THE PLAYERS: From A to Z

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May. 5, 2008
By PGATOUR.COM Staff

So, what do you need to know about the 2008 PLAYERS Championship, which takes place this week at TPC Sawgrass? Here's a quick primer, from A to Z:

A - Altruism. Since 1977 when the tournament moved to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., THE PLAYERS Championship has raised more than $28 million for charities in the Northeast Florida area, including $2.8 million at last season's tournament. More than 100 First Coast charities benefit from the event.

PGA TOUR

Former PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane Beman was instrumental in the development of TPC Sawgrass.

B - Beman, Deane. The former PGA TOUR commissioner was instrumental in the development and growth of THE PLAYERS and TPC Sawgrass on a piece of land he once described as "a swamp."

C - Couples, Fred. Next year's Presidents Cup captain -- and two-time PLAYERS champion -- produced one of the most unique pars in PGA TOUR history during the 1999 PLAYERS when he sent his tee shot at the par-3 17th into the water, then re-teed and holed his ensuing tee shot for par.

D - Double eagle. There have been just two recorded during competition at THE PLAYERS ... and both happened last year. Hunter Mahan hit driver, 5-iron in the hole on No. 11 during the second round, while Peter Lonard hit driver, 5-iron into the hole on No. 2 during the third round.

E - Eagles. The hole that has given up the most eagles at TPC Sawgrass is the par 5, 523-yard 16th (287 eagles since 1982). Played intelligently, yet with a strong sense of confidence, the payoff of an eagle on the 16h can be well worth the risk.

F - Funk, Fred. Of the three most notable Ponte Vedra Beach residents in the field (Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk are the other two), Funk has the best record at THE PLAYERS. In addition to winning the event in 2005 -- at age 48, he was the oldest winner in tournament history -- Funk has five other top-20 finishes.

G - Goats. When TPC Sawgrass opened, goats were brought in to roam the grounds around the first and second holes to keep the grass at a manageable height. Don't worry -- our methods are more advanced now.

H - Holes-in-one. There have been 23 aces at TPC Sawgrass during competition at THE PLAYERS. Six have come at the infamous par-3 17th. And speaking of the 17th ...

I - Island green. That's what makes the 17th hole at the Stadium Course famous -- or infamous, if you will. Course designer Pete Dye gives his wife Alice credit for coming up with the concept of the island green after she saw the construction site one day.

J - JELD-WEN. The world's largest producer of reliable windows and doors is one of three Proud Partners of THE PLAYERS.

K - Klauk, Fred. The TPC Sawgrass golf course superintendent is retiring after this week's tournament. In his 25 years of service, Klauk has prepared golf courses for 27 PGA TOUR tournaments, including 22 PLAYERS Championships.

L - LIVE@. Check out PGATOUR.COM's exclusive live coverage from the 17th hole this week.

M - Mother's Day. Last year, for the first time in history, THE PLAYERS concluded on Mother's Day. That will be the same this week. The first 10,000 moms going through the gates Sunday will receive commemorative pins.

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Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural PLAYERS Championship in 1974.

N - Nicklaus, Jack. Not only did the Golden Bear win the first PLAYERS Championship (in 1974, when it was called the Tournament Players Championship), but he remains the only three-time champion and just one of five players to have won multiple PLAYERS titles. Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Davis Love III and Hal Sutton have two wins each.

O - One dollar. That's the amount of money brothers Jerome and Paul Fletcher asked Deane Beman to pay in exchange for the 415 acres of wooded wetlands just west of A1A in Ponte Vedra Beach. The PGA TOUR bought the land and built TPC Sawgrass.

P - PricewaterhouseCoopers. One of three Proud Partners of THE PLAYERS, PricewaterhouseCoopers provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders.

Q - Quality fields. From top to bottom, THE PLAYERS Championship annually has the best field of any tournament on the PGA TOUR.

R - Rich. That's what winning THE PLAYERS can do for a player. Last year, the $9 million purse was the richest on the PGA TOUR, as was the winner's check for $1,620,000.

S - Stadium TV. For the first time, fans at this week's PLAYERS can rent a hand-held Stadium TV set that will enable them to watch the live broadcast and navigate between the additional video channels, course maps and individual hole layouts.

T - Two. The number of playoffs in the 34 PLAYERS Championships, the fewest among TOUR tournaments more than 10 years old.

U - UBS. One of the world's leading financial firms, UBS is one of three Proud Partners of THE PLAYERS.

V - Vantage point. One of the goals when TPC Sawgrass was designed was creating vantage points for the spectators. "Every sport has its great stadium," Tiger Woods said. "This is ours."

W - Water. That's what Jerry Pate dove into off the 18th green in 1982 after he won THE PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass, the first year the venue hosted the event. Just before his plunge, Pate had ceremonially thrown course designer Pete Dye and PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane Beman into the lake.

X - XXXIX. During Super Bowl XXXIX week in Jacksonville, TPC Sawgrass hosted a Super Bowl party for the media. Of the 1,650 tee shots that were attempted by media members on the 17th hole, just 101 found the green.

Y - Your chance. For golf fans attending THE PLAYERS, the Stadium Village adjacent to the clubhouse provides an interactive opportunity to play TPC Sawgrass' famous three finishing holes -- the 16th (via swing simulator), the 17th (via one-quarter scale hole) and the 18th (via replica green).

Z - Zero. That's how many back-to-back winners there have been at THE PLAYERS Championship. Phil Mickelson gets his opportunity to break that drought this week.