THE PLAYERS playoff was sudden drowning

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- I have always hated the term sudden death. One of broadcasting's greats a long time ago decided that it should be called sudden victory, but that never took off. Perhaps it wasn't dramatic enough. But the fact of the matter is that Paul Goydos didn't expire after running second at THE PLAYERS Championship to Sergio Garcia. As a matter of fact, he was rewarded with more money than you and I will make in the next decade. OK, more than I will make; your finances are your business.

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Paul Goydos congratulates Sergio Garcia after losing to him in the playoff on No. 17.

But the question of whether the playoff between Sergio and Paul was befitting the title at stake arose at dinner on Sunday evening. Both players had raised their games to a previously unforeseen level that day. For either, it would have been the biggest victory of his career. So should THE PLAYERS be decided by one swing of a short iron after so much drama and excitement through 72 holes? The answer simply is, yes.

I came to this conclusion after some debate during much of which I was on the other side. The USGA has taken some heat lately for the 18-hole playoff that decides the U.S. Open champion. That playoff takes place on Monday when most of the golf world is distracted by their real lives. Consequently, some of the drama is diminished. The PGA of America and R&A have adopted short-form, aggregate playoffs that allow the conclusion on Sunday evening. The PGA Championship's is three holes while the British Open's is four -- both reverting to sudden death if the players are tied at the conclusion of the prescribed number of extra holes. The Masters still has sudden death, but it starts on a par 4.

The golf purists likely say that the USGA creates the best atmosphere for an equitable winner of its national championship, but that it is more often than not anticlimactic. But the golf purist certainly has to agree that there is no more exciting theater in all of golf than the 17th at the TPC Sawgrass. So many heartbreaks come to mind when you think back over the storied history of this event.

Sergio, Paul and Jeff Quinney, who finished third, all managed to find the green and make par on the 71st hole of regulation. This is a feat that deserves recognition -- especially considering that the hole was playing with a crosswind that would have rerouted traffic at the airport. So many players have said that the tee shot on Pete Dye's signature hole is the most demanding that they hit all year. For that reason alone, it makes it the perfect playoff hole.

Paul went first in the playoff and hit his ball in the water. Even after that miscue, though, it was not a forgone conclusion that Sergio would hit the green -- a fact that both players later acknowledged. And, oh, by the way, neither said that the playoff should have started anywhere else. This playoff and the fact that it was the first to start at the 17th hole adds to the uniqueness of THE PLAYERS.

You probably heard that Paul Goydos was the first -- and last -- player to douse his ball in the water on No. 17 this week. On the other hand, Sergio managed to keep five tee shots dry, although he still played the hole in 3 over. Don't let the naysayers try to convince you that this playoff should have been anything other than what it was. Both Paul and Sergio wanted that stage. It turned out that the guy who led the field in greens in regulation for the week hit one more brilliant iron shot to win THE PLAYERS. Should there be a par-3 playoff every week? Of course not. However, maybe in the future we can call the playoff at THE PLAYERS sudden drowning.