K.J. Choi‘s victory Sunday left him as the 19 different winner in 19 years at the Players Championship, making it the most equal opportunity tournament in golf.
The winners have included long-hitters (Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia) and short (Tim Clark, Justin Leonard), sweet-swingers (Fred Couples, Steve Elkington) and sour (Calvin Peete, Choi), legends (Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus) and unknowns (Craig Perks, Jodie Mudd), and young (Adam Scott at 23) and old (Fred Funk at 48).
Recommended Stories
Choi’s victory, in a playoff over David Toms, added another unique flag (South Korea) to the Circle of Champions at TPC Sawgrass. Of the last 10 winners, seven have come from different countries, representing five continents. That’s significant considering that all of the first 13 winners (1974-86) were from the United States.
So why is the Players so democratic? It’s got to be the course. TPC Sawgrass was diabolically designed by Pete Dye.
Why was Nicklaus able to win three of the first five Players (1974-78)? Because he did it on three different courses. Since the tournament moved to Sawgrass in 1982, no one has won more than twice.
“So many crazy things were happening on the back nine, anybody could have won,” Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said. “And that’s why we’ve had so many different winners here.”
The withdrawal of Woods, after shooting 42 for nine holes in the opening round Thursday, might have had more to do with his ailing left knee. But it also extended his misery in the Players, where he has just one victory in 14 starts. While some great courses demonstrate a Tiger bias (Augusta, Torrey Pines, St. Andrews), TPC Sawgrass continues to vex even one of the immortals.
