Tag: 2022 Players Championship

Fierce wind turns par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass into world’s largest ball washer

Somewhere in the heavens, TPC Sawgrass architect Pete Dye was smiling.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Scottie Scheffler had the unenviable honor of hitting the first full swing to the par-3 island green when play resumed on Saturday at noon.

With the wind howling from left to right and hurting, Scheffler, winner of two of his last three starts and cruising along at 5 under for the tournament, tried to flight a 7-iron that bounced once on land but had too much steam and ended with a splash.

Next up: Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele came up short as did four-time major champion Brooks Koepka. Three shots, three water balls. All three had to make the walk of shame to the drop zone and they wouldn’t be the last. When Schauffele found the putting surface from 90 yards, the fans cheered as if he’d knocked his first shot stiff.

One group later, reigning British Open champion Collin Morikawa, who is arguably the best iron player in the game at this time, tried to chip a 7-iron, but said he hit it “whiffy.” Nothing causes more indecision in golf than wind.

“It’s not that hard,” Morikawa said of the hole. “You’ve just got to commit to your shot. I just didn’t.”

Four world-class players were embarrassed by a mere 146-yard shot over water. Only four of the first 122 players to play the hole had found the water at 17 during calm conditions on Thursday and in the rain on Friday, but the first four to do so in gusting winds that were measured as high as 43 miles per hour during the day claimed victim after victim.

Somewhere in the heavens, TPC Sawgrass architect Pete Dye was smiling. “I never thought you could intimidate these great players with a 132-yard hole,” Dye said.

Dye, who long called Indianapolis home before his death in 2020, compared the drama at 17 to the blood sport of watching a 10-car pile-up at the Indy 500. “He likes to see good racing, but secretly he’s looking for a crash, too. And the guy at 17 is waiting for that crash, waiting for some star to dump his tee shot into the water.”

Saturday was a 29-ball pile-up, the total number of balls that suffered a watery grave. There were 10 balls hit in the water at No. 17 on Saturday – nine tee shots and Emiliano Grillo hit two in the water en route to making quadruple-bogey 7 – and that was just during the completion of the first round.

Kevin Kisner of the United States reacts to his shot on the 17th green during the second round of The Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 12, 2022, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Michael Thompson’s tee shot was so far wide right that PGA Tour Live’s John Swantek said it was “closer to the flower island than the island green.” He made double.

Even though they shortened the hole to 136 yards, another 19 souvenirs were left at the bottom of the lake during the second round, playing to a scoring average of 3.695 before play was suspended due to darkness.

As the mayhem at 17 mounted, Koepka, Morikawa and Scheffler, headed straight back out after completing their first rounds and started on the back nine. Just over three hours later, all three rinsed their tee shots on their second go-round, including a shank by Scheffler, as the wind was its most unpredictable.

“It’s luck,” said Koepka, who has been particularly unlucky then as he has dunked 10 balls in the water since 2015, and has played the hole in 20-over par. “There’s nothing you can do. We hit a gust. I don’t think it was going harder for anybody else out here than when me, Scottie, and Xander played it. When we first teed off, that was my first shot of the day, and I thought it was blowing the hardest. Then it picked up again when we were on 16. I hit 8-iron, flew 205 yards on 16. On 17 hit it 105.”

Defending champion Justin Thomas said on Tuesday that Tiger Woods and Fred Couples had told him horror stories of hitting 5- or 6-iron into 17 on cold March days in the past. He was overjoyed to walk off with a pair of pars.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have spoken about it earlier in the week. They were both giving me a hard time last night about how hard it was going to be today,” Thomas said after shooting bogey-free 69. “It’s a lot more fun when someone tells you a story of them doing it versus you have to it.”

There may be no better mixture of terror, excitement and pressure than TPC’s 17th, a hole with nowhere to bail out. Chesson Hadley celebrated back-to-back birdies at Nos. 15 and 16 until he realized that meant he had the honor at the next tee. He joined one of the players to dunk his tee shot at 17, was asked the most nerve-wracking shot of the day?

“Really? I mean, it’s blowing 100 on 17 in my face. 17, yeah,” he said, noting his shot ballooned in the air and came up short of the green. “I bet it was going backwards at the end.”

No one took it on the chin at 17 worse than Sepp Straka, who was 5 under and tied for third when he rinsed two in the water and made quadruple-bogey 7.

Amid all the tales of woe, it should be pointed out that not every player in the field experienced heartache. Daniel Berger stuck his tee shot to 16 feet and rolled in the putt for the first of just two birdies on the day at 17.

“You’re not even looking at the flag,” Berger said. “You’re just trying to put it on dry land and make a par and get out of there.”

After Hudson Swafford deposited his tee shot in the water, his next from the drop zone nearly spun off the green.

“I don’t know what else I can do?” he said in frustration.

Just wait, tomorrow there may be another 10-car pileup to see.

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Players Championship: Wacky, windy Saturday tees up all kinds of havoc

March Madness tipped off at TPC Sawgrass. All manner of chaos arrived with the high winds on Saturday in the Players Championship.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – March Madness tipped off at TPC Sawgrass.

All manner of chaos arrived with the high winds on Saturday in the Players Championship at the Stadium Course. Gusts reaching 40 mph and steady winds between 20-25 mph were on the tee sheet as the first round ended in the Tour’s flagship event that carries a $20 million purse and the second round commenced.

Yes, the first round was completed – at 2:01 p.m. local time, 54 hours, 16 minutes after it began. The rain that started Wednesday night finally ended Saturday morning after dumping four inches of H2O on the Stadium Course. But when sunny skies finally emerged, the wind started howling.

Shortly after first-round play restarted at noon on Saturday, four world-class players – Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa – rinsed tee shots in the water at the par-3 17th. Three hours later, in the second round, Koepka, Scheffler and Morikawa found the water again on the 17th.

Rory McIlroy hit driver into a headwind on the par-4 18th, his ball coming to rest 247 yards from the tee – he was averaging 326.7 yards per drive this season coming into the tournament. And Koepka asked his caddie if he could get home in two – on the 456-yard 18th. He drove his ball into the rough and didn’t get home in two the first time around.

The Players: Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

Brooks Koepka of the United States putts on the 17th green as Xander Schauffele of the United States and Scottie Scheffler of the United States look on during the second round of The Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 12, 2022, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Many players went hatless. Keegan Bradley was assessed a 2-stroke penalty for incorrectly marking his ball on the green of the par-5 16th hole after the wind blew the ball into a new spot. Schauffele made a snowman on the 18th. Emiliano Grillo, one of the best ball-strikers in the game, hit four balls into the water and shot a 10-over-par 46 on the back nine during his second round.

And they were far from the only players scratching their heads, talking to themselves and finding watery graves.

“One of my best rounds of my life, honestly,” Bradley said after shooting, check notes here, a 1-under-par 71. Yes, a 71. “This is as tough as golf as you’re ever going to play. This is a course you want to play under no conditions because of how tough the shots are, and to play in this wind, to play like that, that was really, really a special round.”

The day’s best round was posted by Bubba Watson, who shot a bogey-free 68. Defending champion Justin Thomas shot the only other bogey-free round and signed for a 69. The two are the leaders in the clubhouse among those who have finished 36 holes. Only 48 of the 142 players have completed 36 holes.

“It was one of those days you had to trust, and you had to be committed to, your shots, even if they go wild,” Watson said. “The key for me, though, is making putts. When I can start making some putts, which I did today, that’s really the key to any round for me.

“Yeah, obviously ball striking, I hit some wayward shots, maybe not because of me but because of the conditions, but I made the putts, and that’s really what kept the whole round going all the time.”

Thomas said he would have had a fun day playing in conditions like Saturday’s if he were with his buddies and playing at home.

“It’s not really fun when it’s TPC Sawgrass for The Players, and you are kind of around the cut line to start the day. It’s so hard,” he said. “I just tried to hit as many greens as I possibly could today because I knew it’s really hard to chip it close.

“It’s really hard to make even two-, three-, four-footers with that wind.”

The spotlight naturally was on the par-3 17th, which is technically a peninsula but is always referred to as the island green. There were only two birdies made on the 136-yard, par-3 17th on Saturday; there were 27 balls that ended up at the bottom of the lake surrounding the green.

“Geez, no,” 2019 Players champion Rory McIlroy said when asked if 17 could have played any tougher. “I hit a 7-iron today that pitched 123 or 124, and my 7-iron goes between 185 and 190. So playing 60 yards of wind.”

Ask Koepka about the 17th – and then duck. He made a double-bogey 5 the first time he played it Saturday and a triple-bogey 6 the second time. In his six starts in the championship, he is 20-over par on the hole with 10 water balls.

“There’s nothing you can do,” Koepka said about facing the 17th in high winds. His second go-around at the hole ended the same way his first did – a tee shot into the water. In his second round, after hitting an 8-iron 205 yards on the par-5 16th, he hit 8-iron on the 17th 105 yards.

“We hit a gust,” said Koepka, who had a hearty laugh at his own expense after he hit the shot.

Eight groups did not start their second round. Among those players was Pebble Beach winner Tom Hoge, who is 6 under, and Keith Mitchell, who is 5 under. Tommy Fleetwood, who shot 66 in round 1, got three holes in and is at 6 under.

Play is scheduled to resume Sunday at 8:15 a.m. Players better layer up – the forecast calls for temps to reach 55 at the most. If play does resume at 8:15 a.m., it will be 35 degrees; with the high winds, the wind chill will be in the upper 20s.

Expect more chaos.

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Gaffe on 16 costs Keegan Bradley two shots during second round of Players Championship

Bradley was 2 under for the tournament, then trouble began at the par-5 16th.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Keegan Bradley was rolling.

Having completed his first round in the Players Championship on Friday, an even-par 72, Bradley started his second round on the 10th hole Saturday when play resumed at 12 noon in this storm-delayed tournament on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

After knocking in a bomb for birdie from 52 feet on the par-4 15th, Bradley was 2 under for the tournament. Then he reached the par-5 16th with two mighty blows.

Facing an eagle putt from 70 feet, Bradley marked his ball.

Then his troubles began.

A gust of wind moved the ball but not the marker. After it came to rest, Bradley retrieved the ball and placed it ahead of his original mark. But according to a provision under Rule 13.1 D, Bradley was supposed to play from the ball’s new location after the gust of wind. His gaffe cost him a two-shot penalty.

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Bradley then three-putted and walked off with a double-bogey seven.

He birdied the second and was 1 under for the tournament through 14 holes.

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Lynch: Rain and rumors are two constants at the Players Championship, but at least the rain will stop

Whispers in hallways at the Players Championship persist like herpetic hypothesis.

Days ago, before the absence of actual golf became the dominant storyline of golf’s “fifth major,” the Players Championship felt like any other event on the PGA Tour, flush with rumor-mongering and speculation about possible announcements from rival circuits. As this week at TPC Sawgrass grinds onward into next week at TPC Sawgrass, not much has changed.

Chatter about a prospective Super League has taken on the feel of Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh,” in which a misbegotten band of barflies (like Jimmy Tomorrow) are forever promising progress that never materializes. Unlike the patrons of O’Neill’s saloon, it’s possible—even likely—that the Saudi-financed concept will advance, or at least make noise. Whispers in hallways at the Players Championship persist like herpetic hypothesis: on what players might yet jump, on what Phil Mickelson will do next, on how the Saudis will pivot.

The latest conjecture has the Crown Prince’s coat holders planning to stage a tournament with an enormous purse that could dwarf the $20 million offered at the PGA Tour’s flagship stop in soggy Florida. The goal would be to engineer litigation by inviting Tour members to compete while hoping commissioner Jay Monahan denies the permission required to do so, thereby presenting an opportunity to challenge his control over where members play, or to at least jeopardize the Tour’s tax-exempt status as a 501c organization.

This rumor is kin to dozens that preceded it, plausible on paper but unseen in reality. Years into their scheming, the only positive contribution the Saudis can claim is having relieved the tedium of days-long rain delays with a fresh supply of gossip (though many guys in the locker room would pat them on the back for dismantling Phil’s facade, albeit accidentally).

We wait on another front too, for the drama at the Players to get underway in earnest around the time it was supposed to be concluding. A winner will be identified here, no matter how long it takes. The PGA Tour won’t reduce its premier event to 54 holes, just as the Super League won’t extend its non-existent tournaments beyond that. (Surely they jest in hiring a front man who, if majors were conducted thus, would have won a grand slam in 1986, and a few others besides.)

As this week’s Players Championship becomes next week’s, it has not been entirely joyless. No matter how many suns set between the first and final rounds, it shouldn’t be remembered for the high winds, high scores and high blood pressure of its competitors, but for what happened before a shot was struck or a horn sounded., when Tiger Woods was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the PGA Tour’s new ‘Global Home,’ an architectural marvel whose diaphanous design suggests a transparency that belies its occupant.

Woods’ extemporaneous remarks Wednesday evening offered a rare glimpse of the man behind the public figure. He didn’t mention the many accomplishments for which he was being inducted, focusing instead on the people, lessons and experiences that had signposted his journey. Woods evidenced familiar traits—flashes of humor, determination, resentment at slights—but also some only more recently obvious, like genuine appreciation for those around him and unfiltered emotion when talking about how much they mean to him.

For those few minutes in an otherwise drab week, golf was again a stage upon which great actors perform and are celebrated, not a hotbed of in-fighting, intrigue, prevarications, persuasion, arm-twisting, money-grubbing, lies and litmus tests of loyalty. That atmosphere, like this tournament, has lasted for an awfully long time. We should expect more of the same, since Greg Norman is armed with more of someone else’s money than with sense of his own.

It’s the nature of the PGA Tour that we do it all again next week, and that has never been truer: same players, same tournament, same venue, same goal—crowning a champion at the Players. The Tour’s putative rival will do it all again next week too, whether in public or private, promising progress, vowing major announcements, pledging boots on the ground. As one of O’Neill’s ‘foolosophers’ observed of his ragtag drinking companions, “They’ve all a touching credulity concerning tomorrows.”

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Watch: Zach Johnson knocks ball of the tee during practice swing for the second time in a month (and fifth overall)

Johnson laughed and said he hoped the goof was caught by cameras. It was.

Give Zach Johnson credit — a few embarrassing mishaps on the tee box have not caused him to rethink the way he approaches practice swings.

For the second time in a month and what he thinks is the fifth time in his career, Johnson knocked the ball off the tee with a practice swing — this during Saturday’s action at TPC Sawgrass. It happened on the 18th hole and nearly struck a fan who was standing off to the side.

It follows a similar faux pas at the WM Phoenix Open in February.

There is no penalty for this mistake. Rule 6.2b 5 states that a player isn’t penalized if he accidentally strikes the ball when making a swing or preparing to make a stroke on the tee box.

Johnson laughed and said he hoped the goof was caught by cameras. It was.

Johnson, who took a double-bogey on the hole and finished the opening round with a 73, did something similar at the Masters back in 2019.

After that incident, the USGA chimed in on Twitter to clarify:

Regarding Zach Johnson hitting the ball on a practice swing at #themasters, since he had no intention of striking the ball, he has not made a stroke. On the teeing area, there is no penalty and the player simply re-tees because the ball is not yet in play.

It’s no different than a player accidentally knocking the ball off the tee with the clubhead before starting the hole.

The rules address this directly, saying a player has not made a stroke if he “accidentally strikes the ball when making a practice swing or while preparing to make a stroke.”

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Players Championship live updates: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka all go into drink on 17

Check out live updates throughout the day from our team at TPC Sawgrass.

The Players Championship is always a test, but with wild weather conditions at TPC Sawgrass, the challenge is greater than ever this week in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Due to the volatile nature of the schedule, the changing weather conditions and more, we’re adding a live updates page to stay on top of each facet of the tournament.

A loaded field of the world’s best players – 46 of the top 50 after Bryson DeChambeau withdrew on Sunday and Kevin Na followed suit on Monday – are at the event. Justin Thomas is back to defend his 2021 title.

Check back throughout the day for more as our team of reporters and photographers capture the scene.

The Players: Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

UPDATE (12:32 p.m.): The weather is making it difficult to gauge where players need to hit, but it’s also simply difficult to maintain any sense of comfort. For example, many players are putting hats and gloves while walking, then taking them off while hitting. It’s not the temperatures now (it’s 61 degrees at this time), but the winds that are causing the most difficulty.

UPDATE (12:15 p.m.): We just witnessed the unthinkable: In the face of howling winds, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka all knocked their balls in the water on No. 17. Schauffele’s was particularly off-line.

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Weather, start time, how to watch: What you need to know for Saturday at the Players Championship

Here’s what you need to know for Saturday at TPC Sawgrass.

It’s been, let’s just say, a slow start to the 2022 Player Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Heavy rain, wind, and thunderstorms have rolled into the Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, area over the last several days, flooding the golf course to a point that play was stopped Friday due to unplayable conditions.

The PGA Tour announced at 3 p.m. ET that play was canceled for the day and the earliest it will re-start is Saturday at 11 a.m. A massive storm system is set to hover above the course from 8 – 10 a.m. Saturday.

Due to all the delays, there have been many changes made to the schedule, both playing and TV. Here’s an update for Saturday at the Players.

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When does play resume?

The first round is scheduled to resume at 11:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, at the earliest. There are 47 players who still have to finish their first rounds.

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What does the weather look like?

There is a severe system set to hit the area from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. After that, the wind is expected to be in the mid-teens throughout the rest of the day while the heavy rain subsides.

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Who’s playing well?

Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge were joined by Brice Garnett at the top of the leaderboard Friday, however, Garnett is through just 13 holes of his opening round. Daniel Berger also played well after the re-start, sitting at 5-under through 16.

How to watch

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is the exclusive home for PGA Tour Live streaming. NBC Sports will have the weekend network TV coverage. All times Eastern.

Saturday, March 12

TV

NBC: 12-6 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 7:15 a.m.-6 p.m.

*All times subject to change based on the start of play.

We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.

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Play suspended yet again Friday at Players Championship; Monday finish likely

“I think everything that we’re looking at, we feel very confident that we can finish this tournament by Monday.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Mother Nature continues to inflict harm on the PGA Tour’s signature event. A Monday finish to the Players Championship is likely and a Tuesday finish isn’t out of the question.

Play was suspended at 11:15 a.m. due to unplayable conditions at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass with the first round still unfinished.

PGA Tour’s chief referee Gary Young said the course has received 2 ½ inches of rain in the last 24 hours. The staff battled tough conditions, including using squeegees for puddles on greens, but it was a losing battle.

“Unfortunately, we have reached a point now where there’s just no window behind this area that we’re moving into now. There’s some lightning that is headed in this direction. We knew it was just going to be a point where we’re just going to be battling too hard to keep up,” Young said. “The golf course has reached a point where it’s unplayable, and we will ride this out as long as we can this afternoon. If a window of opportunity presents itself, we’ll get back out there later today.”

The Players: Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

While players have been told to stay on property in case play is able to resume, spectators have been asked to exit the premises for their safety. All venues, grandstands, concession stands and fan shops are closed.

“We may be in a situation where, if we don’t get back out there today, we’re assured of a Monday finish, and we’re also going to have some conversations about whether or not we re-pair following Round 3,” Young said.

Even if the weather improves, Young said his staff will have to evaluate the conditions of the course.

“If we don’t get back out on the golf course before the end of the day, we all know we’ll be back on Monday,” Young said.

Kevin Kisner, who finished his first round Friday morning and posted 68, feared the worst of the weather may still be to come. The forecast for Saturday is dicey with high winds becoming a possible issue.

Kevin Kisner of the United States walks under an umbrella up the 11th hole during the continuation of the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2022, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

“I’d rather play now than tomorrow when it’s blowing 30. That’s what I’m hoping for.”

Heavy winds could wreak havoc, causing more damage around the course.

“A lot of it depends on this system that’s going to come in overnight and be with us through a portion of the morning tomorrow. In speaking with (Tour meteorologist) Wade (Stettner), they’re anticipating some winds that could be in the area of 60 miles per hour as it comes through,” Young said. “So we’re going to make some adjustments to that, prepare for that overnight. The superintendent and his crew are going to need proper time to pick up debris, get the golf course back in condition. So there’s a lot of variables involved.”

Young was asked by Golf Channel’s Mike Tirico if they could play 36 holes on Sunday to finish on time and Young replied that he didn’t see it as a possibility.

According to the Tour, 1.3 inches of rain fell Wednesday night, which put preferred lies into play and moved tee times back an hour on Thursday. Another .45 inches fell during a four-hour, 14-minute suspension of play due to more dangerous weather in the area. Play was then suspended due to darkness at 6:36 p.m. ET with the majority of the field unable to finish.

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The Players has endured seven Monday finishes in its 48-year history, most recently in 2005. Asked if the tournament could stretch into Tuesday, which has happened at the 2013 Sentry Tournament of Champions and the 2006 Booz Allen Classic, Young said, “The potential is there, but let’s hope not. I think everything that we’re looking at, we feel very confident that we can finish this tournament by Monday.”

The Players never had a Monday finish during the years from 2007-2018 when it was held in May before it returned to its former March date in 2019. Young said they are shooting for a 5-6 pm finish on Monday, which would leave time for a potential playoff. Asked if the bad weather is bad luck or a sign that March conditions are unfavorable for hosting the championship, Young said, “Highly, highly unusual to have this pattern for this prolonged period this time of year, looking back at the historical data on it. I would say at this point it’s just bad luck.”

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Ever since Keith Mitchell listened to Michael Phelps, things have gone swimmingly

Mitchell thought back to the record-shattering swimming king he credits with helping to transform his career.

For Keith Mitchell, maybe Michael Phelps made the difference.

Yes, that Michael Phelps.

After Mitchell finished his round at The Players Championship, he thought back to the record-shattering swimming king he credits with helping to transform his career.

“I just remember feeling like a loser talking to him sometimes, how I felt on the golf course, like pity and sorrow, and this game is hard,” Mitchell recalled from his meeting with Phelps. “He just pretty much said there’s no place for that if you want to be at the top.”

A pep talk that paid off.

Nearly eight months away from NCAA football champion Georgia’s scheduled trip to the First Coast for the Florida-Georgia gridiron classic, Mitchell and Brian Harman brought some Bulldog bark to The Players Championship.

Ancer among leaders: World No. 21 Ancer might be due at Players; weather slows him on first day

Players Notebook: Volunteers passed first course evacuation in six years with high marks

Mitchell battled to a 5-under 67, one shot off the lead, and Harman rallied from a shaky start to ascend the leaderboard with a 4-under 68 to highlight a promising day for the Southeast Georgia contingent in Thursday’s storm-disrupted first round.

The Sea Island, Ga. residents, separated by only 12 spots in the World Golf Ranking — Harman at 61st, Mitchell at 73rd — took The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass by storm.

They wouldn’t be the first Southeast Georgia residents to lift the trophy, a list that most famously includes two-time champion Davis Love III.

Mitchell stayed nearly trouble-free, including an eagle at No. 9 to wrap up the front nine in 33. He then birdied No. 12, No. 13 and No. 16 on his way home to a 67. If not for a bogey at 18, Mitchell would have finished as the Thursday night co-leader alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge. He didn’t get out on Friday before a weather delay.

His mindset, he said, is different now. For that, Mitchell points to his meeting with 23-time Olympic gold medalist Phelps.

“We had dinner a long time ago in Phoenix and he was talking about some really thoughtful things that apply to every sport,” Mitchell said. “I’ll never forget, it really made an impact on me. It’s not just your typical golf stuff like one shot at a time and stay patient. It was more of kind of how to act and focus on the course, which is how you would do in swim meets.”

The Players: How to watch | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

Mitchell’s only PGA Tour victory came in 2019 at the Honda Classic, but he’s been piling up the top-15 finishes of late: six already this season, including a tie for 12th at Sea Island in the RSM Classic last fall.

“[Phelps] was kind of helping me through some like downs and kind of really hit the reset button about a year ago,” he said. “That kind of started everything.”

Mitchell has started well at the Stadium Course before. His issue was the finish.

In 2018, he shot an opening-round 67, only to follow up with a 75 and a 78 that plunged him down into a tie for 77th. His best finish at The Players came in 2019, when he shot a 71 and a 65 before fading over the weekend to 3 under for the tournament and a tie for 47th.

This time, he’s more confident.

“I’ve had a little bit of time to adjust to the spotlight a little bit at this golf tournament, because in the Stadium on 17 and 18 is really unlike any other golf course and any other tournament,” he said. “We all players treat this like a major, so it feels like it when you’re out there. That would have been my first major [in 2018], and I definitely did not handle it very well, so hopefully I can do better.”

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Harman, meanwhile, didn’t let his afternoon slip away after back-to-back bogeys.

The day brought a superb finish for Harman, who turned his Thursday around as the first golfer to hit a shot on the back nine, opening the delayed round at 7:45 a.m. A too-short approach on No. 10 led to a bogey, and he dropped another stroke after finding water on No. 11. But he found a rhythm after the weather delay, with birdies on No. 2, No. 4, No. 6 and No. 9.

That rhythm has been a recurring theme for Harman at TPC Sawgrass, particularly since the tournament’s move to March. Harman owns three top-10 finishes here, including two since the schedule switch: a tie for eighth in 2019 and a tie for third in 2021.

The numbers say Sunday could bring the strains of “Glory, Glory to Old Georgia” to the First Coast. Since 2008, 11 former University of Georgia players have combined for 38 PGA Tour victories.

What might be even sweeter than victory at The Players? For Bulldogs like Mitchell and Harman, maybe winning The Players as a Bulldog in Gator Country.

“It’s tough seeing a lot of Gator fans out there for sure, but I got a few ‘Go Dawgs,'” Mitchell said, “so hopefully they’ll be around for the weekend.”

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

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Luke List WDs from Players Championship; Michael Thompson off to great start in surprise appearance

Meanwhile, Michael Thompson’s journey to the first tee was anything but conventional.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Luke List, who won his first PGA Tour title earlier this year in a playoff at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, withdrew after eight holes Friday morning due to a neck injury. He will not be replaced in the field.

Meanwhile, Michael Thompson’s journey to the first tee of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on Friday was anything but conventional.

Thompson, a winner of two PGA Tour titles, became the fifth alternate for the Players Championship when Ryan Brehm won the Puerto Rico Open last Sunday.

Then Thompson moved to fourth when Bryson DeChambeau withdrew. Then he became the third alternate when Kevin Na withdrew. He moved to second when Hideki Matsuyama withdrew. Then he was first in line when Aaron Raj withdrew from the alternate list.

The Players: How to watch | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

And then, well before the sun rose Friday morning, Thompson got into the field when Tyler McCumber withdrew with a shoulder injury. Because McCumber did not tee off on Thursday due to weather delays, his first-round tee time was moved to Friday. That proved beneficial to Thompson.

At 7:15 a.m., Thompson teed off in the PGA Tour’s flagship event. And made eagle on the second hole, a birdie on the fourth, another birdie on the fifth before a bogey on the eighth knocked him down to 3 under.

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