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PGA Tour

Players Championship: Mega putts and hole-outs – The best shots on video

The best shots of The Players Championship 2022 on PGA Tour. (Foto: Getty)
The best shots of The Players Championship 2022 on PGA Tour. (Foto: Getty)

The TPC Sawgrass in Florida presents some challenges to the best golfers in the world. Designed by legendary golf course architects Pete Dye and his wife Alice, the Players Stadium Course demands the utmost concentration and golfing skill from the professionals on the PGA Tour. At the Players Championship 2022, too, it is a fine line between joy and frustration. We compile the best shots of the mega tournament (20 million US dollars prize money).

The Players Championship 2022: Livescoring

Day 3 brings wind and troubleshots

The conditions on the third day of the Players Championship do not provide for an excess of outstanding golf shots. Rather, the professionals are struggling with gusts of over 40 kilometers per hour.

Dustin Johnson showed his skills again on his last holes and placed the ball from more than 190 meters only centimeters next to the hole.

Jason Kokrak gave himself a gift on the 15th hole of his second round with a bunker shot that would probably be the envy of any golfer.

Only limited golf on day 2 of the Players

On the second day, the continuous rain over Florida gave the golfers a hard time. Before the first round was finally abandoned due to unplayability of the course and approaching thunderstorms, there were still some good shots to watch. Brive Garnett closed the gap to the top with this eagle, immediately followed by the end.

Kevin Kisner appears in this list for the second time. This time the American scores an eagle from the bunker at the 16th.

Cameron Young holes out for birdie.

Jordan Spieth scored his first birdie at the “fifth” major on hole 7 with this long putt.

PGA Tour: The best shots on day 1 of the Players Championship

Kevin Kisner, four-time winner on the PGA Tour, shone in round 1 of the Players Championship with this successful putt from over 16 metres from the front green.

Bad weather caused long interruptions on the first day, but Tom Hoge took advantage of the soft greens and holed the first eagle of the day on the second hole. After the first round had to be interrupted in the evening due to darkness, the American was even in the lead with six-under-par.

Anirban Lahiri also holed an eagle, sinking the ball from 125 yards (approx. 114 metres) on hole 6. The Indian brought a total of five-under 65 into the clubhouse.

Gary Woodland felt the ups and downs of golf. His first chip on the par-4 7th hole did not make it onto the green and rolled back again. At the second attempt, the 2019 US Open champion showed that he can do it better and saved the par in impressive fashion.

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PGA Tour

Players Championship: The pros despair of the wind – 17 becomes a ball washer

The gusts of wind make it difficult for the players at the Players Championship. (Photo: Twitter/Youtube @PGATour)
The gusts of wind make it difficult for the players at the Players Championship. (Photo: Twitter/Youtube @PGATour)

The third day of the Players Championship greeted spectators and players with sunshine, but steady winds and gusts of over 40 kilometers per hour made it difficult for the players. On the legendary Stadium Course, Kopeka, Fleetwood and Co. battled with the unpredictable gusts of wind and had to leave more than one ball in the water. In total, the field sank 33 balls on the 17th hole alone in round 1 and the 2nd round that started.

Golf is hard: The highlight of the windy Saturday at the Players Championship

If you read through the scores achieved on the 17th hole, you might well think it was an amateur tournament. But the island green at TPC Sawgrass is a challenge even under good conditions. With the strong wind, however, the penultimate hole developed into a final opponent for the players. Only two birdies, but nine bogeys, ten double bogeys and even four worse scores were recorded by the field on the third day of the Players Championship. 60 players made it to the iconic 17th hole in the second round. But for about 31 percent of the players it went into the drop zone. On the par 3, which is only 125 meters long, only just under 60 percent have even made it onto the green.

But also on the other holes of the waterlogged course there were penalty strokes. The highlights and lowlights from Saturday can be seen in the video:

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PGA Tour

Replica of the 17 and “wonder bread”: How to pass the time during the Players Championship

The pros also had to pass the time on the second day of the Players Championship. (Photo: Twitter/@PGATOUR; Screenshot Instagram/@ianjamespoulter)
The pros also had to pass the time on the second day of the Players Championship. (Photo: Twitter/@PGATOUR; Screenshot Instagram/@ianjamespoulter)

The Players Championship 2022 is drowning in weather chaos. On the first day, some players couldn’t even make a shot and on the second day, even less golf was played – 47 players still haven’t finished their first 18 holes. Some golfers therefore had a complete break from play on Friday, while others only had a few holes to play before play was paused at 11:15 a.m. local time and it was clear at 3:13 p.m. that there would be no play before 11 a.m. on Saturday either. So the stars of the PGA Tour had a lot of free time, which was used in different ways.

Here’s how it stands at The Players.

PGA Tour: Free afternoon for the players

Rory McIlroy is one of those who has not yet been able to hand in his first round scorecard. So far, the Northern Irishman has only played 15 holes, recording three birdies and four bogeys. The four-time major winner was then able to spend the free afternoon with his wife Erica and daughter Poppy.

Meanwhile, Max Homa philosophised during the rain delay why his mother never allowed him to eat the ” wonder bread” with peanut butter and jelly – he probably wouldn’t have been able to stop. Luckily, his caddies’ fiancée doesn’t see it so restrictively.

The fact that play was finally suspended completely for Friday probably didn’t bother the “Twitter King” of the PGA Tour, who is at two-under-par after 14 holes – after all, he can watch the new Batman then.

Justin Thomas hasn’t finished his first round either, but can spend his afternoon chilling on the couch.

The From the sofa, the defending champion also immediately found the guilty person: Max Homa.

But it could also have been Ian Poulter who caused the break-up. The Englishman had already finished his first round in a hurry on Thursday and therefore had Friday completely free. The 46-year-old was literally feverishly anticipating the break-off, letting his fans share it in his Instagram story and, given the weather, logically wanted to avoid the trip to the golf course. While the pro himself passed the time with Netflix at his house on the beach, his son Joshua rebuilt the signature hole of the TPC Sawgrass on the beach and also imitated his hurried father.

Players Championship Video: Ian Poulter in a race with darkness
Poulter hopes for rain, watches Netflix and checks out the "island green". (Photo: Screenshot Instagram/@ianjamespoulter)
Poulter hopes for rain, watches Netflix and checks out the “island green”. (Photo: Screenshot Instagram/@ianjamespoulter)

Players Championship at TopGolf?

With so many breaks, the stars naturally have time to connect with fans on social media. Some initiate discussions about the interruption of the tournament, Kevin Kisner would like to hear the expert opinions of the internet. One of them: Simply move the tournament to the nearby TopGolf facility – problem solved.

Justin Rose is organising a small contest on Instagram to pass the time. The Englishman, who currently has 14 holes played, wants to announce the winner after his second round. Cynically, you could say: There’s still plenty of time to take part.

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PGA Tour

Players Championship Video: Different kind of entertainment at 17

At the Players Championship 2022 on the PGA Tour, hardly any golf can be played because of the weather. So there will be other ways to pass the time. (Photo: Twitter/@PGATOUR)
At the Players Championship 2022 on the PGA Tour, hardly any golf can be played because of the weather. So there will be other ways to pass the time. (Photo: Twitter/@PGATOUR)

On the second day of the Players Championship 2022, hardly any golf could be played due to the weather. Continuous rain and thunderstorms ruled the stage in Florida, where the tournament with the highest prize money in golf is supposed to be played. In fact, even after two days, almost 50 players have not yet finished the first round and the flagship event of the PGA Tour will not be decided before Monday.

Players Championship: Entertainment at 17

The persistent rain made the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass non-playable, but it could be used for fun of a different kind. At the 17 with the spectacular island green, it was not the players who put on a show for the fans this time. The wet terrain was turned into a sliding area.

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Highlights Tours

PGA Tour: Players Championship 2022 to end on Monday

Heavy rain and thunderstorms have delayed the Players Championship 2022. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Players Championship, the most important event on the PGA Tour apart from the majors, will definitely not end before Monday in 2022. With the first round already dragging on for two days and still not finished, Chief Referee Gary Young said on Friday afternoon (local time): “We are into a Monday finish. We know that.”

For the first time since 2005, the Players Championship will thus not finish on Sunday as scheduled, but on Monday at the earliest. It is already clear, Young said, that there will not be enough time for a potential play-off on Sunday. The play-off would be played over three holes and is therefore more time-consuming than usual.

Full Leaderboard Players Championship 2022

The first round of the Players Championship is still in progress

But first the first round has to be finished. After not even half of the field played 18 holes on Thursday, the weather chaos continued seamlessly on Friday. Still 47 players have not finished the first round. More rain has already been forecasted for Saturday morning, so play will definitely not resume before 11 am (local time).

In his statement on Friday afternoon, Young also said that more than 3 inches of rain had fallen on the TPC Sawgrass in the last 48 hours. At times, the course was flooded in some places. It was only thanks to the help of numerous helpers who cleared the greens of standing water that play could begin at all on Friday. No further precipitation is forecast for Saturday afternoon and Sunday so far.

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PGA Tour

Weather chaos at the Players Championship: Here’s how the second day is planned

Dark clouds over the TPC Sawgrass: This is how it will probably look on the second day of the Players Championship 2022 on the PGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)
Dark clouds over the TPC Sawgrass: This is how it will probably look on the second day of the Players Championship 2022 on the PGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)

Patience was needed on the first day of the Players Championship 2022. Due to a large rain and thunderstorm front, the golfers on the PGA Tour first had to wait an hour for their starting times and eventually pass the time in an interruption lasting over four hours. As a result, many players had not yet finished their first round, while others had not even started. Therefore, on Friday, for which rain is again forecast, the first round will be finished first before the players start on their second round.

Players Championship Video: Ian Poulter in a race with darkness

The start times for the first round are scheduled for 07:15 local time (12:15 p..m. GMT). Only 69 players have already handed in their scorecards, twelve players had not even started yet. The last groups will start from the first and 10th tees on Friday morning at 7:26 a.m. local time (12:26 p.m. GMT) on the Players Stadium Course.

The second day of the Players Championship on the PGA Tour

The second round of the Players Championship is scheduled to start on Friday at around 11 a.m. local time (4 p.m. GMT). Whether everything can go ahead as planned will only become clear in the further course of the day. Interruptions are also to be expected on the second day on the PGA Tour, as the worst weather conditions of all tournament days are forecast for the day.

The weather at the Players Championship 2022: Is a Monday Finish looming?
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PGA Tour

The weather at the Players Championship 2022: Is a Monday Finish looming?

Will there be a Monday finish at the Players Championship (foto Getty)
Will there be a Monday finish at the Players Championship (foto Getty)

An hour later start and a thunderstorm interruption of over four hours: That was the first day of the Players Championship 2022 at TPC Sawgrass. What will the weather be like on the coming days of the PGA Tour’s most valuable tournament? And above all, in view of the already large shift in tee times: Will the tournament be able to be completed by Sunday or can a Monday finish be expected?

Even before the start of the Players Championship, the weather forecast looked anything but rosy. After the most beautiful weather in Florida prevailed in the past weeks, cool temperatures, rain and above all thunderstorms threatened for the Players Championship. The first effects were already felt on Thursday, but that was not all.

Players Championship 2022: More thunderstorms expected

On Friday, the worst weather conditions are expected, with a 90 percent chance of thunderstorms. Thunder and lightning may continue to occur through Saturday, with clearing not expected until midday Saturday. Sunday is the only tournament day where no rain is expected. But the temperatures will drop. With a predicted maximum temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, it could be the coldest day in tournament history.

In addition, the wind is expected to increase and could be a challenge for the players, especially on Saturday. The fact that the wind is expected to come in four different directions during the tournament doesn’t make things any easier.

PGA Tour Meterologist Wade Stettner expressed optimism all things considered, however. “I think they’ll be able to play some golf every day. Also, the amount of rain we’re expecting doesn’t look like so much that the course will be unplayable because the drainage is good and there’s technology installed to pull the moisture out of the greens.”

Will there be a Monday Finish at the Players Championship?

If the cut is decided, there’s also the possibility of speeding up play over the weekend by sticking with flights of three and starting two tees. So while a Monday finish is not yet necessarily expected, it remains to be seen.

The last time there was a Monday Finish at the Players Championship was in 2005. After a nice first day, the second round was a complete washout. Some players went on the course, but their results were cancelled and the round was restarted on Saturday. However, there were also repeated interruptions during the weekend, so that a large part of the third round and the complete fourth round had to be played on Monday. The tournament even threatened to drag into Tuesday because of a playoff between Fred Funk, Tom Lehman, Luke Donald and Joe Durant, but Funk secured the win with a par putt.

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PGA Tour

Players Championship Video: Ian Poulter in a race with darkness

Ian Poulter in a race against darkness at the Players Championship (foto Getty)
Ian Poulter in a race against darkness at the Players Championship (foto Getty)

Ian Poulter was in a particular hurry in the first round of the Players Championship on the PGA Tour. Due to the thunderstorm interruptions, the round could not be played to the end. But Poulter, who was already on his last few holes, didn’t want to get up at the crack of dawn on Friday just to finish one more hole and then wait who knows how long. So speed was the order of the day.

Players Championship: Darkness gets players going

Players use this strategy from time to time. The reason for this is that once a player has teed off on a hole, the hole may be finished if the round is interrupted due to darkness, should the players wish to do so. The situation is different if the round is interrupted due to thunderstorms. Because of the dangerous situation, players have no choice.

The speed did not harm the Ryder Cupper. Almost it would have been two birdies to finish. After winning the stroke on 17, he almost holed a chip from 15 yards for birdie on 18, but the ball stayed less than 20 inches from the hole. He eventually holed it for a round of 73.

It’s actually not the first time Poulter has rushed the final holes at TPC Sawgrass, either. There were similar images at the 2011 Players Championship:

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Ladies Tours Live

Jin Young Ko Final Round Highlights | 2022 HSBC Women’s World Championship

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Jin Young Ko Final Round Highlights | 2022 HSBC Women’s World Championship

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PGA Tour

Players Championship: Masters Champion Hideki Matsuyama WDs

Hideki Matsuyama withdraws from The Players Championship. (Photo: Getty)
Hideki Matsuyama withdraws from The Players Championship. (Photo: Getty)

The flagship tournament of the PGA Tour, the Players Championship, started on Thursday morning local time in Florida. At the TPC Sawgrass, however, the fans will have to do without another top-class player. Hideki Matsuyama has cancelled his participation in the “fifth major” at short notice due to injury.

Players Championship: Hideki Matsuyama withdraws

The Japanese player is suffering from a “persistent back injury”, the PGA Tour announced. Hideki Matsuyama was supposed to play the first two rounds at TPC Sawgrass together with Joaquin Niemann and Cameron Smith. However, due to the injury of the reigning Masters champion, Patrick Rodgers will now tee off for Matsuyama.

Matsuyama already with two wins on the PGA Tour this season

Matsuyama is generally in good form this season. The 30-year-old won already two times on the PGA Tour and recorded two top-10 finishes. Most recently he finished tied for 20th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. As a result, the FedExCup runner-up was considered one of the favourites to win the Players Championship. Matsuyama stood at the top of the leaderboard when the tournament was cut short by corona in 2020. After Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods, Matsuyama is thus the next well-known professional to miss the tournament. In a few weeks, the first Major of the year will begin for professional golfers. At Augusta National, Matsuyama will tee off as the defending champion. How serious the injury of the Japanese Major winner is and whether his participation in the Masters is in danger is still unclear at the moment.