The PLAYERS Championship tees off on Thursday from TPC Sawgrass with Jason Day seeking to defend his title against the some of the biggest names in the game.
Dating back to 1974 when Jack Nicklaus won at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia, THE PLAYERS has a long and storied history.
Here are 10 interesting numbers/statistics from past PLAYERS tournaments.
0 Bogey-Free Tournaments
No player has gone all four rounds without a bogey at THE PLAYERS Championship. Greg Norman came the closest in 1994 with a single bogey in the final round on No. 13. He posted the tournament 72-hole record that year, 24-under 264.
2 Albatrosses
Only two albatrosses have been recorded in the history of THE PLAYERS, and they came in back-to-back rounds. In 2007, Hunter Mahan made a 2 at the par-5 11th hole in round two before Peter Lonard duplicated the feat at the second hole in round three.
3 Week Before Winners
Three players have won the week before, and the week of, THE PLAYERS: Raymond Floyd – 1981 Doral Eastern Open, Tom Kite – 1989 Arnold Palmer Invitational, and Tiger Woods – 2001 Arnold Palmer Invitational. With a win this week at TPC Sawgrass, Brian Harman, who won last week’s Wells Fargo Championship, would become the fourth.
3 First Time Winners
Other than Jack Nicklaus, who won THE PLAYERS in its inaugural year in 1974, only Hal Sutton (1983) and Craig Perks (2002) have won the event in their first appearance.
4 Sub-30 Nine Hole Scores
Prior to the 2016 tournament, no player had recorded a sub-30 score on the back nine at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course. Three players achieved the feat in 2016: Shane Lowry (first round), Rory McIlroy (second round) and Kevin Chappell (second round). Martin Kaymer, with a 7-under 29, remains the only player with a sub-30 score on the front nine (first round).
5 Wire-to-Wire Winners
There have been five wire-to-wire winners in PLAYERS history: Al Geiberger (1975), Greg Norman (1994), Steve Elkington (1997), Hal Sutton (2000) and Jason Day (2016).
6 Multiple Winners
Tiger Woods (2001, 2013), Davis Love III (2003, 1992), Steve Elkington (1991, 1997), Hal Sutton (1983, 2000), Fred Couples (1984, 1996) and Jack Nicklaus (1974, 1976 and 1978) are players with multiple wins at THE PLAYERS Championship.
23 years, 8 months, 12 days: Youngest Winner
In 2004, Adam Scott won THE PLAYERS at 23 years, 8 months, 12 days, to become the youngest champion at TPC Sawgrass.
48 years, 9 months, 14 days: Oldest Winner
The very next year, in 2005, Fred Funk, at 48 years, 9 months and 14 days, became the oldest to win the tournament.
70.14: Best Scoring Average
The best scoring average (8 rounds minimum) at TPC Sawgrass belongs to Justin Thomas with 70.13. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama with 70.33 is next best. Thomas and Matsuyama battled each other for the top spot in the FedExCup standings for the early part of the season until Dustin Johnson took over the No. 1 position after winning the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
Credit: PGA Tour
