Tuesday 19 May 2015 13:54, UK
Rickie Fowler wasted little time in shrugging off his 'overrated' tag, while Rory McIlroy struggled on the greens and Tiger Woods ran up three sevens. Here's what we learned from TPC Sawgrass.
Fowler: From overrated to world-class
Sports Illustrated caused a huge stir at the start of Players Championship week after publishing an article claiming that Rickie Fowler and Ian Poulter were the two most overrated players on the PGA Tour.
The magazine conducted an anonymous survey of professionals on the Tour, and it was deemed that a man who finished in the top five in each major championship last season was actually not as good as his world ranking of 13 suggested.
It could be argued that Fowler's record of only one previous win in 2012 was a poor return for his talent, but - whatever the rights and wrongs of the survey - the young American answered his critics in the most emphatic and thrilling style.
In what will go down as one of the most dramatic finishes in Sawgrass history, Fowler negotiated the final six holes in just 17 blows, including a tap-in eagle at the 16th and birdies at the last two, before going on to beat Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner in a play-off.
It was not just winning the PGA Tour's flagship event against a world-class field, it was the manner of Fowler's victory which impressed. His three wedges into birdie territory at the iconic 17th within an hour will be replayed for years to come, and his putting stroke held up to the most intense pressure.
Congratulations Rickie Fowler - surely a major winner in waiting.
McIlroy's putting: Cause for concern?
Rory McIlroy hit fairway after fairway, and followed up with some solid iron play to give himself more than his fair share of birdie opportunities throughout the four days.
But he admitted afterwards that his putter had let him down, and that the grainy greens of the Stadium Course had confused and frustrated him from the opening bell on Thursday.
It is not the first time the world No 1 has endured problems with the flat-stick, but at least he made it known what had prevented him from winning his second straight tournament and vowed to address the issue rather than making excuses.
McIlroy is comfortably the best player in the world from tee to green, and if he can find more consistency with the putter, it is possible he could dominate the game in a way not seen since Tiger was in his pomp.
Tiger Woods is NOT back
Talking of Tiger, there was cause for optimism for the 14-time major champion in his bid to return to the top of the game when he posted a top-20 finish at the Masters last month.
But his performance at Sawgrass was another step in the wrong direction, scraping into the weekend with nothing to spare then fading out of contention early on day three as he double-bogeyed two par-fives in one round for the first time in his career.
Woods showed flashes of the old Tiger here and there, but he continues to play shots that an 18-handicapper would wince at - notably his horrific drive at the second hole on Saturday which caught a tree and failed to make the 110-yard carry to the ladies tee.
The 39-year-old keeps insisting he is playing better than his scoring would indicate, but some have argued that his comments are a poor attempt to paper over the cracks. He's got three weeks off before The Memorial, and you can bet he'll be spending most of it on the range.
TPC Sawgrass: Great theatre
The Players Championship has long been known as golf's unofficial fifth major - a claim backed up by the outstanding quality of the field every single year.
The tournament is unlikely to be added to the Grand Slam calendar, but the final three holes never fail to produce great drama - both good and bad.
Sunday was a perfect example about the "good", with Fowler, Garcia, Kisner and a host of others suddenly hopping on the birdie bandwagon and setting up a riveting final hour of the tournament.
The crowds, the colour, the water ... everything comes together to make the PGA Tour's flagship event a genuine "do not miss" week.
While we're young
Slow play, the most common cause of complaint among the majority of golf clubs in the world. But it seems the PGA Tour is still turning a blind eye to those who are supposed to be setting an example.
On occasion, there was the odd group who were politely asked to speed up at TPC Sawgrass, but no fines were issued or penalties incurred.
It appears that if you take close to five hours to play 18 holes in a professional tournament, it is perfectly acceptable.
It is not, end of!
