Let's start off with the obvious - the field may not have all of the greatest players in the world. John Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau weren't in the field for the 50th Players Championship. Did this diminish what an amazing tournament it was…not one damn bit.
Scottie Scheffler was probably the favorite going in to the week, coming off his victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Rory seemed like he was finding something with the putter and that put him on everyone's radar. And then you have Wyndham Clark. It seems like he doesn't miss an iron shot or a putt when it counts.
After the first round, Rory, Wyndham and Xander Schauffele led the field at -7…that's with Rory making 10 birdies and putting 2 balls in the water. Round two - Clark continued his stellar play with another round of -7 to take the outright lead at -14, 4 shots of Schauffele at -10 and 6 ahead of Scheffler at -8.
Saturday brought some of the drama that we're used to seeing at TPC Sawgrass. Clark seemed to take his foot off the gas pedal and put a ball in the water at 17. Schauffele seemed to stomp on the gas to take the lead going into the final round. And don't forget about the Champion Golfer of the Year, Brian Harman. Harman had an opening round of even par and then shot the best two middle rounds in the history of the Players Championship, 65 and 64 to put him -15 going into the final round.
At the start of the final round here was the leaderboard:
Xander Schauffele: -17
Wyndham Clark: -16
Brian Harman: -15
Scottie Scheffler: -12
We're used to seeing the drama at TPC Sawgrass on Sundays, but this brought a new level of drama. Clark and Schauffele seemed to struggle off the tee, putting their tee shots into the rough and bunkers like the fairway didn't exist. Harman couldn't get a birdie putt to drop and Scheffler…well he looked like the number one player in the world. He holed out for eagle on 4 and never looked back.
Could this be history in the making with Scheffler coming from 5 shots back (largest deficit in the history of the Players Championship) to win back-to-back (also history - no one has ever one back-to-back Players titles)???
Scheffler posted -20 under par with Harman, Clark and Schauffele with a few holes left to play. Harman parred the par 5 16 and the par 3 17. He needed to birdie 18 to have a chance. Harman hit his tee shot into the pine straw and his approach landed 20 feet short of the hole. His birdie putt missed the hole and he tapped in his par to finish in second place at -19.
Clark and Schauffele both birdie 16 to put them at -18 and -19, respectively.
On to 17…the island green…the drama of Sunday at the Players. Clark tees off first, knowing he has to birdie the last two holes to have a chance to tie Scheffler. Clark throws a dart to 4 feet and makes his birdie putt. He's now at -19.
Schauffele's tee shot was another great shot and lands 7 feet from the hole. Birdie putt to tie. Slight left to right break. Schauffele gives the break a little too much respect and his birdie putt slides by the hole; he taps in for par. Still at -19.
At the tee box on 18, both Clark and Schauffele need a birdie to force a playoff against world number 1. Clark stripes a 3 iron down the middle of the fairway. Perfect position for his approach. Schauffele takes too much club and, like Harman, his tee shot ends up in the pine straw.
Clarks hits his approach first - it lands 15 feet short of the hole, almost the same line Harman had for birdie.
Schauffele's approach takes a bad bounce towards the back right of the green - 60 feet for birdie to tie.
Schauffele's birdie putt slides 2 feet by the hole. He'll finish tied for 2, one shot behind Scheffler.
Clark, like he has all-day, has his caddie help with the read, adjusts the line and steps up to the ball. He hits his putt it rolls end over end right towards the hole. The ball hits the hole, half the ball goes in the cup, the other half of the ball wasn't having any of it. Clark's birdie putt rudely lips out, leaving EVERYONE in shock and he finishes tied for second, with Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele.
Scottie Scheffler makes the improbable comeback to become the first back-to-back winner of the Players Championship.
This was probably the most exciting tournament we've seen in the last year. Literally coming down to the final putt on the final hole with enough drama to make anyone, including your truly, drop their phone yelling, "What just happened???"
It's fitting that this was the 50th Players Championship, it's fitting that Scottie made history (twice) and it's fitting that the most exciting tournament in ages, happened at the home of the PGA Tour, with the best players on the PGA Tour in the mix at the very end.
Did this tournament suffer from not having Rahm, Koepka, Johnson and others. Maybe the first day or two…but definitely not on Sunday. The best of the PGA Tour brought the best finish in recent memory (at any tournament) at the home of the PGA Tour. Well played.
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