Wednesday 11 March 2020 08:09, UK
The Players Championship has served up some thrilling finishes at TPC Sawgrass over the years and here we take a look at six of the best of them this century.
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Rickie Fowler claimed the second PGA Tour victory of his career after producing a remarkable finish to his final round and then prevailing following the first three-hole aggregate play-off in the tournament's history.
Fowler, then 26, was tied for second at the halfway stage but dropped off the pace following a 71 in the third round.
He was still five behind the pace-setting Sergio Garcia after 12 holes in the final round, but suddenly clicked into top gear with birdies at the 13th and 15th, followed by a sensational eagle at the 16th.
Fowler was not finished and the roars were echoing around the course once more as he birdied the iconic par-three 17th and then the 18th for a five-under 67 which left him alongside Garcia and Kevin Kisner, who both birdied the 16th and 17th, on 12 under.
The play-off took place over the 16th, 17th and 18th with Fowler and Kisner each birdieing the 17th, the tie taking them back to the 17th for sudden death.
Fowler then produced more magic with a tee shot to seven feet to set up a winning birdie, the fifth time in six attempts he had birdied the 17th during the week.
Martin Kaymer took control of the tournament with a nine-under 63 in the opening round and the title appeared to be the German's for the taking over the next two days as he added scores of 69 and 72.
He was three clear on the Sunday afternoon when a 90-minute rain delay gave him some unwanted thinking time as Jim Furyk applied the pressure on his way to compiling a closing 66.
Kaymer double-bogeyed the par-four 15th after returning to the course before scraping a par at the 16th.
The 17th then conjured up its usual dramatic moment as Kaymer's tee shot almost spun back into the water, from where he left his chip around 27 feet short.
However, as darkness fell, he managed to salvage the situation by holing his par putt and then held his nerve for another par at the last as the lights flickered around the green.
Kaymer's closing 71 left him one clear of Furyk on 13-under 275. "The belief is always there," said the then-29-year-old.
Sergio Garcia, then aged 28, claimed the biggest win of his career at the time with the decisive action taking place at the 17th where the Spaniard triumphed following a play-off with American Paul Goydos.
Goydos had led by one going into the final round but struggled in the windy conditions and a bogey at the 18th, when he missed a 15-foot par putt, left him tied with Garcia (71) on five under.
The pair then returned to the par-three 17th on the Stadium Course and the wind again took its toll on Goydos as his tee shot splashed into the water, leaving Garcia to safely negotiate the hole in par for the victory.
Garcia had started the final round three behind Goydos but coped well with the wind, unlike Kenny Perry who began only one off the lead but tumbled down the leaderboard after a nine-over 81.
Adam Scott made a winning debut at TPC Sawgrass at the age of 23 but only after giving the trophy engraver a massive late shock.
The Australian started the final round two clear of the field and maintained plenty of daylight between himself and his rivals as he confidently negotiated his way around the course, at least until the 18th hole.
Irishman Padraig Harrington had emerged from the pack as Scott's chief pursuer when he gained five shots over the closing five holes, including an eagle at the 16th, to storm to 11 under.
Scott was still two clear of Harrington, though, as he played the par-four 18th only to pull his second shot way left into the water.
"A chip and a putt and we're done," Scott told his caddie, and he duly did that, knocking a wedge to 10 feet and holing the putt for a 70 to finish on 12-under 276 and one ahead of Harrington.
As golfing shocks go, the victory of New Zealander Craig Perks is right up there, the 35-year-old producing a quite remarkable finish to snatch his only career win.
Perks, who started the week ranked 203 in the world, put himself in contention with rounds of 71, 68 and 69 to sit one behind leader Craig Paulson going into the final round.
He played steadily as Paulson's challenge faded and was one ahead when he birdied the 13th, but the pressure looked to be getting to him when he made back-to-back bogeys at the 14th and 15th.
However, instead of slumping further down the leaderboard, Perks suddenly found the form of his life as he chipped in for an eagle at the par-five 16th before holing a 28-foot birdie putt at the 17th.
He then looked in trouble at the 18th after failing to get on the green in three, but amazingly he chipped in once again for a par and a level-par 72 which kept him two clear of Stephen Ames, who had mounted a late charge with a 67, on eight-under 280.
"I didn't expect to win. Fate could be the reason," said Perks.
Hal Sutton followed up his 1983 success in the tournament with a victory that stood out for two reasons, the manner in which he held off Tiger Woods and his own memorable commentary on the final hole.
Sutton, then 41, led for the first three rounds thanks to successive 69s but Woods, then in his pomp, was only one behind going into the final round, which was suspended on Sunday evening with the pair on the 12th hole.
They returned to the course on Monday morning when Woods ate into Sutton's four-shot advantage with a birdie at the 13th and an eagle at the 16th.
Sutton refused to buckle and held his nerve with pars at the 17th and 18th, the latter following a fine approach shot with a six-iron from 179 yards, with Sutton urging his ball on as the on-course microphone picked up him shouting: "Be the right club, be the right club today."
Both players finished with one-under 71s, Sutton winning by one on 10-under 278.
Watch the Players Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports' dedicated channel - Sky Sports The Players. Live coverage continues with the preview show on Wednesday from 1pm.
