The Players Championship

20 Mar 2002 - 24 Mar 2002
Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

On a day when scoring was difficult at the TPC at Sawgrass, Mike Weir shot a disappointing 5-over 77 to finish tied for 19th. Mike’s aggressive nature might have cost him as he started firing at pins on the back nine. After bogeying the 14th to fall four back of the leaders, Mike needed to make something happen. With 240 yards left to the par-5 16th Mike pulled his 3-wood and hit it into the water guarding the right side of the green, finishing with a bogey. Next came the par-3 17th with the pin in its typical Sunday position, back right Mike hit a 9-iron that he admittitedly pulled slightly and landed in the water, resulting in a double-bogey to put him back to even for the tournament.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed. I'm not going to say I'm not. I'm not displeased at all with the way I played," Weir said. “I didn't come close to missing a fairway; hit every one of them, 14 out of 14.

Before his bogey on the 13th hole Mike was only 1-stroke behind the leaders, but went 5-over on the remaining holes and finished tied for 19th.

“I played well enough to win, that's how fine a line it is out here,” he said. “It's the best I've hit the ball in a long time. I pulled it on those two shots, trying to take aggressive lines. If I was in the position I should have been in, or could have been in, I wouldn't have had to take them. But that's what I had to do to have a chance."

New Zealand native Craig Perks finished eagle-birdie-par to become the first player to earn his first victory at The Players Championship. “That was easiest 72 I ever shot in my life,” Perks joked after his two-shot win over Stephen Ames. Perks made only two pars over his final 14 holes, none after No. 10. With his victory he won $1.08 million, the richest prize on the PGA Tour and earned a three-year invitation to the Masters and his exempt at all the major championships this year.

Calgary resident Stephen Ames started the day at 1-under par, but closed with a brilliant 5-under 67 to finish solo 2nd, earning the biggest check of his career ($648,000).

Final Round Scores and Earnings:

Craig Perks 1 71-68-69-72 280 $1,080,000.00
Stephen Ames 2 74-69-72-67 282 $648,000.00
Rocco Mediate 3 71-70-69-73 283 $408,000.00
Billy Andrade T4 73-69-70-72 284 $226,200.00
Sergio Garcia T4 70-72-71-71 284 $226,200.00
Scott Hoch T4 67-77-68-72 284 $226,200.00
Carl Paulson T4 69-69-69-77 284 $226,200.00
Jeff Sluman T4 69-69-72-74 284 $226,200.00
John Huston T9 73-69-73-70 285 $168,000.00
Nick Price T9 74-71-71-69 285 $168,000.00
Robert Allenby T11 69-73-72-72 286 $138,000.00
Michael Campbell T11 72-68-74-72 286 $138,000.00
Jerry Kelly T11 69-76-74-67 286 $138,000.00
Jim Furyk T14 71-72-71-73 287 $102,000.00
Retief Goosen T14 71-71-72-73 287 $102,000.00
Jeff Maggert T14 72-72-71-72 287 $102,000.00
Shigeki Maruyama T14 72-72-69-74 287 $102,000.00
Tiger Woods T14 71-72-70-74 287 $102,000.00
Steve Stricker T19 69-74-71-74 288 $78,000.00
David Toms T19 69-72-70-77 288 $78,000.00
Mike Weir T19 70-73-68-77 288 $78,000.00
Thomas Bjorn T22 74-72-75-68 289 $55,700.00
Carlos Franco T22 75-69-72-73 289 $55,700.00
Padraig Harrington T22 70-72-77-70 289 $55,700.00
Bernhard Langer T22 75-71-72-71 289 $55,700.00
Steve Lowery T22 69-73-71-76 289 $55,700.00
Chris Riley T22 71-74-74-70 289 $55,700.00
Stuart Appleby T28 69-74-75-72 290 $38,212.50
K.J. Choi T28 71-75-73-71 290 $38,212.50
David Duval T28 68-75-72-75 290 $38,212.50
Tim Herron T28 71-73-74-72 290 $38,212.50
Tom Lehman T28 73-71-74-72 290 $38,212.50
Phil Mickelson T28 64-75-75-76 290 $38,212.50
Bob Tway T28 74-68-77-71 290 $38,212.50
Scott Verplank T28 71-75-73-71 290 $38,212.50
Angel Cabrera T36 71-72-73-75 291 $26,437.50
Glen Day T36 71-75-73-72 291 $26,437.50
Chris DiMarco T36 66-75-74-76 291 $26,437.50
Brad Faxon T36 71-73-74-73 291 $26,437.50
Tom Kite T36 72-71-79-69 291 $26,437.50
Bob May T36 73-70-73-75 291 $26,437.50
Jose Maria Olazabal T36 73-73-71-74 291 $26,437.50
Craig Stadler T36 71-72-72-76 291 $26,437.50
Rich Beem T44 72-74-80-66 292 $18,648.00
Ernie Els T44 76-69-79-68 292 $18,648.00
Bob Estes T44 70-74-78-70 292 $18,648.00
Harrison Frazar T44 73-71-71-77 292 $18,648.00
Justin Leonard T44 72-74-72-74 292 $18,648.00
Briny Baird T49 71-74-74-74 293 $14,430.00
Jim Carter T49 74-72-73-74 293 $14,430.00
Brandel Chamblee T49 74-69-78-72 293 $14,430.00
Nick Faldo T49 68-73-72-80 293 $14,430.00
Jay Haas T49 71-71-74-77 293 $14,430.00
Dudley Hart T49 71-72-72-78 293 $14,430.00
Frank Lickliter II T49 76-70-73-74 293 $14,430.00
Loren Roberts T49 72-71-73-77 293 $14,430.00
Mark Brooks T57 72-70-74-78 294 $13,440.00
Jonathan Kaye T57 72-72-77-73 294 $13,440.00
Craig Parry T57 72-73-72-77 294 $13,440.00
Joel Edwards T60 70-72-75-78 295 $13,080.00
Charles Howell III T60 71-74-78-72 295 $13,080.00
Kenny Perry T60 73-71-76-75 295 $13,080.00
Steve Elkington T63 74-68-77-77 296 $12,600.00
Brian Gay T63 69-76-80-71 296 $12,600.00
J.L. Lewis T63 74-70-71-81 296 $12,600.00
Colin Montgomerie T63 70-76-72-78 296 $12,600.00
Scott Simpson T63 72-72-76-76 296 $12,600.00
Neal Lancaster 68 73-71-75-78 297 $12,240.00
Mark Calcavecchia T69 69-70-73-86 298 $11,940.00
David Gossett T69 69-72-78-79 298 $11,940.00
Len Mattiace T69 71-75-71-81 298 $11,940.00
Tom Pernice, Jr. T69 70-75-78-75 298 $11,940.00
Esteban Toledo 73 73-72-78-76 299 $11,640.00
Robert Damron 74 74-71-80-75 300 $11,520.00
David Frost 75 71-75-75-82 303 $11,400.00