The unofficial 5th major

On the PGA tour, there are four official major tournaments, the Masters, The US Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship. But the next biggest tournament is The Players Championship. This week in Ponte Vedra, Florida, the TPC is taking place. Among the players, this is the biggest tournament of the year outside of the majors. It is also the highest payout of any tournament on the PGA tour. There is always a top-notch field full of the best players in the world and it takes four solid rounds to win. This year might be easier than most since Tiger Woods in not in the field. He is still recovering from his recent knee surgery. This tournament has really benefited from the recent time move. It used to take place two weeks before the Masters and a lot of players didn’t like that because it would cut into Masters preparation. Also, the weather in March was unpredictable and often cold and rainy. Now with the tournament in May, the weather will be a lot better and the golf course will play the way it was designed. The course is one of the toughest on the tour and is very challenging to the players, especially the signature hole, the par 3 17th. This is the hole with the distinctive island green. This was one of the first stadium courses created and it really gives the fans a great perspective. The course architect, Pete Dye, was just selected to the World Golf Hall of Fame.

With Tiger still out, the tournament is wide open! I feel that the defending champion, Phil Mickelson, has a good shot to win again (I am a little partial to lefties). Also, I feel like there are few other players that play well at the TPC Sawgrass course. Players like, Adam Scott, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, and Fred Couples. But also look out for some of the young guns on the tour that are playing well this year, like Anthony Kim (who won last week), Brant Snedeker, and Sean O’Hair. I am looking forward to some great golf this weekend. Coverage starts tomorrow on the Golf Channel and then on the weekend it will air on NBC. So kick back and enjoy the 5th Major of the year!