrible as the weather has been the first two days, Saturday morning could be even worse. Not only are storms expected, but severe winds may also be present, requiring the grounds staff to clean up the playing surface as well as remove debris such as tree limbs.
Brice Garnett is a patient man.
But a player like Garnett doesn’t care how long it takes if, at the end of it, he’s the one holding the Gold Man Trophy and $3.6 million in his bank account via direct deposit.
“We knew it was going to be a long day,” he added. “With all the rain, we were just trying to stay in the moment and not get too ahead of ourselves.” It’s a thrilling prospect. Something you wish you could keep playing in order to maintain the momentum, but the course is unplayable.”
Hoge, who eagled the second hole and birdied three of his last five to shoot 31 on the Stadium’s front nine and back nine on Thursday, said he’s pleased with his performance and believes he has enough experience to keep it up whenever he returns to the course.
“This is my fourth Players Championship, and I’m starting to feel a little more at ease,” he remarked. “It’s great to be back and get a feel for the tournament, the golf course, and the surrounding region.” I think it’s a great golf course for me, so I’m always looking forward to playing here.”
Tommy Fleetwood is a huge fan of golf.
Fleetwood hasn’t won on the PGA Tour, but he has eight European Tour wins and has represented Europe in the Ryder Cup. He also has recent muscle memory, having competed in 2019 before tied for fifth after dumping a ball in the sea at No. 17 on Sunday.
“I think my skills have always been hitting it in play off the tee over the years,” he added. “I’m extremely consistent, I hit a lot of greens with my irons, I don’t get myself into too much trouble, and I have a patient mentality and mindset.” This golf course is one of my favorites. I truly believe it. If you play well, you’ll be rewarded, but if you don’t, you’ll have a hard time making a score. In that sense, I believe it is major-like.”
Only three men have won four or more events behind them: Johnson, who has 24 victories and two major championships to his credit, and Daniel Berger (5 under through 16 holes to tie for fourth) and Kevin Kisner (who posted a 4-under 68 to tie for ninth).
Hickok, Joaquin Niemann, Keith Mitchell, and Lahiri tied for fourth place after the first round on Thursday. Players rookie Taylor Pendrith, Brian Harman, Sam Burns, Abraham Ancer, and Brian Harman all ended with 68s.
Don’t let your guard down. Kevin Kisner is a professional basketball player.
Kisner is a player to keep an eye on. In the 2015 Players, he lost in a playoff to Rickie Fowler, and his tie for second place is the best by a first-time player since Craig Perks won in 2020. Kisner made an eagle on No. 16, but he also had three bogeys on the course.
He explained, “The ball is moving nowhere, but it’s tranquil, so it’s wonderful.” “You have to be aggressive with your iron shots to ensure you’re hitting enough club for the spin, and putting the ball on the fairway is critical so you can get your hands on it [due to the preferred lying rule in effect for the first two days of the tournament].”
And where are the big names? The good news is that they aren’t in any danger just yet. Rahm scored a 69 on Thursday and has a strong desire to win the Players after winning the US Open.
He added, “It’s the closest win you can get without winning a major.” “This should be the fifth major if they ever do one.”
Scottie Scheffler has won twice in his last three events and is 4 under through 15. Through 15 holes, Koepka is 3 under par, Spieth is 2 under par (but will have to deal with his chip from the sidewalk at 17 when he returns), Thomas is 2 under par, Hovland shot 71 on Thursday, Morikawa is even through 13, and McIlroy is 1 over par.
