Where is The Players Championship played? Say Hello to TPC Sawgrass
The Players Championship is held at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass which has become an iconic venue in the game…
The Players Championship has undergone much change since its first edition in 1974.
Among these changes are the host venues. Although the tournament has an established home in 2024, this has not always been the case.
When The Players was called the Tournament Players Championship 50 years ago, the event was played at Atlanta Country Club in Georgia.
It shifted to Colonial Country Club in Texas in 1975 and then Inverrary Country Club in Florida in 1976. And then the word ‘Sawgrass’ entered the fray of this PGA Tour event that was gathering status and momentum.
Sawgrass Country Club in Florida hosted the event between 1977 and 1981. During this period, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Raymond Floyd all got their hands around the trophy.
But by the time Jerry Pate won the Tournament Players Championship in 1982, the event had made its final move to the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass which was designed by Pete Dye and inspired by the dream of tour commissioner Deane Beman.
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The iconic venue where The Players Championship is played…
The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida was controversial to begin with but, as alterations were made to the golf course over the following years, it developed into one of the most iconic venues in the world of golf.
The tournament became known as The Players Championship in 1988 when Mark McCumber claimed victory and the golf course and the challenges it presented were becoming more and more recognised by golf fans.
It is a venue that is revered as one of the toughest closing stretches on the PGA Tour with the par-5 16th, the par-3 17th hole and the par-4 18th hole. There is water abound and jeopardy everywhere across this trio of holes.
The 17th hole with an island green is probably the most famous in the sport. Despite regularly being a 9- or an 8-iron, the green is in the middle of a lake which has swallowed many thousands of golf balls over the years.
The complex also serves as the headquarters of the PGA Tour. You can read about how it was built right here.
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
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