The Players Championship

The Players Championship

The Masters brought us April excitement, but May is all about the Players. Before we get into previewing the event, let's recap 2013 on the PGA Tour:

1. Tiger Woods has re-emerged as the best player in the world. He regained that #1 ranking by winning three tournaments already this year. He finished T4 at the Masters, in large part due to a controversial 2-stroke penalty that has been in the news a lot this week.

2. The person who won actually won the Masters is Adam Scott. It was his first major of his career, and he enters this week as one of the big favorites.

3. Americans have dominated on tour this year. We started by winning the first 15 events and have won 17 of 20 overall. This included last week’s winner Derek Ernst, who is a tour rookie.

4. Matt Kuchar is the defending champion here at the Players, and he’s won a tournament already this year (Match Play Championship). That makes him a dangerous golfer this week.

5. One hasn’t heard much from the guy who started the year at #1 – Rory McIlory. He has started terribly this season, but with a couple good results in the past one and a half months, he might be turning it around.

So all of that helps sets the stage for one of the biggest non-major events of the year. The Players Championship is always one of my favorites, in large part because of the course it is played on: TPC Sawgrass. It was designed by Pete Dye, my favorite in the profession. He first drew this gem on the backs of napkins.

For those of you not familiar with the golf course, you better start getting familiar with it. This course is the ultimate stadium, and the best the world has to offer for golf in that regard. Here are some of the key holes:

#1 – In classic Pete Dye style, this hole features a weird angled tee shot. Because of that, this hole is the second hardest driving hole on the entire course. Not exactly a great way to start a round. But since it plays around 420 yards, those in the fairway will have a short iron in hand on their approach. Those folks can start with a birdie.

#7/#15 – These great par 4’s play right in the middle of each nine. Once again, challenging tee shots begin each hole, but equally tough second shots wait. The greens contain little bumps and nuances, which can make them play fierce depending on where players are. These holes make up the meat of the course.

#16 – This par 5 is the ultimate risk/reward hole. It’s not that long so it brings eagles into play. But there is sand, trees, turns, and water, which brings double bogeys into play also. In order to win the tournament, you better play this hole well, especially on Sunday.

#17 – This is the most famous hole in golf and this tournament. This island hole is the centerpiece of one of the best finishes on tour. It’s not a long hole, but with any wind, pressure from the tourney, and thousands of screaming fans surrounding the lake, this hole can make or break you.

Now let's break down the field:

Pick 5 Challenge

We'll begin with our picks in our weekly "Pick 5 Challenge". For those who are not familiar, for each PGA Tour event we pick 5 players in different categories that we think will do well. Andrew leads the competition so far this year 994 to 910. Just like at the Masters, this week our categories are based on age. We must pick one player in each of these age ranges: 20-25, 26-30, 31-35, 36-40, and the last guy can be your choice (Any Age). Here are our picks:

Greg's Picks

20-25: Rory McIlroy

26-30: Billy Horschel

31-35: Brandt Snedeker

36-40: Lee Westwood

Any Age: Thorbjorn Oleson

Andrew's Picks

20-25: Jason Day

25-30: Billy Horschel

30-35: Sergio Garcia

35-40: Tiger Woods

Any Age: Luke Donald

Player We Want to Watch

Greg – Keep an eye on David Toms. He’s a past winner who always seems to bring his “A” game to this tournament. He’s also an older guy, and an American, so it would be nice for the crowd to have someone like him there on Sunday.

Andrew – I want to see what happens this week with two players… Tiger Woods and Adam Scott. Adam is of course coming off his first major victory (Masters), and that comes with a lot of new pressure. He hasn’t played on tour since so I have no clue what’s in store. Tiger Woods is another player who hasn’t played since the Masters. The focus early this week was still on his penalty strokes, but I’m more interesting in his game, which is a mystery entering this event.

Americans vs. Foreigners

Greg – This one is easy… we’ll have an American winner. Only three tournaments this year on tour has been won by non-Americans.

Andrew – I’m with Greg on this one. Americans have dominated this year and have won most every tournament, including the big WCG events. BUT, a non-American did win the year’s only major. There are a handful of players on both sides that have a great chance, but I think a player from home takes it.

Intriguing Pairings

Greg – Derek Ernst/Louis Oosthuizen/Angel Cabrera: Ernst won last week, Cabrera lost the Masters in a playoff, and Oosthuizen is the best player in this grouping. There should be some great shot-making here on this shot-making course.

Graeme McDowell/Keegan Bradley/Bubba Watson: This could be the most exciting pairing to watch over the next couple of days. Bradley has been consistently good throughout the year and is a major threat for a good finish. McDowell is one of the three non-Americans to win on tour this season; so winning again here wouldn’t be surprise. Of course, Bubba is Bubba, enough said.

Tiger Woods/Matt Kuchar/Brandt Snedeker: I love this pairing. Tiger is the best player on the planet. Kuchar won this tourney last year, along with the WGC Match Play a few months ago. And Snedeker was the hottest player on tour to start the year before his injury. What more could you want?

Andrew – Rickie Fowler/Hunter Mahan/Jim Furyk: If you’re looking for three sleepers, look no further than this group. On top of that, Fowler is always fun to watch.

Adam Scott/Rory McIlory/Steve Stricker: As mentioned, Scott is coming off his major win. Rory is still the second most famous golfer on the planet, and the most dangerous rival to Tiger. And Stricker is a threat to win any given week.

Ian Poulter/Nick Watney/Lee Westwood: These guys are talented, successful, and extremely competitive. Due to that, they all have a chance to win this thing come Sunday afternoon.

Three others to Watch: Phil Mickelson/Webb Simpson/Justin Rose… Sergio Garcia/Luke Donald/KJ Choi… Billy Horschel/Dustin Johnson/Ernie Els.

Like always, let us know your thoughts. Feel free to pick five guys yourself and compete against us. Let us know what you are looking forward to always. And don't miss the action, particularly on Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!

By: The Sports Guys