PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Seven golfers have won The Players more than once, including Scottie Scheffler going back-to-back for the first time in tournament history. But the Stadium Course isn’t one where success tends to repeat for golfers.
So, just how impressive was what Scheffler pulled off last year to another previous Players winner, Rory McIlroy?
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Very, very impressive.
McIlroy won the 2019 Players and then missed the cut in two of the previous four tournaments (the 2020 Players was canceled after the first round). McIlroy finished T-19 last year and then T-33 in 2022.
Scheffler said earlier this week that the Players in 2024 may have been the best stretch of golf he’s ever played. McIlroy said the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is so demanding that even a minute mistake can mean missing the cut.
“I think you just have to be so on your game here. I think that’s the main key. It’s such a course on execution, and if you’re not executing like 100%, you leave yourself in spots where it’s really tough to get up-and-down,” McIlroy said.
“… Mistakes can compound here pretty quickly, so you really just have to be on your game and execute as well as you can. I think more than any other course that we play, that’s what it demands. You have to hit the ball where you’re looking, and if you can do that, you can do well here.”
Finish in 2024 still tough for Clark
While Scheffler brought home the title last year in an epic finish, Wyndham Clark was on the receiving end of that. Clark had a blistering finish to claw his way until an excruciating 18th hole. Clark had a 7-foot putt for birdie go straight at the hole, then zing around the lip of the cup and out. The groans of the gallery were heard all over the course.
“The thing that gets me now is just — if I would have, let’s say, parred all the holes and you had that putt to force a playoff and I miss, you’re bummed. But I think the fact that I birdied 16, birdied 17, and if I would have birdied 18, forced a playoff and somehow would have won in the playoff, my mind goes to that could have been one of the best finishes in Players history, and it would be shown on all different highlights for a long time,” Clark said.
“So I look at little things like that, like man, that could have been a really cool moment for myself and my career.”
The 50th Players in 2024 was electric, and the ending was perhaps the best theater in tournament history.
Third-round leader Xander Schauffele had his shot to force it, but couldn’t drain his 61-foot putt on No. 18. British Open champ Brian Harman and U.S. Open winner Clark also had their shots on the final hole, too. Harman left his putt 3 feet from the hole.
Notable tee times
The featured group in Round 1 is unquestionably the McIlroy-Scheffler-Xander Schauffele trio. They tee off at 1:29 p.m. on No. 1. On Friday, that group goes off on No. 10 at 8:24 a.m.
First-round tee times can be found here | Second-round tee times can be found here.
Saturday tickets sold out
The Players Championship has sold out tickets for Saturday for the second year in a row.
The tournament still has tickets available for Thursday, Friday and Sunday, although there are limited stadium passes available for each of those days. Parking is sold out on Friday and Saturday as well.
Tickets can be purchased through The Players Ticketmaster site and through that outlet’s verified resale market.
“Very exciting. The momentum and the support of this event continues to grow. We’re proud now on Wednesday mid-day to announce a sellout for Saturday,” said Players executive director Lee Smith. “Last year on Friday, this year a couple days earlier. Just shows the support that our fans here at The Players Championship just come out and look forward to a great event.”
