3/14/25

What if The Players Was a Major? And Other Musings from TPC Sawgrass

Our staff on-site share some reports from The Players

by

A handful of Fried Egg Golf staffers are on-site this week at the Players Championship, and they have some thoughts to share after a busy few days at TPC Sawgrass.

If we wake up tomorrow and the entire golf world agrees ‘The Players is and always has been a major,’ whose career or resume would be most amplified? 

Brendan Porath: I am probably a prisoner of the current moment, but Rory McIlroy having five majors and the subject of “the drought” being quieted down would be very significant and needed for the current discourse.

Joseph LaMagna: I, too, may be falling victim to recency bias, but I think the answer is Scottie Scheffler. The world No. 1 is often referred to as the best player since Tiger Woods, a well-deserved descriptor. But he’s only won two majors. I have a lot of confidence that Scheffler will win more majors in his career, but it’s also entirely possible he’ll finish his career with two or three major championships and fall short of earning a spot as an all-time great. Imagine the hype around Scottie if he had four majors to his name right now.

Andy Johnson: Unlike my colleagues, I have a sense of history. Davis Love III was a generational talent and is widely considered one of the best players with one major. DL3 won the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot and two Players Championships in 1992 and 2003. Given his great play for decades, three is much more fitting for his talent level.

One insight from being on the ground this week?

Brendan: So, so much. It could be the rumors of a draft announcement about the reunification announcement to be made a few weeks ago that seem like a fantasy now. But I’ll lean positive and just say this is probably the most dialed-in tournament in pro golf outside of the Masters. Everyone is so happy to be here – the players love the treatment and the fan experience is elite and humming after years of R&D. It makes sense, given the money and emphasis placed on it. The promotion or outside view may get exhausting, but it’s a fine-tuned party (this only goes for on-site – figure out the traffic disaster getting in!)

Joseph: Players have expressed mixed opinions about the re-installation of the tree overhanging the sixth tee box, but after watching two days of practice rounds and now seeing the tree in competition, I’m a proponent. Players can comfortably launch their stock fades on nearly every tee shot on the PGA Tour, so I welcome a distinct change of pace. Restricting players’ airspace is one of the few effective ways of forcing them to hit different types of shots, which exposes players who aren’t in full command of their game.

I watched a diversity of tee shots off the sixth tee on Thursday morning, ranging from a Robert MacIntyre shot that barely stayed out of the left-hand water to a Nate Lashley driver that nearly smoked the tree to multiple flares out right into the pine straw. The overhanging tree adds character, provokes a reaction from players, and is in accordance with Pete Dye’s vision. I’m a fan.

Andy: It’s been a few years since I have been back to TPC Sawgrass, and I forgot how many tee shots ask players to move a golf ball in a different direction. A great example is the second hole, where if you want to hit driver, you would ideally turn it over right to left, but at the least you have to hit a straight ball to find the fairway.

Sidenote: there’s a lot of backroom business going on at the Players. While it might not be one of the majors, it might be THE major when it comes to deals and meetings.

Something or someone that surprised you in the first round?

Brendan: Justin Thomas …

Joseph: Isaiah Salinda. Playing alongside Aldrich Potgieter and Alejandro Tosti, the 27-year-old Stanford product looked extremely solid en route to posting a bogey-free 3-under 69. I’m eager to see how he holds up the rest of the week.

Andy: Rory McIlroy. Channeling some 2015 Jordan Spieth, it was as suspect from tee to green as I have seen him play in person, yet you look at the leaderboard and he’s just one shot off the lead. He will have to improve, but it was an amazing round from McIlroy on a course that typically punishes below-average tee-to-green play.

One person or thing you’re excited to watch this weekend?

Brendan: A Dallas resident with tumultuous form who has battled recent injuries and is in need of a show-us week: Will Zalatoris, step on up. Zalatoris has been trending, as they say, and an early 2-under round has him in a good spot on a course that suits his skill. The PGA Tour is in need of an American win, and another ascending American talent. Zalatoris getting back in the mix would be welcome.

Joseph: The weather. It isn’t a proper championship without frequent refreshes of the forecast. We’re supposed to get a little bit of everything this week. After two days of benign conditions on Thursday and Friday, the forecast on Saturday looks…spicy. Winds could gust at 30-plus mph and set us up for a delightful day of third-round viewing. I’m curious how far the Tour will push the course setup and even more interested in seeing which players thrive and who eject.

Andy: There are a lot of young, promising players on the leaderboard like Min Woo Lee, Akshay Bhatia, Chandler Phillips, Alex Smalley, and the aforementioned Salinda. I can’t wait to see which of these players can stick around and stay in the cauldron this weekend. It’s been a long time (2010) since we got a surprise winner at TPC Sawgrass. Could one of these players shock the world?


This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.