Unlikely Players Champions

I have always loved the Players and the drama generated by the iconic 17th. But the debate about whether it should be a major or has become a bit tedious. It also plays into the growing trend that majors are the only golf tournaments of any intrinsic value. The Players is the flagship tournament of the tour and features arguably the strongest field in all of golf. Isn’t that sufficient? The increasing emphasis on the Signature Events has also taken a bit of the lustre away, with elite fields popping up every other weekend.

Anyway, enough with the negativity. In anticipation of this week’s event, I have decided to wind the clock back and select my personal picks for the five biggest upsets in Players history. TPC Sawgrass is a bit of throwback course, opening itself up to a variety of winners. Yes, the likes of McIlroy and Scheffler have enjoyed remarkable success here. But an emphasis on accuracy and course management has led to some of the most surprising champions in PGA Tour history. I have decided to focus on purely renewals staged at the new Stadium Course (the spiritual hub of this grand event).

5. Stephen Ames (2006)

A duel citizen of Trinidad and Tobago and Canada, Stephen Ames reached a career-high ranking of 17th back in 2004. The highlight of his journeyman career came at the 2006 Players, where he finished a full six shots ahead of Retief Goosen (Garcia was in contention before a shocking Sunday 78). This was a poignant victory for Ames, who just a month earlier had been embarrassed 9&8 by Tigers Woods at the WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship (after he said that Tiger wasn’t unbeatable). Ames managed to exorcise that professional embarrassment, producing an upset win for the ages. Ames is still enjoying his golf, playing admirably on the PGA Tour Champions.

4. Tim Clark (2010)

This is a tale of the little engine that could. Tim Clark’s 2010 victory was a masterclass in managing your limitations. The diminutive South African had shown that he could hang with the big dogs in elite events, finishing runner-up to Mickelson in the 2006 Masters. He shot a bogey-free final round of 67, taking the clubhouse lead with an eight-foot putt on the 18th. 54-hole leader Lee Westwood had imploded on the dreaded 17th and Robert Allenby became his biggest challenger. Allenby surged over the closing holes but just couldn’t catch the plucky South African. The win was Clark’s first PGA Tour title in his 206th start. A devotee of the anchored putter, Clark managed to squeeze in another victory at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open before the PGA Tour’s blanket ban on anchored putting. The ban essentially ended Clark’s career, as he suffered from a rare congenital condition that prevented him from supinating his wrists. At least he will always have this standout victory.

3. Si Woo Kim (2017)

K.J. Choi was a true trailblazer for South Koreans on the PGA Tour, claiming victory in this flagship event back in 2011. Even so, Choi was a top player and perennial presence atop PGA Tour leaderboards. My number three spot goes to another South Korean, who at 21 years of age became the youngest ever winner of this famed event: Si Woo Kim. Ranked 73rd in the world going into the 2017 championships, Si Woo Kim is officially the 2nd lowest-ranked player to claim victory on the manicured Sawgrass lawns. He beat Ian Poulter and Louis Oosthuizen by three shots with a bogey-free final round of 69. The South Korean’s surgical iron-play is a perfect blueprint for success around TPC Sawgrass.

2. Fred Funk (2005)

Fred Funk is proof-positive that they just don’t make them how they used to. Let’s be frank, the modern golfer is little more than a ludicrously overpaid automaton (very few exude any kind of natural charisma). Funk, known for his self-deprecating humour and playful demeanour, had charisma in spades. Funk was a man from another era, regularly ranking amongst the tour’s shortest hitters. He famously wore a skirt to a Skins game after Annika Sorenstam outdrove him. But he made the most of his deadeye accuracy, punching above his weight to claim eight PGA Tour titles. But the 2005 Players Championship will forever be his pièce de resistance. Funk won at the age of 48, making him the oldest champion in the history of the event. Moreover, he had to play 32 holes on a blustery Monday due to several weather delays. This remains one of the great underdog victories in US PGA Tour history and also highlights the democratic nature of the TPC Sawgrass setup.

1. Craig Perks (2002)

This ranks up there with one of the biggest shocks in US PGA Tour history. Period. New Zealander Craig Perks remains the lowest-ranked winner in the history of the event, going into the Championships ranked a lowly 203rd in the world. He also won in the most dramatic fashion possible, chipping in on both the 16th and 18th en route to victory. He only had one putt on the closing three holes, holing a monster 28-foot birdie putt on the celebrated island-green 17th. He had a crazy final round, with just two pars in his final 14 holes. To put the win into context- defending champ Tiger Woods finished a full seven shots back. He would never win on tour again and would only make the cut in two majors. Still, Perks’ victory was a significant moment for New Zealand golf, laying the foundation for Michael Campbell’s 2005 US Open triumph.