PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The buzz of lawn equipment and the clanging of metal poles at TPC Sawgrass on Monday meant one thing — The Players Championship is right around the corner.
The opening round of the 51st Players is just about a month out (March 13), and the Stadium Course is slowly getting into tournament shape. Four weeks from now, the grounds will be coming to life with both local residents and visitors traipsing around TPC Sawgrass, each looking for something different.
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The Players offers elite golf and superb storylines, like two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler eyeing an unheard-of threepeat in the tournament. Scheffler became the first golfer to go back-to-back when he won the 50th Players in 2024. Not since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic (2009, 2010, ‘11) has a golfer won the same tournament three straight years.
If the actual tournament golf isn’t high atop the list, that’s fine, too. Executive director Lee Smith said during Monday’s media day that he hears all the time about fans who head out to TPC Sawgrass and don’t even bother to watch golf.
“It’s an opportunity for golf fans, but also the people that want to make this a can’t-miss community event, and I take pride actually in the amount of community residents that come and actually may not even see a golf shot because they’re attending an event that they don’t want to miss,” he said. “And that’s something that we’re trying to create is all different types of fans and spectators to come out to The Players Championship.”
Outside of the golf, some of the notable things at The Players:
The food
One thing the tournament does better than any other event in the region is roll out the cuisine. Over the last 20 years or so, The Players has dove headfirst into embracing the local culture. The dining at TPC Sawgrass during Players week is an introduction into what the menu looks like across the First Coast. There are numerous local food vendors across the course, from smoothies to bagels to seafood to barbeque to subs. Smith said that he’s excited this year about the enhancements to the Tacos on 12 setup that now includes tequila for a full-on fiesta-style experience.
“It’s really a way that we try to bring the 52 weeks of Northeast Florida right here to Jacksonville and to Ponte Vedra Beach and to The Players Championship each year,” Smith said.
The impact
Smith said the most current data has The Players with a $234 million economic impact since it has been in the area. In turn, that allows the tournament and the PGA Tour to reinvest in the area. Some of the recent charitable initiatives include a $600,000 contribution to the Boys and Girls Club last month in St. Augustine and supporting the Jacksonville Humane Society. Smith said The Players picked up all the fees two weeks ago for animals that were adopted during a window of time. That wound up being 78 dogs who were adopted that the tournament paid for.
The entertainment
One of the most desired days of The Players is Tuesday because of the military appreciation concert. This year, country singer Jordan Davis headlines the March 11 concert. It’s free with a Tuesday practice round ticket.
The military appreciation
Active duty, retired, reserve and National Guard members and one dependent can get a free ticket to Tuesday’s practice round as well as one tournament day (Thursday-Sunday). Veterans can get discounted tickets for Tuesday and one tournament day. Discounted tickets include a $20 voucher for food and non-alcoholic beverages. Those tickets do go fast.
