Players Championship Preview 2018

THE PLAYERS Championship Preview 2018

Dates: May 8-13, 2018
Where: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Course: THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass
36-36—par 72/7,189 yards
Field size: 144
2017 champion: Si Woo Kim
Purse: $11,000,000 ($1,980,000/winner) FedExCup: 600 points to the winner Format: 72-hole stroke play
Twitter: @THEPLAYERSChamp

 

A look back at THE PLAYERS 2017

Final Leaderboard

1. Si Woo Kim                                              69-72-68-69—278 (-10)
2. Ian Poulter                                               72-67-71-71—281 (-7)
3. Louis Oosthuizen                                    69-66-73-73—281 (-7)
4. Rafa Cabrera Bello                                  69-70-73-70—282 (-6)
5. Kyle Stanley                                            69-66-72-75—282 (-6)

Si Woo Kim’s winning 278 tournament total was the highest at THE PLAYERS since Sergio Garcia won in 2008 (283).

 

2017 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP Winner Si Woo Kim

• After beginning the final round two strokes off the lead, Si Woo Kim posted the only bogey-free round of the day with a 3-under 69 for a three-shot win at THE PLAYERS.
• Kim became the youngest winner of THE PLAYERS in history at age 21 years, 10 months, 16 days.
• It marked his second career PGA TOUR title in only his 61st career start. He was the first tournament champion to play the final round bogey free since Tim Clark in 2010
• With his victory at THE PLAYERS, Kim became the first player from Asia to win twice on the PGA TOUR before the age of 22.
• Kim became the fourth youngest to win twice on the PGA TOUR in the last 25 years, trailing only Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Jordan Spieth.
• Became the 15th different international player to win THE PLAYERS and joined K.J. Choi (2011) as the only players from South Korea to win.
• Kim ranked second in SG: Off-the-Tee during his victory, outperforming the field by +1.363 strokes per round. His performance off the tee was the best by a champion of THE PLAYERS since 2004.
• During his victory, Kim led the field in scrambling (81.48%). The field average was 51.26%. Kim also led the field in par-4 scoring average (3.83).
• In 16 starts this season, Kim has posted four top-10s with a playoff loss at the RBC Heritage and a solo- third at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba as his two best finishes.
• Kim will look to supplant THE PLAYERS 2004 champion Adam Scott as the last tournament champion to post a top-10 finish (T8) while attempting to successfully defend his title.
• Here’s a look at how recent past champions have performed while defending their titles at TPC Sawgrass:

 

Year	Winner	Result While Defending
2017	Si Woo Kim	–
2016	Jason Day	T60
2015	Rickie Fowler	MC
2014	Martin Kaymer	T56
2013	Tiger Woods	DNP
2012	Matt Kuchar	T48
2011	K.J. Choi	MC
2010	Tim Clark	WD
2009	Henrik Stenson	MC
2008	Sergio Garcia	T22
2007	Phil Mickelson	T21
2006	Stephen Ames	MC
2005	Fred Funk	T16
2004	Adam Scott	T8

 

• No player has ever successfully defended his title at THE PLAYERS Championship, with Nick Price’s fifth-place effort in 1994 the best finish for a defending champion.

 

A look at the field

• 10 past champions: Si Woo Kim (2017), Jason Day (2016), Rickie Fowler (2015), Martin Kaymer (2014), Tiger Woods (2013, 2001), Matt Kuchar (2012), Henrik Stenson (2009), Sergio Garcia (2008), Phil Mickelson (2007), Adam Scott (2004).
• 50 of the top 50 in the FedExCup standings.
• 50 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. THE PLAYERS 2018 is the first time each of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking have been in the field at an event since the 2016 U.S. Open.
• A total of 20 first-time participants.
• All winners on the PGA TOUR since THE PLAYERS last year will be at TPC Sawgrass
• Of the 144-player field, 49 are from outside the United States.
• Scott McCarron (52) is the oldest player in the field after earning an exemption for winning the 2017 Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. This will be McCarron’s 14th start in THE PLAYERS but his first since 2010. McCarron has not advanced to the weekend at THE PLAYERS since 2004, where he finished T53. Mark O’Meara holds the best finish by a player who earned a spot via the PGA TOUR Champions victory, finishing 74th in 2011.
• Qualified for THE PLAYERS, but not competing are: Graham DeLaet, Morgan Hoffmann, Jim Herman, Brandon Hagy, Luke Donald, Camilo Villegas and Seung Yul Noh.

 

The best field in golf descends on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, with 50 of the top 50 in the FedExCup standings present

• THE PLAYERS Championship marks the 28th event of the PGA TOUR Season, with 16 tournaments remaining to qualify for the four-tournament FedExCup Playoffs, culminating at the TOUR Championship in late September.
• Leading the FedExCup standings is Justin Thomas, the reigning FedExCup champion, who claimed the lead in the FedExCup standings after his victory at The Honda Classic following an earlier win at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. Thomas holds a 389-point lead over Jason Day heading into THE PLAYERS, where the winner will earn 600 FedExCup points.

 

Additional player notes

Tiger Woods

• Making his 18th appearance at THE PLAYERS, where he’s posted two victories (2001, 2013), one runner-up (2000) and two additional top-10s.
• Last start at THE PLAYERS came in 2015, with a T69 finish. Woods was unable to defend his 2013 PLAYERS victory in 2014 due to a back injury.
• Second all-time in career earnings ($4,421,241.90) at THE PLAYERS behind only Sergio Garcia.
• Woods is one of six multiple winners of the event. Jack Nicklaus, Steve Elkington, Hal Sutton, Fred Couples, and Davis Love III each have won multiple titles at THE PLAYERS. With a victory, Woods would tie Jack Nicklaus for the most victories at THE PLAYERS, with three.
• Woods’ 13 consecutive made cuts at THE PLAYERS is the second-most consecutive cuts made in THE PLAYERS history.
• The 79-time PGA TOUR winner is in search of his first victory since the 2013 W orld Golf Championships- Bridgestone Invitational.
• In seven starts this season, Woods has posted two top-five finishes including a season-best T2 at the Valspar Championship, where he finished one shot short of a playoff with Paul Casey. He is currently 54th in the FedExCup standings and has already locked up a return to the FedExCup Playoffs.

Sergio Garcia

• Became only the eighth player in tournament history to record a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th (2017/R1).
• It was the second consecutive year an ace had been recorded on the 17th after Willy Wilcox in the second round in 2016. An ace on the 17th had never been recorded in back-to-back years before Garcia’s in 2017.
• THE PLAYERS 2008 champion holds the longest active consecutive cuts made streak with 14 (tied with Brad Faxon) dating to 2004 (T53). Tom Kite holds the record for most cuts made at 23.
• With $5,319,153, Garcia has earned the most money of any player at THE PLAYERS Championship.
• In 18 previous starts at THE PLAYERS, Garcia has a victory (2008) and five additional top-10 finishes in 2002 (T4), 2007 (2), 2013 (T8), 2014 (3) and 2015 (T2). Garcia is seeking to become the seventh player to win THE PLAYERS more than once—Jack Nicklaus (3), Fred Couples (2), Davis Love III (2), Hal Sutton (2), Steve Elkington (2) and Tiger Woods (2).
• Ranks second in tournament history for most rounds in the 60s with 20.
• In seven starts on the PGA TOUR this season, Garcia has three top-10s and three missed cuts. The 10-time PGA TOUR winner won his 21st international title in January with a win at the SMBC Singapore Open, where he held off recent PGA TOUR winner Satoshi Kodaira.

Justin Thomas

• Thomas has made the cut in each of his three starts at THE PLAYERS, with a career-best T3 in 2016.
• In his first year on the PGA TOUR and his first start at THE PLAYERS in 2015, Thomas fired 10 birdies in his third round to establish the record for the most birdies in a single round at THE PLAYERS, which Colt Knost matched during the second round in 2016.
• In 11 rounds at THE PLAYERS, Thomas has recorded two rounds of 7-under 65 – third round in 2015 and final round in 2016 – and holds the sixth-lowest career scoring average at TPC Sawgrass (minimum of eight rounds) at 71.27.
• Thomas, the 2017 FedExCup champion, sits at No. 1 in the FedExCup standings. Thomas is looking to become the first player in PGA TOUR history to repeat as FedExCup champion.
• In 12 starts this season, Thomas has recorded two wins – THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES and The Honda Classic – and three additional top-10s, including a playoff loss to Phil Mickelson at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship.

Jason Day

• Day joined Patton Kizzire, Justin Thomas, and Bubba Watson as the only multiple winners on the PGA TOUR this season with a two-shot victory at the Wells Fargo Championship to No. 2 in the FedExCup standings.
• Day, THE PLAYERS 2016 champion, has made seven career starts at TPC Sawgrass with a victory (2016), T60 (2017), T19 (2013), T6 (2011) and three missed cuts.
• Day’s 63-66—129 (-15) in 2016 is the lowest first 36 holes in tournament history.
• Held a four-shot lead after 36 holes in 2016, which is the most in tournament history.
• In his victory in 2016, Day didn’t make a bogey on the back nine the entire week. He’s the only past champion since 2003 to make it through the week without a bogey on the back nine at TPC Sawgrass.
• Day was the first champion to average over 300 yards in driving distance (311.6) in his win in 2016.
• With a first-round 9-under 63 to open his 2016 victory, Dayis one of six players in tournament history to shoot 63, including Fred Couples (1992), Greg Norman (1994), Roberto Castro (2013), Martin Kaymer (2014) and Colt Knost (2016).
• Closed with a final round 80 in 2017, his second-highest round at TPC Sawgrass (2015/81/R2/MC).
• At the Farmers Insurance Open in January, Day outlasted Alex Noren in a six-hole playoff for his first win since THE PLAYERS in 2016. With two wins this season, Day has 12 career PGA TOUR victories.
• In nine starts this season, Day has made all nine cuts, with two victories and a runner-up.
• Day leads the TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting and Sand Saves Percentage.

Rory McIlroy

• THE PLAYERS will be McIlroy’s seventh start this season, with the 29-year-old posting his 14th career PGA TOUR victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in March.
• The 2016 FedExCup champion will make his ninth appearance at THE PLAYERS. After missing the cut in his first three starts at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy posted three consecutive top-10s in his next three starts (T8-2013, T6-2014, T8-2015) before a T12 in 2016 and T35 in 2017.
• In eight starts this season on TOUR, McIlroy has one victory and a T5 at the Masters Tournament, where he played in the final group but stumbled with a 2-over 74 in the final round.

Jordan Spieth

• In 11 starts this season, Spieth has four top-10s, including a season-best solo-third at the Masters Tournament and a T3 at the Houston Open.
• The 11-time PGA TOUR winner and 2015 FedExCup champion won three times during the 2016-17 season, including the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Travelers Championship and The Open Championship.
• After finishing T4 in his tournament debut in 2014, Spieth has missed the cut in each of his last three starts at TPC Sawgrass.
• Spieth finished T2 in the Junior PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass in 2010.
• Spieth leads the TOUR in scrambling (70.12%) and is third in greens in regulation (71.53%).

Phil Mickelson

• 43-time PGA TOUR winner Phil Mickelson will make his 25th appearance at THE PLAYERS. Jay Haas has the most starts with 29.
• Mickelson won THE PLAYERS in 2007 in its inaugural showing in May and owns two additional top-10s at TPC Sawgrass (T3/2004, T8/1998). Prior to a T41 finish in 2017, he had missed the cut in his last four appearances.
• Mickelson has 16 made cuts, eight top-25 finishes including three top-10 finishes and ranks fifth in all- time career earnings at THE PLAYERS ($2,900,485.65).
• For the first time in nearly five years, Mickelson won on the PGA TOUR after defeating Justin Thomas on the first playoff hole at the WGC-Mexico Championship. In 12 starts this season, Mickelson has a win and five additional top-six finishes. He is currently third in the FedExCup standings.

Justin Rose

• Rose has made 14 starts at THE PLAYERS with just one top-10 (T4/2014).
• The eight-time PGA TOUR winner has posted a victory in seven of the last nine seasons.
• Rose has made eight starts on TOUR this season with eight made cuts, including three top-10s and a victory in his season debut, the WGC-HSBC Champions
• Rose is looking to become the first player from England to win THE PLAYERS.
• Currently ranked No. 11 in the FedExCup standings.

Rickie Fowler

• In eight starts at THE PLAYERS, Rickie Fowler has finished T60 (2017), 1st (2015), T2 (2012), T77 (2014) and missed four cuts.
• During his victory in 2015, Fowler played the 17th hole six times, including two playoff holes, and recorded five birdies on those six attempts. He birdied No. 17 in rounds 1, 2 and 4 of regulation play. He also played the final four holes in birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie to force the playoff, the best finishing stretch in tournament history.
• In 2015, Fowler was the 29th player from the United States to win the event and the most recent American winner at TPC Sawgrass.
• Currently ranked No. 18 in the FedExCup standings.

Patrick Reed

• The six-time PGA TOUR winner earned his first major championship victory in April with a one-shot win over Rickie Fowler at the Masters Tournament.
• Reed is making his fifth appearance at THE PLAYERS, with two prior top-25s (T22 in 2017 and T24 in 2015) and two missed cuts.
• In 15 starts this season, Reed has made 10 cuts, with a victory, T2 at the Valspar Championship and four additional top-10s. He is currently ranked fifth in the FedExCup standings.

Henrik Stenson

• This year marks THE PLAYERS 2009 champion’s 13th appearance at the tournament, with one victory and three additional top-10s.
• In six starts on the PGA TOUR this season, Stenson has four top-10s with a season-best T2 at the WGC-HSBC Champions.
• He is one of only two players to win THE PLAYERS (2009) and the FedExCup (2013), joining Tiger Woods (THE PLAYERS champion in 2001, 2013; FedExCup champion in 2007, 2009).
• En route to his 2009 victory, Stenson came from five shots back in the final round, tying Justin Leonard for the largest 54-hole comeback at TPC Sawgrass. Raymond Floyd holds the tournament record of six strokes (1981 at Sawgrass CC).
• Stenson is leading the TOUR in driving accuracy (76.80%).

Jon Rahm

• In his first appearance at THE PLAYERS in 2017, Rahm finished T72.
• At age 23, Rahm already has two PGA TOUR victories and three worldwide victories. In 10 starts this season on the PGA TOUR, Rahm won the CareerBuilder Challenge, finished runner-up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and finished solo-fourth at the Masters Tournament.
• The Spaniard recently won the Spanish Open in April with a two-shot victory. Rahm is looking to join Sergio Garcia (2008) as the only Spaniards to win THE PLAYERS.
• Currently ranked No. 8 in the FedExCup standings.

Ian Poulter

• Ian Poulter posted his second runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS in 2017 to become the eighth player in tournament history with two second-place finishes.
• Posted his third career PGA TOUR victory at the Houston Open in April, his first victory on TOUR since the WGC-HSBC Champions in 2012.
• In 11 starts on the PGA TOUR this season, Poulter has made nine cuts with a victory and two additional top-10s. He is currently ranked No. 25 in the FedExCup standings.
• Poulter is looking to become the first England native to win THE PLAYERS.

Kyle Stanley

• Became only the second player in tournament history to birdie No. 17 all four rounds in a single tournament in 2017, joining Paul Azinger in 1987.
• Owned a share of the 54-hole lead in 2017 but closed with 3-over 75 to finish T4.

 

First-time participants at THE PLAYERS

• The list of 20 first-time participants at THE PLAYERS this year is impressive, with 2017 TOUR Championship winner Xander Schauffele making his debut at THE PLAYERS after finishing third in the FedExCup standings as a rookie last year.
• Joining Schauffele will be three of this season’s PGA TOUR winners: Austin Cook, Satoshi Kodaira and Andrew Landry.
• A couple of additional international players, including Haotong Li (China) and Alexander Levy (France), will also make their first appearances at THE PLAYERS.
• Others at TPC Sawgrass to compete for the first time include Bryson DeChambeau, Ryan Blaum, Whee Kim, C.T. Pan, Dominic Bozzelli, Kelly Kraft, Kevin Tway, Ollie Schniederjans, J.J. Spaun, Richy Werenski, Trey Mullinax, Beau Hossler, Brandon Harkins and Tom Hoge.

Xander Schauffele

• Schauffele, 24, earned his first trip to THE PLAYERS after winning both The Greenbrier Classic and TOUR Championship a year ago to become the first rookie since Keegan Bradley in 2011 to win twice in his rookie season. The former San Diego State Aztec was the first rookie since the TOUR Championship began in 1987 to win the season finale. That victory helped him to a third-place finish in the 2017 FedExCup.
• In 14 starts on TOUR this season, Schauffele has made 13 cuts with a season-best T3 at the CIMB Classic. He is currently ranked 53rd in the FedExCup standings.

Bryson DeChambeau

• DeChambeau, 24, is making his first start at THE PLAYERS after winning the 2017 John Deere Classic.
• In 13 starts on the PGA TOUR this season, DeChambeau has five top-10s, including a runner-up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, a T3 finish at the RBC Heritage and a solo fourth at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship.
• The former SMU Mustang is currently 17th in the FedExCup standings.
• Prior to turning professional, DeChambeau became only the fifth player in history to win the NCAA Championship and U.S. Amateur in the same year (2015), joining Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Ryan Moore.

 

Jacksonville area well represented

• Jacksonville resident and 2014 FedExCup champion Billy Horschel posted his fifth PGA TOUR victory in April with a win at the Zurich Classic of New orleanswith partner Scott Piercy. Horschel will be among several area residents seeking to join three who have already claimed THE PLAYERS title– Mark McCumber (1988), David Duval (1999) and Fred Funk (2005).
• Others with local ties include former PGA TOUR winners Cameron Smith, Jonas Blixt, David Lingmerth and Russell Knox. Jacksonville Beach resident Ryan Blaum will also be making his first appearance in THE PLAYERS.
• Bud Cauley, who grew up in Jacksonville but now lives in Jupiter, is also in the field.

Miscellaneous tournament stats

• The 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass was the second toughest hole on the PGA TOUR schedule during the 2016-2017 season, playing to a stroke average of 4.486. In 2017, there were more double bogeys or worse (57 in total) than birdies (37) at the 18th hole.
• The eighth hole was the second toughest par 3 on the PGA TOUR schedule a season ago, playing to a stroke average of 3.314
• The best scoring average (eight rounds minimum) at TPC Sawgrass belongs to Si Woo Kim with 70.25. Italy’s Francesco Molinari with 70.68 is next best.
• Each of the last two champions – Si Woo Kim and Jason Day – have led the field in both scrambling and par-4 scoring average. Eight of the last nine champions have finished inside the top 10 in scrambling.
• Only three albatrosses have been recorded in the history of THE PLAYERS, with the latest being Rafa Cabrera-Bello’s albatross on the 16th hole in the final round in 2017. It was the first albatross in tournament history at the 16th hole at TPC Sawgrass. The first two came in back-to-back rounds, with Hunter Mahan making a 2 at the par-5 11th hole in 2007’s second round before Peter Lonard duplicated the feat at the second hole in the third round.
• 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).
• Tiger Woods (2001, 2013), Davis Love III (1992, 2003), 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.
• With a win this week at TPC Sawgrass, Jason Day, who won last week’s Wells Fargo Championship, would become the fourth player to win 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).
• No player has gone all four rounds without a bogey at THE PLAYERS. 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.
• Since THE PLAYERS moved to the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in 1982, David Duval’s 3-under 285 in 1999 is the highest winning score.
• The 36-hole cut has been below par just twice in the last 21 showings of THE PLAYERS – 2-under 142 in 2010 and 2016.
• Americans have won THE PLAYERS just four times in the last 13 years: Rickie Fowler (2015), Tiger Woods (2013), Matt Kuchar (2012) and Fred Funk (2005). International players have won 11 of the last 16 PLAYERS Championships. A total of 15 international players have won THE PLAYERS in the 44-year history of the event.
• Fred Funk, at 48 years, 9 months and 14 days, is the oldest to win THE PLAYERS.
• The only players who have captured their first PGA TOUR win at THE PLAYERS were Craig Perks (2002) and Tim Clark (2010).
• 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.
• Adam Scott holds the record at 41 for fewest PGA TOUR starts by an eventual champion.
• Four of the last 15 champions have played the entire week without a three-putt – Tim Clark (2010), Phil Mickelson (2007), Adam Scott (2004), and Davis Love III (2003).
• Steve Elkington, the 1991 and 1997 champion, owns the largest margin of victory at THE PLAYERS with his seven-stroke victory in 1997.
• Eight of the last 14 champions have been 1st or 2nd in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green en route to victory. Each of the last five champions have ranked inside the top five respectively for Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green.
• 2010 champion Tim Clark is the only champion who has led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting en route to victory since the statistic began being recorded in 2003.
• The 13th hole at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course has had more 3-putts than any other non-major hole on TOUR since the TOUR began tracking the statistics in 2003.
• On the par-5 16th hole at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course, the reward for going for the green has been substantial over the years. Since 2003, players laying up have a scoring average of 4.96, while players going for the green have a scoring average of 4.46. In total, players laying up are -78, while players going for the green are -2,564.

 

The par-3 17th hole at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course

• There have been 26 total par 3s measuring less than 150 yards (scorecard yardage) in the last 15 years on the PGA TOUR. The par-3 17th hole on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course is one of just four with an over-par scoring average (3.12).
• The field is a combined +762 total over par in the last 15 years on the 17th hole at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course.
• During last year’s first round, Sergio Garcia aced the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass using a 52-degree wedge from 147 yards for the second hole-in-one in as many years. It was the eighth ace at No. 17 in tournament history. There have been 316 regulation play tee shots on the 17th hole since the last ace recorded by Sergio Garcia.
• The longest putt made at No. 17 is 59 feet, 9 inches, by Bernhard Langer in the second round in 2008. Since 1983, Langer has the most birdies at the 17th with 26, but he is not in the field this year.
• While the 17th green has historically been the second easiest green to hit in regulation on the course, it is the eighth toughest hole on the course. It has given up the fewest one-putts and second-most three-putts since 2003.
• The highest recorded score on No. 17 belongs to Bob Tway, who posted a 12 in the third round in 2005. Zac Blair posted the highest recorded score on 17 in 2017 with a 9.
• Over the last 15 years, there have been more total balls in the water at the Stadium Course on hole Nos. 16-18 than on the first 15 holes combined. Hole Nos. 16-18 have accounted for 1,889 balls in the water, while Nos. 1-15 have been responsible for 1,818. There have been more balls hit in the water on the 18th hole (704) than the 17th hole (703) over that time frame.
• Among the players in the field with a minimum of eight rounds on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course, Graham DeLaet, who was qualified but couldn’t compete due to injury, has gone the most rounds on the 17th hole without hitting a ball in the water, with a perfect 18/18 mark. Chez Reavie (12/12), Scott Stallings (12/12), Michael Thompson (12/12), Adam Hadwin (10/10), Robert Streb (8/8), Si Woo Kim (8/8), and Ross Fisher (8/8) have also never found the water at the 17th hole.
• Since 2003, the player with the most total balls in the water at the 17th is Aaron Baddeley, with 13. Among the players in the field this year, Phil Mickelson has hit the most balls in the water on the 17th with eight.

Here’s a list of balls in the water on the famed 17th hole since 2003:

 

Year	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Cumulative
2017	19	29	10	11	69
2016	6	9	17	4	36
2015	21	16	3	5	45
2014	12	12	1	3	28
2013	15	9	7	13	44
2012	18	11	4	6	39
2011	12	14	8	6 (in regulation)	40
2010	7	8	5	9	29
2009	16	6	4	6	32
2008	20	18	10	16 (in regulation)	64
2007	50	21	10	12	93
2006	19	17	12	9	57
2005	7	8	25	28	68
2004	9	10	4	7	30
2003	6	10	3	10	29
Total	237	198	123	145	703

 

 Morgan Stanley’s Eagles for Impact Experience

Morgan Stanley, proud partner of THE PLAYERS Championship, is teaming up with Brand Ambassador Justin Rose for year two of the Morgan Stanley Eagles for Impact Challenge. As part of the Challenge, Morgan Stanley will donate 1,500 books to Book Trust for every eagle made, with the goal of providing students around the U.S. with access to 75,000 books. Book Trust is a non-profit organization that helps remove barriers to literacy by allowing children to choose, take home and love their own books. Throughout the week, patrons can visit Morgan

Stanley’s Eagles for Impact Experience tent (located between 11 and 15 greens) to show off their skills and make an eagle in Morgan Stanley’s state-of-the-art golf simulator for a chance to win exclusive gear! Fans are able to follow along on Instagram and Twitter as eagles are made by using #EagleUp and on the Eagles for Impact landing page www.MorganStanley.com/EagleUp.

 

Via PGA TOUR