Hal Sutton had the right club, on that day.
Fred Funk hit into a bunker he’d never been in before, then got a huge break on the lie.
Raymond Floyd schooled an up-and-coming PGA Tour star who would one day join him in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
And the two biggest stars in golf history over the last 60 years added Players Championships to their lengthy resumes.
And they all happened on a Monday.
The Players Championship will have a Monday finish at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass because of storms on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It will be the eighth Monday finish in the history of the tournament and the fourth at the Stadium Course.
No one – the Tour, players, fans and TV partners – is ever happy with a Monday finish. It’s made for longer weeks, cuts into preparations for the next event on the schedule, denies many fans who held Sunday tickets the chance to see the winner walk down the 18th fairway and results in lower ratings.
But in the case of The Players, the Monday finishes have resulted in some of the most memorable moments in tournament history and certainly among the most worthy winners.
Jack Nicklaus has won a record three Players Championships and two of them were on a Monday, at two venues, one in the summer and one in the spring.
Tiger Woods won the first of his two Players titles, closing it out two days after sinking his famous “Better than Most,” putt at No. 17 and holding off Vijay Singh – who executed perhaps the most stunning and inventive short-game shot in tournament history.
Floyd won on a Monday, the last year The Players was contested at the Sawgrass Country Club.
Both of Hal Sutton’s Players titles and Funk’s biggest professional triumph – yep, on Mondays.
That’s three members of the Hall of Fame, a major champion in Sutton and one of the most respected, blue-collar winners on the PGA Tour during his time in Funk.
Not a bad set of winners for any tournament, on any day.
Here’s the history of Players Monday finishes:
