The Players Championship
THE PLAYERS Championship ( the capital letters is the official spelling) is the most lucrative event in North American professional golf tournament series PGA TOUR. Together with the Volvo World Match Play Championship is the tournament with the highest prize money ever. It is held annually in May - to 2006 in March - played on the Stadium Course of the famous Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass in northeastern Florida.
History
The first Players Championship took place in 1974 at the Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia instead. The following year they moved to the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, the following year in the Inverrary Country Club in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Starting in 1977, the tournament was finally moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida and played for the time being on the Sawgrass Country Club 's Oceanside Course. In 1982, the Stadium Course at Sawgrass Country Club was completed, we moved across the street and has been a regular guest on the short- TPC at Sawgrass -mentioned investment. Since 2007, the tournament will be postponed due to the restructuring of the PGA TOUR calendar in May and thus part of a series of monthly major events, beginning with the Masters in April, in June the U.S. Open, the Open Championship in July and the PGA Championship in August. In addition, the TPC at Sawgrass has been thoroughly revised.
Endowment and bonuses
The Players Championship, the world's highest prize money (2013 total of 9.5 million U.S. $, of which 1.71 million for the winner ) in tournament golf and are therefore referred to by the media as the " Fifth Major". Therefore, in this tournament, the whole world elite of golf is represented almost completely. The event brings, aside from the majors, the most points for the golf world rankings. In addition, the winner receives a five -year eligibility to play on the PGA TOUR, three years both invitation to Masters as well as eligibility to play at the Open Championship, and a fixed launch site for the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open in the same year.
The signature hole
The PLAYERS Championship are known for one of the most famous holes in professional golf: the 17th hole of the Stadium Course is a par 3 with about 125 meters in length. The golf fans around the world recognize it immediately as the infamous Green Iceland, an island green (that is completely surrounded by water), and the signature hole of the TPC at Sawgrass. In addition to some hole- in-one, such as Fred Couples, here already played out many dramas and results of 7 beats and more are not uncommon. This is often due sudden onset, unpredictable winds.