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.
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.
Speed golf. ?@IanJamesPoulter with the fastest birdie you'll see on 17.
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:
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.
Hideki Matsuyama is a WD from THE PLAYERS Championship due to a back injury.
Patrick Rodgers replaces Matsuyama in the field.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) March 10, 2022
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.
Players to watch out for at the Players Championship. (Photo: Getty)
The Players Championship is also called the “fifth major”. It is the first highlight of the year and the tournament with the largest prize money on the PGA Tour. The field of participants is peppered with the absolute top players in the world and thus promises a tough fight for the title. From the top 50 in the world rankings, almost all players will compete in the Players Championship, so it is difficult to identify clear favourites. Nevertheless, we want to get an overview of the field’s strongest competitors.
Players Championship victory could affect world ranking
The tournament’s biggest favourites are, of course, the players in the top 10 of the official World Golf Ranking. All ten will be travelling to Florida in a bid to take the title from last year’s winner Justin Thomas. Thomas himself, currently number 7 in the world, will be there to try and defend the title. He won the 20-million-dollar tournament in 2021 and has already proven that he has the ability and the nerve to prevail against the strong field. A clear advantage.
Jon Rahm, currently number 1 in the world rankings, is under particular pressure. He is in danger of losing his leading position on the world ranking list after 34 weeks. No less than four players could pass him with a good result this week: Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler. They are all hot on the Spaniard’s heels and will leave no stone unturned to climb to the top of the world rankings.
Pressure on Jon Rahm
Viktor Hovland has been in particularly good form in recent weeks, winning once already this year, finishing second once and recording two more top-10 finishes. Scottie Scheffler is also a strong threat to Rahm: the American has already won two of five tournaments this year.
One of them was last weeks Arnold Palmer Invitational. But Patrick Cantlay, last season’s FedEx Cup winner, and Collin Morikawa, who has been lying in wait for Jon Rahm at number two in the world rankings for some time now, will also put Rahm under pressure. Morikawa currently leads several rankings on the PGA Tour and broke last years record with a 66 at the Players Championship.
Other players in the top 10 who will be competing at TPC Sawgrass are Rory McIlroy (winner of the 2019 Players Championship), Xander Schauffele, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith.
Sergio Garcia also has an impressive record. He has made the cut at TPC Sawgrass 17 times in a row, a feat many a golfer has despaired of. In addition to eight top-15 finishes, he has finished third once, second twice and won the tournament once. Not to be forgotten: his hole-in-one on the famous 17th hole in 2017.
Not only the winners can sow panic. This year, for example, four winners celebrated a victory on the PGA Tour for the first time before the start of March. They are Tom Hoge, Scottie Scheffler, Luke List and Sepp Straka. They will all be competing again this week.
Tiger Woods received the World Golf Hall of Fame award from his daughter Sam. (Photo: Getty)
On Wednesday evening the time had finally come: After a slight delay – the ceremony was postponed due to the Corona pandemic – Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. His daughter Sam gave the presentation speech at the event at the PGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach on the evening before the Players Championship and handed over the trophy to her father, who was honoured for his achievements and credits in golf. Woods himself looked back on his life in an emotional speech.
Laudation by daughter Sam
The introductory speech was given by Woods’ daughter Sam, who looked back on some moments in her life with Tiger Woods. “In 2007, my dad found himself in a position to make an 18-foot putt to force a U.S. Open playoff, which he missed by a foot,” Sam recounted in her speech. “He then had to rush to the airport, fly from Pittsburgh to Orlando, and drive to the Winnie Palmer Hospital. Within five minutes of walking into the hospital room, still wearing his red golf shirt, on June 18, I was born. He may have lost that day, but he won the greatest gift of all.”
The 14-year-old also shared anecdotes from Tiger Woods’ life as a father, recounting holidays, violin concerts and football matches. Above all, however, the work ethic “train hard, fight easy” had determined the life of the now 46-year-old. This was also the case a good year ago, when he had to train “harder than ever”. Sam spoke of the “scariest moments” of her life as not being clear about the superstar’s health. “You’re not only going to be conducted into the Hall of Fame, but you’re standing here on your own two feet,” Sam said, explaining why her father deserved it. “You’re a fighter,” she said, describing the milestones of the 15-time major winner, who became the first black golfer to win a major tournament and won his fifth Masters in 2019 after an incredible comeback.
Tiger Woods with emotional acceptance speech
“I inducted you into the Dads Hall of Fame a long time ago,” Sam finished her speech, “but today I am so proud to present my dad, Tiger Woods, into the World Golf Hall of Fame.” With these words, the daughter, dressed in red, presented the award to her father, who thanked her in an emotional speech. In doing so, the 82-time PGA Tour winner significantly overstayed his seven-minute speaking time, talking about his family, racism and his work ethic in a total of 17 minutes. Woods began his journey through time 40 years ago when golf took hold of him at the tender age of six. He told how he secretly sneaked onto the golf course with his father because he was still too young, how he collected golf balls and earned his first money putting, how he was not allowed into some clubhouses as a black youth and how he only had two questions: “Where is the first tee? What’s the course record?”
At the age of 14, his family was at a crossroads and made a “tough decision.” His parents took out a second mortgage so the 14-year-old Woods could continue playing golf. His mum stayed at home while Tiger travelled with his father Earl to play the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) Tour. It all wouldn’t have been possible “without the sacrifices from mom and dad,” said an emotionally moved Woods, who was finally able to pay off the mortgage with his first big sponsoring deals. He said his father, who died in 2006, instilled in him the work ethic. “If you don’t go out there and put in the work, if you don’t go out and put in the effort – one, you’re not going to get the results, and two, and more importantly, you don’t deserve it. You need to earn it,” Woods said. “So that defined my upbringing. That defined my career.”
In that career, Tiger Woods has broken countless records and taken golf to a new level. For this, he has now been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In addition, Tim Finchem, former commissioner of the PGA Tour, four-time major winner Susie Maxwell Berning and the late golf course developer Marion Hollins were also honoured on the evening for their achievements in golf.
Spikeless with maximum grip. FootJoy can do it. The FootJoy Pro SL shoes once revolutionised the spikeless golf shoe segment. In 2022, the 4th generation tees off and presents its stable and grippy Infinity sole with further improvements.
FootJoy Pro SL shoes – what’s inside
The innovative, particularly light and flexible StratoFoam midsole, which was originally developed for the FJ Stratos and has since proven itself in the HyperFlex models, is now integreated in the entire Pro|SL series.
This patented midsole material is particularly lightweight, provides optimum support and cushioning in all golf conditions, and not only absorbs shock but also returns energy to help golfers perform to the letter time and time again.
Who is this product suitable for?
Featuring a new, sleek Pittards chromoskin leather upper, the Pro|SL Carbon is FJ’s most technologically advanced spikeless performance golf shoe. The outstanding properties of the StratoFoam midsole are complemented in this model by special carbon inserts in the outsole, which combine greater lateral stability in the heel area with outstanding flexibility in the forefoot area.
The Pro|SL Carbon uses the flexibility of the carbon inserts to elastically regain its natural position. This leads to a higher energy return when walking and counteracts foot fatigue – leaving more energy for the game.
“The use of our successful StratoFoam technology together with the improvements to our carbon insert take the shoe to a new level of performance, we are very excited about this,” said Guy Smith, Product Manager FootJoy Footwear.
Features and benefits at a glance
ChromoSkin™ leather from Pittards®.
3D foam collar for a perfect upper fit
StratoFoam midsole for fatigue-free walking comfort
Infinity outsole for tourer-proven grip and premium stability during the swing
Carbon inserts in the outsole for maximum stability and comfort (Pro|SL Carbon)
Ortholite Impressions FitBed® for more stability and comfort
Justin Thomas has a new apparel sponsor (Foto Getty)
Justin Thomas and Greyson Clothiers announced their future collaboration on Monday. The fashion brand is now the official outfitter of Justin Thomas. Just a year ago, Thomas had lost a large portion of his sponsors as a result of a homophobic outburst at the Tournament of Champions. Among them was his old supplier Ralph Lauren, who had very quickly withdrawn in the wake of these remarks. Since then Justin Thomas has appeared without an official outfit sponsor. But already during this time he played again and again in outfits of the brand Greyson.
Justin Thomas, the biggest name in Greyson’s player lineup
Then on Monday it became official: the new partnership was announced on all media channels. Thomas is now the biggest name in the company’s athlete lineup. Other sponsored players include Luke Donald and Harry Higgs. Both Greyson Clothiers and Justin Thomas are excited about the newfound partnership, “What’s interesting about the deal is that the head of Greyson, Charlie Schaefer, was the former design lead for Ralph Lauren. He was also at Ralph Lauren when Justin Thomas became a partner at the company. Now they are crossing paths at his own company. A true friendship has grown between Thomas and them, Greyson let it be heard on Instagram.
Justin Thomas had fallen out of favor with many of his sponsors 14 months ago. At the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the American had made homophobic slurs on the course. Ralph Lauren and other sponsors stopped their cooperation with the golfer shortly afterwards. Back then, he had apologized and expressed his “deepest” shame.
The current defending Players Championship champion: Justin Thomas (Photo: Getty)
It is The Players Championship time! The world’s best golfers meet on Ponte Vedra Beach on Thursday, for a very exciting week. The “unofficial fifth” major tournament will take place in Florida, and this year the prize money is higher than ever before.
A total of $20 M will be paid out to the tournament participants. That is five million more than last year. Read this article to find out how the prize money has increased year after year, even though “The Players” is not one of the four major tournaments.
PGA Tour not only increases the Players Championship prize money
That golf is only played by the “rich and famous” is an outdated cliché. The sport has long since developed more and more into a popular sport and offers everyone the opportunity to try it out. Looking at professional sports, however, one quickly realizes that a lot of prestige and, above all, money are at stake.
A good example of this is the prize money on the PGA Tour, which has reached a new record high this year alone. Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA Tour, stated at the beginning of the season that prize money for 2022 will increase “from $367 million to $427 million.”
In particular, the upcoming Players Championship in Florida will benefit. While the total prize money was $15 million last year, it has now been increased by another five million. From March 10-13, golf’s elite will meet at TPC Sawgrass to determine the winner of the PGA Tour’s highest-paying golf event.
When the Players Championship was first held in 1974, the total prize money was $250,000. The winner, Jack Nicklaus, received $60,000 for his victory at the time. Over the years, the prize money continued to increase. In 1987, for example, the “pot” cracked the one million dollar mark for the first time.
Another milestone was certainly the win of the tournament by Hal Sutton in 2000, who was able to collect over $1M for winning the tournament. Justin Thomas enjoyed a victory bonus of 2.7 million dollars in 2021. That sum will be surpassed again this year.
The Players Championship’ 22 reward
The winner of this year’s Players Championship will receive 3.6 million dollars alone. This means that the bonus for the winner has increased by an incredible sixty-fold from the beginning.
However, that prize money in golf as a whole has increased many times over since the 1970s. And that is not the end of the line. The PGA Tour already announced that the prize money of its flagship tournament will increase to $25 million by 2025.
For instance, the following table shows the win bonuses of the top 5 for the upcoming Players Championship.
Ranking
Prize Money
1.
$3,600,000
2.
$2,180,000
3.
$1,380,000
4.
$980,000
5.
$820,000
Players Championship eclipses major tournaments
Although the tournament at TPC Sawgrass is not one of the majors, it has something over the four competitions. It is the highest paying event on the PGA Tour. Compared to the Masters, which takes place in about a month at Augusta National Golf Club. The Players Championship offers near twice as much.
According to media reports, the premiums for the upcoming Masters amount to the $11.5 million from last year, while the Players Championship boasts as little as $20 million. Last year’s Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama’s victory bonus also represents just about half of this year’s Players Championship winner, at around $2 million.
Major comparisons
The 2021 British Open was also listed at a total of $11.5 million, while the PGA Championship gave $12 million and the US Open $12.5 million. Concrete figures for prize money in 2022 are not yet available.
The thought is that the PGA Tour is pushing up the Players Championship prize money to motivate major tournaments, over which Tour has no control, to follow suit.
Golf fans have plenty to look forward to when the balls start flying again at Ponte Vedra Beach on Thursday and the winner is determined from the field of prominent participants. The golfers themselves are also likely to be full of anticipation, after all the winner can expect not only 600 FedEx Cup points and a lot of prestige, but also the tempting sum of 3.6 million euros
On the left is the International Olympic Academy Golf Course. On the right is Jürgen Linnenbürger meeting José Mariá Olazábal in front of The Hills Course. (Photo: Linnenbürger)
Travel insider from our Golf Post Team Jürgen Linnenbürger visits the Greek golf destination Navarino Hills. This course in Greece was the World’s Best New Golf Development in 2020. The World Golf Awards recognized it as so as part of a press trip.
Here in Messinia on the Peloponnese, he meets the two-time Masters winner, multiple Ryder Cup participant and captain José María Olazábal, who is responsible for the design of the two new Greek courses of the Navarino Hills.
The early bird catches the worm
Azalea, the English sports marketing agency organising the trip, gave me a slot of about 20 minutes to conduct an exclusive interview with Spanish golf legend José María Olazábal. Ollie, as his friends call him, will be exclusively available at 8.15 a.m. sharp for my questions about the design of his two new signature golf courses.
The Spaniard was awarded the Golf World Award Golf Course Designer of the Year in 2020. He had already designed more than 20 courses with his team. These include the Olazábal Course in Mission Hills/China, as well as the Education City Golf Club in Doha/Qatar, which opened in 2020. This last one, by the way, immediately became the venue for a PGA European Tour event.
An unusual place for an interview
We did not conduct the interview in the hotel, but on the back seat of a spacious hotel limousine: corona-compliant with a mask, of course. The car takes us from the 5-star The Westin Resort Costa Navarino to the brand new Navarino Hills complex.
Interview at the Navarino Hills with the two-time Masters winner. (Photo: Linnenbürger)
Their two golf courses are The Hills Course and the International Olympic Academy Golf Course, which our group is already allowed to play exclusively in November, before its official opening in February 2022.
The Hills Course will also be completed by that time. Then the golf cloverleaf will be perfect with four signature courses located a maximum of 13 km apart.
Kalimera and Buenos dias
The welcome is warm and relaxed. The likeable Spaniard explains that one of the main challenges for him and his team was to integrate two different courses into the terrain, which is up to 250 metres high, hilly and extremely rocky.
But not only the two new courses should be different from each other. Their design should also stand out from that of the existing, approximately ten-year-old courses, The Dunes and The Bay.
An exceptional property in impressive nature
José has been enthusiastic about the magnificent site from the very beginning. He is very proud that he and his team have been awarded the contract to design the two courses by the owner of the Greek company Temes, which is responsible for the development of the Costa Navarino destination.
The 150-hectare site is one of the most spectacular and beautiful he has had the privilege of redesigning. The breathtaking views of the bay, the Ionian Sea and the impressive mountain backdrop shape its character just as much as the vegetation typical of the Mediterranean area with its shrubs up to two metres high.
José has paid special attention to integrating the pitches harmoniously into the existing environment, so that they have become a natural part of it.
Sustainability is a priority
Another challenge for Olazabal Design was to take the various aspects of sustainability into account as much as possible. Costa Navarino has set itself the goal of being a leader in this field and ensuring ecological, social and economic sustainability on a permanent basis.
In this way, both campsites can benefit sufficiently from the water that the surrounding mountains release. This water is stored in two large basins and is sufficient for year-round irrigation of the pitches. The irrigation systems are state of the art. An own photovoltaic system supplies the huge area with all its facilities with the necessary electricity.
Suitable for all HCP classes
Both courses show as resort courses. They are fair and are intended to convey enjoyment of the game without their guests having to forego the sporting excitement. Golfers should enjoy their game on the courses and finish their rounds with a satisfactory score.
Six different tees contribute to the fact that players of all handicap classes will feel comfortable.
José designed the Hills Course to be shorter and less demanding than the International Olympic Academy Course. With its narrower fairways, this is the more compact and difficult course of the two. The wind, which often comes from the coast and can blow from different directions, also contributes to this.
The designer has responded to this situation by making the greens larger than usual in order to offer more opportunities to play.
The International Olympic Academy Course. (Photo: Linnenbürger)
The Navarino Hills will have wider fairways and more bunkers, but they are deliberately designed not to be very deep.
Wide fairways characterise The Navarino Hills Course. (Photo: Linnenbürger)
It is more spacious and yet intimate. On the holes, you get the impression that you are alone on the course. You cannot see other holes.
At the highest point of the course is the clubhouse, which is currently under construction, as well as the spacious practice facilities of the International Olympic Academy.
The International Olympic Academy
Costa Navarino, in partnership with the International Olympic Academy and the Hellenic Olympic Committee, has opened the first golf course of the International Olympic Academy.
The partnership is guided by principles and values of the Olympic Idea and aims to promote Olympic education through a variety of activities at Costa Navarino. It plays a key role in the development of golf worldwide.
The Olympic Academy Course calls
After the interview, José and I head out for a round. Two of the most remarkable holes for him are two par-3s. The tees of the 12th and the 16th are almost adjacent, but run in opposite directions. While the twelve is heading for the mountains, the tee shot of the sixteen is to be played along the sea.
For José, it is 166 metres on the 16 from the whites. Playing together with a two-time Masters winner in one flight is and will probably remain a unique experience for me. Of course, he is on the green, not like me.
José María Olazábal teeing off on the 16th (Photo: Linnenbürger)
Tee box of the twelfth fairway. (Photo: Linnenbürger)
The par-72 course has a length of 6,351 metres from the championship tees. The fairways are lush green and pleasantly soft at this time of year. On the other hand, the greens are all the harder and arrow-fast. Although they are not overly ondulated, 3-putts are not uncommon for me. The maintenance is excellent.
Spectacular new hotels
Since my last visit in 2018, not only have the Navarino Hills courses developed, but construction has also begun to grow around. The boutique hotel The Navarino Bay Resort is located on The Bay Course, right on the seafront.
A particularly good view of the new high-end gem with its 99 suites and villas show from the high greens of its third course. The spectacular design captivates by the fact that the buildings are set directly into the curved slope and their roofs are completely greened.
An exclusive beach club, a spa and wellness area with a large indoor and outdoor pool, as well as bars, lounges and restaurants complete the offer.
View from The Bay Course to the new The Bay Resort. (Photo: Linnenbürger)
Not far away, a little world of its own is developing. The vibrant lifestyle resort The Waterfront will have 246 rooms, suites and bungalows right on the beach. This one also impresses with its modern design with lagoon pools, numerous shops and restaurants laid out around an agora (marketplace).
The Waterfront will open in summer 2022 and The Bay a year later.
A clubhouse in a class of its own
Opening in 2019, The Bay Course’s stylish clubhouse is also new to me. It is built according to principles of bioclimatic architecture in earth house style and surrounded by thousands of plants and trees. It is not only an architectural masterpiece from the outside.
The clubhouse of The Bay Course. (Photo: Linnenbürger)
Inside, it also impresses with its modern interior and views of the sea.
The clubhouse is also extremely attractively designed on the inside. (Photo: Linnenbürger)
On its terrace we enjoy the fantastic sunset and conclude the great golf day with an excellent menu.
Sunset at Navarino Bay. (Photo: Linnenbürger)
The goal formulated by the founder to develop Costa Navarino into a world-leading golf and sports destination, as well as a family destination, seems to be paying off. Tennis courts have already been built. Football pitches are to be added in the future.
Arrival via Kalamata or Athens
If you decide to stay in the low season, the route leads via Athens. The hotel shuttle takes a good three hours from the airport to The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and the Romanos a Luxury Collection Resort, Costa Navarino in Navarino Dunes. These were awarded European Golf Resort of the Year by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators in 2017.
Further awards are only a matter of time for me. I am convinced that after the opening of the new golf courses and hotels, numerous stars and awards will follow.
