Brennans Caddy Report-The PLAYERS Championship

This week's event, The PLAYERS Championship, concludes the important three week stretch that I mentioned a few weeks back before the EDS Byron Nelson Classic. I thought that these three weeks were important for Mike to start playing some good golf as we head towards the summer and the rest of the majors. I think the last two weeks have been pretty good but not great. The finishes have been positive but I really believe that Mike is playing better than he is finishing, he hasn't been getting as much out of his rounds as he could be. That was definitely the case last week where his stats and his game were very good, it just seemed like he never got the breaks needed to really have a good round. I am sure that there were a lot of people who felt that way and that happens when greens are very hard and fast, it is tough to get the ball close to the hole. Mike hit a lot of good quality iron shots that just didn't turn out like they could have which is the difference between a 26th place finish and a top 10. All in all the last two weeks have been pretty good and you can see the momentum building week by week as Mike gets more comfortable with his swing and his game.
 
There is no doubt that The PLAYERS Championship is the best field in golf, and regardless of what people say, this event is treated as a major by the players. The feel around the course in practice rounds is that of a major and for good reason. It is the tournament hosted by the players themselves and with a 8 million dollar purse that plays on everyone's mind. The event this year is going to be as good as ever as the TPC Sawgrass has undergone a $60 million renovation to the course and the clubhouse. The day the tournament was finished last year the clubhouse was torn down and the course was torn apart. The new clubhouse is open and functional, but from what I hear, they are about 6 months away from really being ready to open. It is a fabulous looking building that is first class inside from the locker rooms to the dining areas. The golf course was completely redone with brand new greens and new fairways. They have always wanted this course to play hard and fast and with all the rain they get here the course needed to be redone with new drainage to accommodate that. Sand was brought in by the truckload for the fairways before it was reseeded and now the drainage is suppose to be great. The overall contours of the course are pretty much the same as before so you really don't notice a big difference.
 
The weather this week is going to play a big part in the outcome of the event. There has been a tropical storm that has been here all week and has brought in all kinds of rain and some heavy winds. It was suppose to be gone by today (Wednesday) but now looks like it is going to be hanging around and making it a tough week for caddies. It is very difficult when it's windy and more importantly rainy as you have to manage keeping the clubs dry, getting yardages, and having the umbrella around all the time. With the forecast like this the bag is loaded down with rain suits, extra towels, and thus very heavy.  I am hoping that somehow the wind is going to blow this thing out of here and prove the weather guys wrong.
 
As I mentioned earlier, the golf course is very similar to the year before with a few slight changes. They have added length on a few holes, mostly 10-15 yards which really doesn't matter all that much. The biggest change in my opinion are the greens, with them redoing the greens with new drainage and grass, the original slopes are more severe than this year's course. I guess over time the slopes on greens get more and more severe but they have gone back to the way the course was when it opened 30 years ago and now I think the greens are a bit easier. With the tournament being in May and not March the grass is now a Bermuda thus the speed with be a bit slower than before. Overall in my mind the course won't play as difficult as the last few years assuming the same playing conditions. It will be difficult to really evaluate the course this year vs. the previous years with the tropical storm hanging in the area.
 
TPC Sawgrass cannot be mentioned without bringing up the famous 17th hole! It has to be one of the shortest holes we play on tour all year yet it might be the most intimidating par 3 on Tour. Surrounded by water, it requires a precise short iron shot and when the wind blows it makes for some great excitement. If there is one hole on Tour that I would sit around and watch guys hit shots it would be this hole. It doesn't matter how many strokes the leader has on Sunday, he will not feel comfortable until he gets thru 17. I know this year on PGATOUR.COM they have a live camera out there on 17, and for all of those sitting in front of your computers, I would suggest tuning in for a while for some great excitement.
 
I treat this event as one of the best events we play in and would like nothing more than to have Mike win this event. Aside from the huge payday it would be a great accomplishment to have this one on the resume.

Thanks for reading.

Brennan