We are at The Players Championship, played at TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Florida. This Tournament is considered the 5th major by the players. It has the strongest field in all golf with virtually the entire World's top 100 players in the field. This year we have a new date and a US $60,000,000 renovation to the course including a 30 million dollar clubhouse. The new date, by moving it from April gives us a major event in every Month from April on, and the course now has no overseed. It is all bermuda grass greens and fairways and firm and fast as we move into the hotter months. They have lengthened a few holes including 8, 11 and 18, which I think was an unneccessary change due to the obsession with the length the modern player hits the ball and added some fairway bunkers, but fundementally the course is the same layout. The work that has been done is remarkable and hard to believe it has taken only 12 months. I read that if they lined up all the trucks end to end with the amount of soil moved the line would be 7 miles long. In the picture Stuart Appleby is working with an overhead string line for his aim. He is on the new putting green with the clubhouse in the background. Stuart has moved the ball back toward the middle of his stance and brought his hands back so the shaft is vertical in his setup. Apple's tendency is to lean the shaft toward the target and deloft the putter. This has caused some aiming issues, that this change in his setup seems to have corrected. Stuart is striking the ball beautifully, and if he can make a few putts and keep the doubles and triples off the card I think he is in for a very good week.
1 comment:
We are all looking forward to your daily comments and wish your players well. It would be a sensation if we could manage a win for an Australian. This tournament is deserving of 'Major' status and with the course set up as it is will be great viewing over the four days. Thanks for the insight.
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