PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. The move back to March for The Players brings some new and interesting things to watch for from home. Heres a rundown of course changes, strategic moments and what to keep an eye on at the Pete Dye-designed TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course.1. Lush green colors. The move from May makes all the difference with southern grasses and means the championship will be played on overseeded ryegrass rather than on indigenous Bermuda grass the prevailing playing surface when the event was played from 2007-2018. The emerald green course looks lusher than the previous Bermuda grass and entails more consistent density throughout the course.The rough cut at 2 inches isnt overly punitive, but the combination of wet weather and the need to keep the ryegrass watered means the course will be lusher, softer and more forgiving than before. The course will play much longer, though will also be more receptive. That means more drives will stay in the fairway and more approach shots will stay on greens.
2. Cooler, windier weather. The shift in season, from mid-spring to late winter, also brings cooler temperatures and more volatile wind conditions. That means the ball wont travel as far in the air, and players will be dealing with tougher weather. Thats especially the case as the forecast calls for the winds swinging from the north/northeast the first two days to westerly and southern winds on the weekend. With three par-5s (Nos. 2, 11 and 16) playing in a southerly orientation, that means more birdie opportunities early and more trouble at the end, with the 17th and 18th holes playing straight into the breeze.
Full-field tee times from the The Players ChampionshipThe Players Championship: Articles, photos and videos
3. Drivable par-4 12th hole. At 302 yards, this slight dogleg left should be within reach off the tee for many in the field. Since the current version of the hole debuted in 2017, players have been reluctant to go for the green because a steep slope left of the perched putting surface fedballs directly into a lateral pond. Tired of watching nearly every player lay up short left, course officials this year introduced a saving buffer alongside the water in the form of a thin strip of heavy rough. Its enough of a collar to keep balls that run along the ground from tumbling into the hazard. Drives that land on the side slope will still kick in, but the small margin of support introduced this year will give more players the confidence to play boldly off the tee with a driver.
4. Mind games. A characteristic of the golf course is the way Dyes design wreaks havoc with the most fragile piece of equipment in any PGA Tour players golf bag his brain.Two examples:On the 558-yard, par-5 11th hole, the shortest path to the green involves play down the left side, alongside and across a huge side bunker on the inside left. Its a hard angle to discern off the tee, one made more difficult because a gentle slope to the left in the fairway steers the ground roll towardthe sand.At the famous 137-yard, par-3 17th hole, Dye extended the right side of the green beyond a front pot bunker so players are viewing that section of the putting surface. It makes the water even more obvious as a threat, never more so than on Sunday, when the traditional hole location (way back right) means a player seeking a close iron shot has to start the ball to the right over the water. Add the wind and the shot becomes far more vexing than is normally the case when hitting a short iron to a 4,100 square foot green.All of this makes for a more diverse, more interesting golf course than was the case when the event was held in May for the past dozen years.Bradley S. Klein is senior writer with Golf Channel and writes regularly for GolfAdvisor.com.
I mean, listen to Scott Piercy. He's winning the tournament but even he is just a day removed from Shinnecock nearly driving him to madness. "I was skanking it," he said of Wednesday's practice round.
Golf: "Skanking it" on U.S. Open eve, Piercy shares lead
So did the experiment in cost-cutting work? In a nutshell, yes. There were some rough edges. At first, it was disconcerting to see guys lining up putts on the green without any sound.
Zach Johnson - Wikipedia
Tuesday's storm damages trees, leaving debris on roads around
LA QUINTA, Calif. - Jon Rahm will need another final-round comeback if he wants to win the Desert Classic for a second consecutive year. Rahm shot 68 at PGA West's Stadium Course on Saturday.
2019 Farmers Insurance Open Betting Odds - Is Jon Rahm a Lock
Report: Renovations approved for new Houston Open site The city of Houston has approved a multi-million dollar renovation project for Memorial Park Golf Course, which could host the Houston Open
Report: Renovations approved for new Houston Open site
— Edoardo Molinari (@DodoMolinari) September 29, 2018. To be fair to Reed, he went 3-1 as a Ryder Cup rookie playing abroad at Gleneagles in 2014. And would any American have had a chance against MOLIWOOD this week? — AM. Biggest X-factor: Captain's picks
Ryder Cup 2018: What you missed from Day 2 at Le Golf
Heading into next week's Tour Championship, he sits third in the FedExCup standings, a win away from the $10 million windfall - a fortune that his family never could have imagined 15 years ago. In Paris, Tony will once again be able to prove himself on a world stage, but for Kelepi, seeing his son in a U.S. team uniform, the moment will be
Golf: Bradley beats Rose in playoff to win BMW Championship
Equally impressive and unsettling. BUBBA FEELING BLUE. Watson, who was under the weather during and after his Tuesday round, stepped to the mic for his press conference wearing a bright blue glove
Ryder Cup 2018: Bubba Watson, US team under the weather
Watch: Shinnecock's 18th green is so slick, and it's Monday
Stenson makes scary promise if he retains claret jug
Doc Redman miraculously wins 2017 U.S. Amateur over Doug Ghim It's all over at Riviera and the Clemson Tiger sophomore is your champ. by Kyle Porter
Redman outlasts Ghim in 37 holes to win U.S. Amateur
After three years and just 16 worldwide starts together, Tiger Woods has split with swing coach Chris Como. Woods announced the news via Twitter on Friday following his return to competition
Woods splits with swing coach Como | News - Times of India
0 Comments