May. 8, 2008
All times are eastern.
Phil Mickelson, Rory Sabbatini, Henrik Stenson
Tee time: 8:33 a.m.
Tee: No. 10
Total TOUR wins: 36
Why you should watch: As the defending champion, Phil Mickelson is obviously the man to beat this week. One fact that Lefty has going against him is this -- no winner of THE PLAYERS has ever successfully defended his title. Mickelson has missed just one cut in 10 starts this year and every other finish has been in the top 25. He's already got one win, but win No. 2 looks to be right on the doorstep. History suggests that win won't be this week, but you can't count him out. Rory Sabbatini is looking to jumpstart what has been a rather disappointing year so far. Solid play at TPC Sawgrass could certainly send the confidence soaring in the right direction. Henrik Stenson, finally, has been splitting time between the PGA TOUR and the European Tour this season. He hasn't played great lately, but in did have a tie for third in his first start here in 2006.
| 2008 Stat comparison |
| Mickelson |
10 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
-- |
4 |
9 |
69.56 |
| Sabbatini |
10 |
8 |
-- |
1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
70.92 |
| Stenson |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Sean O'Hair, J.B. Holmes, Zach Johnson
Tee time: 1:44 p.m.
Tee: No. 1
Total TOUR wins: 7
Why you should watch: It will be interesting to see how Sean O'Hair bounces back after the heart-breaking ending he endured in the 2007 PLAYERS. He comes to TPC Sawgrass having missed cuts in his last two starts, but has played well for the most part throughout the 2008 season. He's probably licking his chops too, looking forward to getting right back in the mix here. J.B. Holmes earned the second win of his career earlier this season when he beat Phil Mickelson in a playoff at the FBR Open. He consistently makes the cut, but is looking to be more consistently in contention. Zach Johnson has missed the cut just once in 2008, but he only has one top 10 to show for his efforts. This would be a good week to break out of the mini slump.
| 2008 Stat comparison |
| O'Hair |
11 |
7 |
1 |
-- |
1 |
2 |
3 |
70.58 |
| Holmes |
12 |
10 |
1 |
-- |
-- |
2 |
5 |
70.55 |
| Johnson |
11 |
10 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
1 |
4 |
70.80 |
|
Trevor Immelman, Padraig Harrington, Woody Austin
Tee time: 8:33 a.m.
Tee: No. 1
Total TOUR wins: 7
Why you should watch: Trevor Immelman's win at the Masters was just as much awesome as it was unlikely. He really hasn't had a great year -- even though that one week made for what many consider a dream year. Immelman has missed the cut in both events since his win and needs a good start. In 2003 and 2004, Padraig Harrington finished as the runner up. Since then, his record hasn't been so hot, but he did win a major. As for Woody Austin, he's come close a couple of times this year and seems to rise to the occasion in the bigger tournaments.
| 2008 Stat comparison |
| Immelman |
11 |
5 |
1 |
-- |
-- |
1 |
2 |
71.20 |
| Harrington |
6 |
6 |
-- |
-- |
1 |
3 |
5 |
69.78 |
| Austin |
12 |
9 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
2 |
5 |
71.35 |
|
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