With this week marking the 50th anniversary of the prestigious Players Championship, we take a look back at our top five favourite moments from the tournament that is often referred to as the game’s fifth Major Championship.
Better than most
Arguably Tiger Woods’ most replayed shot of all time, bar his miraculous chip-in at the 2006 Masters Tournament, is his iconic “better than most” putt at TPC Sawgrass’ 17th. The 15-time Major champion faced a 60-foot, downhill, triple-breaker from the back fringe of the island green for a birdie that few would have been expecting him to make.
The then World No.1 started his ball to the right of the hole before it drifted left down the slope and then turned sharply right before finding the right edge of the cup and dropping in, all this accompanied by three calls of “better than most” from Gary Koch in the commentary box. The shot coupled with Koch’s commentary ensured it would be remembered for an eternity. Woods went on to win the tournament by one stroke, which would be the first of two trophies at the prestigious tournament.
Albatross soars for Rafa
Dubai resident Rafa Cabrera Bello etched his name into the history books in 2017 after becoming the first player to make an albatross at the 16th in the tournament’s history. The Spaniard’s drive narrowly missed the fairway but didn’t stop him taking a bold line with his second shot in an attempt to find the green in two, as he took aim at the flag from 181 yards.
The approach took a big hop forward from just past a pot bunker and ran through the fringe, onto the green and straight into the cup for a spectacular albatross. Brooks Kopeka repeated the feat a year later en route to his final round 63, tying the then tournament low round record.
Pate goes for a swim
Jerry Pate’s pin point precision on the 72nd hole was basically perfection, but it’s his celebration following his eighth PGA Tour victory in 1982 that still lives long in the memory. After securing the first Players Championship to be held at TPC Sawgrass, Pate threw PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman and course designer Pete Dye into the lake beside the 18th green before swan diving into the lake himself!
62 is the magic number
After narrowly scraping into the weekend at last year’s Players Championship after rounds of 78-68, not many people would have had Tom Hoge’s named down to create history on Saturday. But the American did just, carding 10 birdies and no bogeys to post a course record 62 to move 57 places up the leaderboard. The 34-year-old made five birdies on each nine and closed with birdies on the last two holes, including one from 10 feet on the ninth hole, his 18th of the day.
“I didn't even know it was a course record until after we got done in the scoring there,” said Hoge. “Today was going to be the day to do it if you were going to out here because it was soft with little wind, so you felt like you could make birdies and keep trying to make birdies. So just felt fortunate and tried to take advantage of it the best I could.”
Be the right club!
Arriving onto the 18th with a one-stroke lead over Tiger Woods in 2000, Hal Sutton produced one of the greatest shots at The Players Championship along with one of the greatest quotes. After Tiger missed the green with his approach, Sutton launched a six-iron from 179 yards with a tight little swing before raising his head to see the ball heading directly to the pin, and exclaimed: “Be the right club today!” The ball dropped eight feet from the pin and Sutton would go on to two-putt for a one shot victory.
