With world No. 1 Tiger Woods sidelined at least another month as he slowly works his way back from surgery to repair a pinched nerve in his back, the field at The PLAYERS Championship is as wide open as it could be as play kicks off on Thursday in Point Vedra Beach, Florida.
Jimmy Walker has the most victories so far this year with three, while Bubba Watson has won the only Major to date, but if there’s one thing the 2014 PGA season has been consistent on so far, it’s that anybody can win any tournament.
Of course, there are plenty of players with more on the line than even the prestigious title. Among them is Adam Scott, who won this title a decade ago at age 23. If he can finish in the top 16 this week, he’ll take the No. 1 spot from Woods.
Then there’s Phil Mickelson, the defending British Open champion. Mickelson is beginning to feel the weight of a lack of success – this is the longest into a PGA season he’s ever gone without at least finishing in the Top 10 of a tournament, although he did tie for 11th last week at Wells Fargo.
There’s also the matter of the $10 million prize purse and the prestige of winning at Sawgrass, where the tournament has been held every year since 1982. Long considered a candidate to become the “fifth major,” Sawgrass is a 7,215-yard, par-72 masterpiece.
The tournament kicks off at 7:15 a.m. local time on Thursday with the UK’s Lee Westwood, the US’ Martin Flores and South Africa’s Brendon de Jonge first on the course.
Former winner K.J. Choi is up at 7:57 a.m., followed by the impressive trio of Americans Patrick Reed and Jason Dufner, along with the UK’s Luke Donald at 8:08 a.m.
Last year’s PGA rookie of the year Jordan Spieth tees off at 8:18 a.m. along with Zach Johnson and Graeme McDowell, followed by the trio of Harris English, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy at 8:25 a.m.
The aforementioned Mickelson is paired with Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia, getting underway at 8:39 a.m.
Notables in the after lunch crowd are: Henrik Stenson, Brandt Snedeker and Jim Furyk at 1:28 p.m.; Scott, Rickie Fowler and Steve Stricker at 1:39 p.m. and Matt Kuchar, Watson and Walker at 1:49 p.m.
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