THE PLAYERS: Rd. 4 notes
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GARCIA'S WINS: Winning the 2008 PLAYERS Championship obviously is the biggest win of Sergio Garcia's seven PGA TOUR wins. Here's how we'd rank 'em:
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GARCIA TIDBITS: A few notes related to Sergio Garcia's win at THE PLAYERS Championship:
• The 28-year-old Garcia now has seven career PGA TOUR wins, the most by any TOUR player in his 20s. He was previously tied with Adam Scott with six.
• Garcia joins Tiger Woods as the only player to finish runner-up in THE PLAYERS one year and win the following year. Woods finished second in 2000, then won in 2001. Garcia finished second to Phil Mickelson last year.
• For the week, Garcia ranked first in Fairways Hit (76.8 percent) and Greens in Regulation (77.8 percent). On Sunday, he ranked first in Total Putts Made Distance (126 feet, 10 inches). -- Mike McAllister (9:25 p.m.)
QUICK QUOTES - SERGIO GARCIA: A few selected quotes from Garcia's news conference ...
On if there was less pressure after Paul Goydos hit in the water: "No, not at all. I could still feel it, because I could do exactly the same thing. I was just praying that I didn't get any weird gusts or wind or anything like that, and I knew the shot I wanted to hit."
On surviving the tough conditions: "It was very hard. ... It's not a major but it definitely feels like one. ... It was one of the hardest days in golf. I was playing well, but it was so difficult. There were so many things you couldn't control. I mean, I hit so many good shots that I thought were perfect and I wasn't even smelling the green."
On being in the playoffs: "I was looking forward to it because ... I was on a high. I came from making the putt on 18 and put myself into the playoff." -- Mike McAllister (9:01 p.m.)
QUICK QUOTES - PAUL GOYDOS: A few selected quotes from Goydos' news conference...
• On his tee shot on the playoff hole: "I thought I hit it good, but I think it flighted higher. The other one (in regulation that set up a birdie) penetrated a little better through the wind. This one kind of floated on me and the ball ended up sinking."
• On his perspective about playing so well this week but coming up short in the playoff: "You need to learn. And yes, we're not excited about bogeying the last hole or ... hitting it in the water on the playoff hole. We're not excited about any of those things, but the reality of it is they happened and you need to learn and move on."
• On what Tiger Woods would have shot this week: "No idea. He's got a bad knee, so he probably only would have shot 15 or 20 under." - Mike McAllister (8:40 p.m.)
PLAYOFF PLAY-BY-PLAY
1st playoff hole (par-3 17th hole)
Paul Goydos hits first. His tee shot splashes into the water, just short of the green. It's the 65th tee shot at the 17th this week to find the water.
Sergio Garcia now up. He hits a near-perfect tee shot, just 3 feet, 11 inches from the pin. It's basically over. Garcia will putt for birdie, while Goydos needs to hole his shot from the drop area for any chance.
Goydos hits his third shot 14 feet, 11 inches to the pin. He's now lying three and will have that putt for bogey. Garcia will win.
Goydos misses his bogey putt.
Garcia misses his short birdie putt but it doesn't matter. Garcia taps in for par to win THE PLAYERS Championship, the biggest win of his career. It's his seventh PGA TOUR win.
PRE-PLAYOFFS NOTES: Paul Goydos has never been in a playoff on the PGA TOUR. Sergio Garcia is 3-3 in playoffs. The first two playoff holes will be 17 and, if necessary, 18. Here is how they have performed this week at each of those holes.
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-- Mike McAllister (7:25 p.m.)
HEADED TO A PLAYOFF: We're going to 17th for the first hole of the playoff, then to 18. If we need more, it's 16, then 17, then 18. We'll have play-by-play right here. -- Mike McAllister (7:13 p.m.)
BIG PUTT FOR SERGIO: By saving his par on the 18th, Sergio Garcia has put the pressure on Goydos, who has no room for error on the 18th if he wants to avoid a playoff. He'll need to get up-and-down from 46 yards for par. -- Mike McAllister (7:04 p.m.)
DOWN TO THE 18TH: It all boils down to the hardest hole on the course. If Paul Goydos can just par the 18th, he'll likely win the title. Of course, par isn't exactly a given today. The hole is playing 0.843 strokes above par today. In other words, it's basically a par 5. -- Mike McAllister (7 p.m.)
TOUGH DAY FOR PHIL: The 6-over 78 that Phil Mickelson shot on Sunday was his highest score on the Stadium Course since he shot 83 in the opening round of the 2000 PLAYERS and missed the cut.
The defending champion had started the final round with aspirations of another title and in a tie for fourth. He ended up sharing 21st with Boo Weekley, Stewart Cink, Nicholas Thompson and Ian Poulter, though.
"I thought if I had a good back side I might have a chance," said Mickelson, who didn't give himself one with a 40 coming home. "I thought some players might come back a little more than they did.
"I ended up missing a short birdie putt on 11 that kind of took a lot of momentum out of me because that would have given me a bit of a boost, got me to 1-under for the tournament. Unfortunately it didn't get any better from there." -- Helen Ross (7 p.m.)
0 FOR 34: Phil Mickelson just finished a disappointing round of 78, meaning that for the 34th consecutive year, the defending champion of THE PLAYERS will not repeat. The best finish for the defending champ has been a tie for 5th, achieved three times (Jack Nicklaus in 1977, Tom Kite in 1990 and Hal Sutton in 2001). Mickelson will finish tied for 21st. -- Ryan Smithson (6:56 p.m.)
LEHMAN VS. 17TH: According to NBC, no player is better at keeping his tee shot out of the water on the 17th's island green than Tom Lehman. Of 62 career tee shots on the 17th at THE PLAYERS, he's stayed dry 61 times. Here's how it played it this week:
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BAIRD'S B-DAY: Briny Baird was hoping it was fate. After all, here he was contending in the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on his 36th birthday.
"I kept telling myself, hang in there, hang in there," Baird admitted. "Maybe this is destiny to win THE PLAYERS Championship as your first tournament on your birthday would almost be poetic.
"I gave it pretty much everything I had out there. I'm pretty tired."
Baird fired a 72 in the windswept final round but fell just short, finishing at 1-under par for the tournament. Besides, the real winner on Mother's Day, he said, was none other than Mother Nature.
"I don't care who wins this tournament, the wind won," Baird said. "I think it's kicked everybody's butts. I think it's hard for people to understand that are watching outside how difficult the golf course is playing." -- Helen Ross (6:45 p.m.)
FURYK'S THREE-PUTTS: To heck with the wind. Hometown favorite Jim Furyk never got the feel for the greens Sunday.
Furyk, who closed with a 76, three putted three times in the final round.
"The first three days, the greens were much, much quicker than they were last year,'' the Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., resident said. "Today they backed off. The greens were considerably softer. Noticeably.
"I did a poor job of adjusting to them. I think they were at least a foot, maybe two feet slower. Had they been as quick as they were yesterday, it would have been unplayable. The staff did a good job setting it up. It's a brutal golf course. '' -- Melanie Hauser (6:39 p.m.)
PLAYOFFS ANYONE? With just three holes left for the last group, we currently have a three-way tie for the lead, with Sergio Garcia, Paul Goydos and Jeff Quinney all at 5-under. There have been just two playoffs in PLAYERS history:
• 1981: Raymond Floyd defeated Barry Jaeckel and Curtis Strange with a par on the first extra hole at Sawgrass CC.
• 1987: Sandy Lyle defeated Jeff Sluman with par on the third extra hole at TPC Sawgrass. -- Mike McAllister (6:33 p.m.)
SEPARATED AT BIRTH: OK, we finally figured out who Paul Goydos resembles -- actor Victor Garber, who spent many years on Broadway, appeared in the film, Titanic, and also has been on several TV series, including Alias and now Eli Stone, currently on ABC.
Check out the comparison for yourself in the photo to the left. (By the way, Goydos is the one with the Long Beach State cap on).-- Mike McAllister (6:17 p.m.)
SECOND BEST: The winner of THE PLAYERS Championship will receive $1.71 million, 4,950 FEDEXCUP points, a Waterford crystal trophy and a five-year PGA TOUR exemption. Solo second is nothing to sneeze at, either -- a $1.026 million payday and 2,970 FEDEXCUP points. -- Helen Ross (6:11 p.m.)
WIND TALK: Ben Crane, who carded an even-par 72 today, on the windy conditions:
"I probably had six putts that I'm literally changing the read by the second as I stand over it. So you know, when the greens are this fast, and you're standing over a putt that's a six-footer, the read can go from right edge to a ball outside left in a gust. So you're going to get out of position on some holes and to be able to capitalize and make those putts is a very difficult thing to do." -- Mike McAllister (6:09 p.m.)
NICK'S KNACK: Nicholas Thompson, playing in his first PLAYERS Championship, might be a little disappointed with his final-round 2-over-74. If he is, it's only because of the front nine.
Thompson blistered through the back nine with a spectacular 3-under-par 33, highlighted by a birdie at the daunting 17th. He finished 4 over for the tournament and will likely wind up in the top 25.
"I played good," he said. "I played 16, 17, 18 really good. 16, I put four perfect drives in the fairway and hit two 7- irons, a 4- iron and a 9- iron in. I hit the green all four days on 17, and hit the fairway three days on 18. So, I mean, I played the last three holes really well out here, at 2- under. So I think anybody would take 2 under on 16, 17 and 18 and never play them through the week." -- T.J. Auclair (6:04 p.m.)
SHOTS OF DESTINY?: If Paul Goydos goes on to win THE PLAYERS today, he'll likely look back at two key shots -- his 34-yard chip out of the primary rough for a birdie on the par-4 10th and a 50 foot, 1 inch putt on the par-4 4th that he dropped in for another birdie -- as the main reasons why he'd be $1.71 million richer. -- Mike McAllister (5:24 p.m.)
WINNERS RANKINGS: THE PLAYERS Championship has twice been won by the No. 1 player in the world -- Greg Norman in 1994 and Tiger Woods in 2001.
Paul Goydos, who came to the back nine Sunday leading by a stroke, is currently ranked No. 169 while the man in second, Kenny Perry, is 99th. Sergio Garcia and Briny Baird, who are tied for third, are Nos. 16 and 164, respectively.
Stephen Ames, the 2006 PLAYERS champ, was 64th when he won. He's tied for fifth with two holes remaining and currently stands 30th in the world. Jeff Quinney, who is tied with Ames in fifth, is No. 75.
Following is the Official World Golf Ranking position of the last 20 champions:
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-- Helen Ross (5:20 p.m.)
WIND REPORT: Two-time PLAYERS champ Fred Couples closed with an even-par 72 and didn't break stride on his way to the clubhouse.
"It's brutal, brutal out there,'' Couples said. "At this rate, 75 will be a good score. When a hole is playing downwind, it's very hard to stop the ball.''
Added Luke Donald, "This course is hard enough without the wind.'' -- Melanie Hauser (5:02 p.m.)
LIKES HIS 71: Kevin Stadler is one up on his dad.
Craig missed the cut at his first PLAYERS back in 1977; Kevin closed out his first with a 71 that could have been a 67.
And, oh, Kevin eagled the fourth hole both Saturday and Sunday. It was with a 60-degree wedge in the third round, a sand wedge in the final round.
"It's treated me pretty nicely,'' he said of the hole.
And his closing 71, the second-best round of the day when he finished? The bogey at 18, he could deal with. What he didn't like were the missed putts earlier in the day.
"It was absolutely the highest I could possibly have shot,'' said Stadler, who finished at 3-over 291. "I played great all day. In the middle of the round, I three-putted nine for par, missed 8 footer for birdie on 10, about a 3 footer for birdie on 11 and about a 12-footer for birdie on 12 . . .
"Overall, 71 was great. Easily could have been 67 or 68 and I could have really moved up. I just kind of feel like I let a really good tournament get away from me yesterday (when he shot 78).'' -- Melanie Hauser (4:59 p.m.)
PAR? WHAT PAR?: It's been a crazy front nine for J.B. Holmes, who failed to post a par. Instead he opened his final round with two birdies, followed with four consecutive bogeys, then went birdie-bogey-birdie to make the turn at 37. He finally made par at the 10th hole. -- Mike McAllister (4:57 p.m.)
DID YOU SEND A CARD?: One reason why Briny Baird might be playing so well today? It's his birthday.
Baird, who was born in Miami Beach, Fla. and now lives in Jupiter, Fla., turns 36 today. He has never won a PGA TOUR event in 257 starts. A day for celebration may become even more special if he can continue to avoid any slip-ups and post a solid number. -- Mike McAllister (4:54 p.m.)
SAPPED OF ENERGY: Young Anthony Kim finally hit the wall this weekend. He opened strong -- a pair of 70s -- after winning the Wachovia Championship last Sunday, but a third-round 79 blew him out of the mix.
And the wind in the final round?
"I lost my golf swing,'' Kim said, attempting a laugh after 76. "My caddie lost my head cover a couple of times. It was very tough. A couple times I almost fell over putting. It's not fun to play golf like that.''
As for the wall? Every first-time winner hits it sooner or later.
"I tried my best,'' he said. "I couldn't focus like I did at Wachovia. I spent all my energy the first two days getting out of the gate. It was tough. Out here, you let your focus wander one shot and it turns into bogey-bogey-bogey.'' -- Melanie Hauser (4:45 p.m.)
MOTHER'S DAY: For the second consecutive year, THE PLAYERS ends its championship on Mother's Day. Commemorative pins were handed out to the first 10,000 mothers in attendance. Check out this special Mother's Day video from PGATOUR.com. (Click for video)
More Sunday video clips:
• Ernie Els eagles the par-5 11th
• Paul Goydos birdies the par-4 4th
• Jim Furyk birdies the par-3 8th
• Third-round leader Paul Goydos prepares for final round
STEADY BAIRD: Briny Baird is having the steadiest round of all the players on the first page of the leaderboard. Through 11 holes, he has two birdies -- and even more impressive, no bogeys in moving to 3 under for the tournament.
Meanwhile, don't overlook 2006 PLAYERS champion Stephen Ames, who goes into the final three-hole stretch at 2 under after posting back-nine birdies at two par 4s, the 10th and the 15th. -- Mike McAllister (4:27 p.m.)
FIRST-TIMERS?: Jeff Quinney picked up a career-best, second-place finish earlier this year when he placed two strokes behind Phil Mickelson at the Northern Trust Open. Briny Baird has been a runner-up three times during his career.
Should either Quinney or Baird win THE PLAYERS today, he would join Craig Perks as the only pros to pick up their first victories in the PGA TOUR's signature event. -- Helen Ross (4:08 p.m.)
A NICE SURPRISE: Madi Bloor, a 9-year-old third-grader from Jacksonville, got the treat of a lifetime Sunday afternoon. But it wasn't without a some near-tears.
Kevin Stadler promised her a hat after his round, but he took off toward the locker room and she thought he had forgotten. Her head was down, lip was quivering. In reality, Stadler ran up to his locker and got a brand new hat, which he delivered to her a few minutes later -- to a big smile. It was pretty cool, she said.
And, it was a little big,. But as someone observed, his dad Craig's head is even bigger. "And,'' Kevin said, "harder."
HIGHEST WINNING SCORE: Windy conditions and a U.S. Open-type feel may make it tough for players to get under par. In fact, today's champion might just claim the title with a round over par, something that has happened just twice in PLAYERS history and only once at TPC Sawgrass. Here's the list of PLAYERS champions who have won with a round of even par or higher on the final day.
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-- Mike McAllister (3:24 p.m.)
3 P.M. REPORT -- Jeff Quinney got off to a quick start with birdies on his first two holes, but gave one back on No. 3. Third-round leader Paul Goydos bogeyed the par-5 second hole, which is cause for concern considering it's playing as the easiest hole on the course today. Bernhard Langer has an early birdie but Phil Mickelson has dropped back. Goydos (6 under) leads Kenny Perry (5 under), with Sergio Garcia and Jeff Quinney at 3 under. -- Mike McAllister (3 p.m.)
OUCH: Tough start for defending champion Phil Mickelson on Sunday as he double-bogeyed the opening hole after finding the primary rough with his drive, and then three-putting. It's his second double-bogey in the last six holes, going back to his double at the 14th hole in Saturday's third round. -- Mike McAllister (2:37 p.m.)
WINDY WEATHER: The wind is coming at a steady 15-20 mph, but the players are also taking hits from hard gusts out there. The kind that throw a body block on you, then whip up.
"It's just brutal,'' said former Masters champ Mike Weir, who wiggled in a closing even-par 72. "Just brutal.''
How brutal? One gust caught Weir on the 14th hole and blew his cap and sunglasses 50 yards down the fairway. "They just kind of come up underneath,'' he said, shaking his head.
Aaron Baddeley also closed with a 72, then helped chase down wife Richelle's cap in the scoring compound.
"The winds are swirling,'' he said. "One minute they're hurting you, the next they're helping.''
And if it gets worse this afternoon? "You always find someone who gets it done,'' he said." -- Melanie Hauser (2:30 p.m.)
KNOW YOUR QUINNEY: Of the top six players on the leaderboard going into the final round of THE PLAYERS, Jeff Quinney is probably the least known. The 2000 U.S. Amateur winner is in just his second year on the PGA TOUR and is the only one of the six who has not won a TOUR event (his best finish is second to fellow Arizona Stater Phil Mickelson at the Northern Trust Open earlier this year).
To get you up to speed on Quinney, here's three things you should know:
1. He's sponsored by the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes. Not only did Quinney, a Scottsdale resident, attend Arizona State, but his manager is the brother-in-law of Coyotes managing partner/head coach -- and NHL legend -- Wayne Gretzky. "I could not be happier to be associated with such a first-class organization," said Quinney when the one-year sponsorship was announced earlier this year. "I have been an avid fan of the Coyotes since I was a student at Arizona State and to now be wearing their logo on my shirt is a true honor."
2. He's the youngest of four boys in his family, with each brother playing a Division I sport. Rob was a golfer at Oregon, Mark played tennis at BYU and D.J. was a quarterback at Oregon. Oh, and their dad, Bob, played college basketball at BYU.
3. His Arizona State teammates included Paul Casey, Matt Jones, Jin Park and Chez Reavie. All four players are now on TOUR.
For more on Quinney, click here for his profile page.-- Mike McAllister (1:40 p.m.)
DROPPING BOMBS: Retief Goosen rolled in a 60-foot putt on the par-4 15th, while Mark Wilson made a putt from 49 feet on the par-4 7th. Both players are too far back, though, to contend for the lead. -- Mike McAllister (1:30 p.m.)
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Here are a few non-competition features from PGATOUR.COM's coverage this week that are worth a look:
• Golf Digest fashion guru Marty Hackel -- a.k.a. Mr. Style -- provides Ceri Mobley with his list of the five best-dressed golfers on TOUR, as well as the five who he thinks might need a makeover. (Click for story)
• T.J. Auclair writes that the players aren't the only ones who enjoy the good life at a big event such as THE PLAYERS. The caddies also appreciate their perks. (Click for story)
• Lauren Deason profiles Van Tanner, a marshal volunteering at the ninth hole. Tanner was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 1996 and has been waiting for a liver transplant for five years. (Click for story) -- Mike McAllister (12:50 p.m.)
STADLER'S FAVORITE HOLE: For the second consecutive day, Kevin Stadler has holed out a shot for eagle on the par-4 4th. In the third round, he holed out from 95 yards. On Sunday, he holed out from 98 yards, leaving him at 1 over for the tournament. Coming into the tournament, there had been just 24 eagles on No. 4 at TPC Sawgrass in the history of THE PLAYERS. -- Mike McAllister (12:21 p.m.)
FINAL-ROUND RECORDS: Will somebody shoot a record-low round Sunday and walk away with THE PLAYERS title? The weather might prevent it, but here are the lowest fourth-round scores in tournament history.
| Lowest fourth round in PLAYERS history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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-- Mike McAllister (12:12 p.m.)
FEDEXCUP NOTES: Here's how a strong finish Sunday at THE PLAYERS would affect the leaders. (Click here for complete FEDEXCUP rankings):
• Paul Goydos (695 points) could make a huge jump up the points list today from 146th to 19th (127 spots iif he can close the deal . If he wins today, this would be Goydos' best ranking the FedExCup season since last year when he won the second event of the year in Hawaii and moved up to 2nd on the points list (finished last year 59th on the points list).
• Kenny Perry's 61st ranking on the points list (2.748 points) can be attributed to his one top 10, four top 25s, and 10 cuts made in his 11 starts this year. If Perry can maintain his current second place spot on the leaderboard, he'll secure himself a spot inside the top 20 on the points list.
• Sergio Garcia (1,358 points, 115th overall) is looking to make a huge jump up the rankings as he currently ranks 115th on the points list. If he can maintain or improve upon his third place ranking he has going into in the final round, he'll move up inside the top 55 on the FedExCup points list. Entering THE PLAYERS last year, Garcia ranked 36th on the points list and his second place finish at this event in 2007 moved him up to 12th.
• In great position this year thanks to his runner-up at the Northern Trust Open to Phil Mickelson, Jeff Quinney (4,287 points) is looking to move inside the all-important top 30 on the points list by day's end with a strong finish.
• If Phil Mickelson (10,571 points, second overall) successfully defends his title, he can't take the No. 1 spot from Tiger Woods just yet, but he's moving closer and closer. A win would give Phil 15,071 points, which would be 2,764 points behind the No. 1 spot.
• Greg Kraft (2,524 points, 69th overall) is looking for another strong finish to add to his win earlier this year at the Puerto Rico Open, which vaulted him from 136th to 33rd on the points list at the time. If Kraft can improve upon or maintain his current T7 ranking, he could potentially move inside the top 50 on the points list.
• Tom Lehman (760 points) needs a strong finish today as he currently ranks 141st on the points list. If Lehman can maintain or improve upon his current T7th spot, he'll move to at least 108th on the points list. -- PGA TOUR staff (11:59 a.m.)
WEATHER UPDATE: It appears that the weather could be a bit interesting today. According to Meteorlogix, a strong squall line north of Jacksonville will pass close enough for scattered thunderstorms to develop, followed by a cold front in the late afternoon/early evening.
As if that wasn't enough, the leaders certainly will have to deal with windy conditions this afternoon. Winds are expected to reach 20-25 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph.
Bottom line: The players could be in for one wild ride. -- Mike McAllister (11:45 a.m.)
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