TOUR Insider: THE PLAYERS
 
May. 7, 2007
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By Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent

This week's PLAYERS Championship is the 34th in the series, but the first of its kind.

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Tiger Woods' lone win in THE PLAYERS came in 2001. (WireImage)

Thanks to a new May days and an upgraded TPC Sawgrass, THE PLAYERS begins a new era, one in which the amenities for players and fans -- highlighted not only by an improved golf course but also by a spectacular new clubhouse -- is arguably as good as it can get in the realm of tournament golf.

Of course, the central focus will be on the famed PLAYERS Stadium Course, which was renovated and upgraded last fall and should be in the most pristine and challenging condition the 144-player field has ever encountered. Never mind the little nuances that have been added or the extra yardage that brings the par-72 layout to more 7,200 yards.

It's what's missing that counts. Organic matter underneath the course has been stripped away, replaced by a new drainage system and nearly 27,000 tons of sand. This allows the Stadium Course to drain up to 20 inches of water per hour -- if need be, according to superintendent Fred Klauk.

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Olin Browne makes his 2007 season debut this week at TPC Sawgrass. (WireImage)

The greens are equally capable of swift recovery from precipitation thanks to a new sub-air system. This allows the setup to be as firm and fast and finicky as the PGA TOUR desires. Throw in Bermuda grass rough (instead of a rye overseed) and new grass on the greens, and even a little bit of a shift in winds from the usual March breezes, and, really, no one can say what they're getting themselves into this week -- beyond the fact that it's a tournament of major prestige and plenty of cash (at least an $8 million purse).

Well, Tiger Woods, who comes in fresh off his third win of the year at the Wachovia Championship, has a pretty good idea what Pete Dye's ingenious layout will be like, even with the alterations.

Some things haven't changed. "There's no bail-out areas out there," Woods says in discussing the intrinsic challenges of the flagship TPC layout. "If you do miss (the greens) ... with the green complexes and severity of them, I mean, you just can't ... you go around that golf course and you know you're going to hit a ball in a bad spot and have one of the lies that you just say to yourself, 'How the hell did I end up here?' But that's just the way it is."

That might indeed be the question. But the answer won't come as easily and solving the riddle of what to do next is harder because all the playing dynamics have been tweaked.

This surely stands to be the most intriguing PLAYERS in its illustrious history.

Worth knowing:

  • Would Tiger Woods be a good bet to win THE PLAYERS this week? We mean besides the fact that he is the No. 1 player in the world and the leading money winner in tournament history? Well, it's hard to win the week prior to PLAYERS and then win again. In fact, only two men have done it since 1989: Tom Kite and Woods, who doubled up in 2001.

  • Veteran Olin Browne, a three-time TOUR winner, makes his season debut this week, no easy task considering he's played there eight times and missed six cuts, but he's been resting a sore right hand. He played the 2006 season with a torn ligament and opted to sit out and let it heal rather than undergo surgery.

  • Just three men shot sub-70 scores in the final round last year, the least since Fred Couples was the lone golfer to shoot a number in the 60s (68) in 1999. One of the three from 2006 was Brad Faxon (69), who has made 14 cuts in a row at THE PLAYERS.

  • The rule of thumb at THE PLAYERS is don't expect a repeat winner (it has never happened) and don't expect a non-winner to take the title; Craig Perks, the '02 champion, is the only man to take his first TOUR title at THE PLAYERS. Perks also is one of just three men to win the event in his debut, joining Jack Nicklaus and Hal Sutton.

  • Phil Mickelson is playing for the third week in a row since he started to work with Butch Harmon. He has finished third in his last two tournaments, but he'll have to buck a personal trend at TPC Sawgrass, where he has just two top-10 finishes and has shot over par in nine of his last 20 rounds.

  • On the plus side for Lefty, Mickelson is one of just four men to post four rounds under par in the same week, having done so in 2004 when he tied for a career-best third place. The others are Stephen Ames, Retief Goosen and Kenny Perry.

  • Darren Clarke has been battling a recent slump and it didn't help his prospects for the PLAYERS by having to withdraw from the Wachovia Championship after one round because of injury. His status for this week is uncertain, but he can't blame it on golf. Seems he's nursing a pulled hamstring after being tackled by his son, Conor, playing soccer in his backyard. His best finish at TPC Sawgrass is a tie for sixth in 2003.

  • By winning last year's Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship, Bobby Wadkins earned a berth in this week's PLAYERS, the first year for the new eligibility bonus. Wadkins hasn't played at the TPC Sawgrass since 1996. He has finished in the top 10 twice in 20 starts, and his stroke average is 73.50.

    • TI's power ranking for THE PLAYERS:

    1. Tiger Woods
    2. Retief Goosen
    3. Steve Stricker
    4. Adam Scott
    5. Henrik Stenson.