The 2011 Players Championship: K.J. Choi Defeats David Toms in Sudden Death Playoff, Wins Players Championship

After a grueling Sunday that saw the majority of the field having to finish their third rounds in the morning, K.J. Choi outlasted the entire field in exciting fashion, eventually taking the 2011 Players Championship in a sudden death playoff.

David Toms bogeyed the first hole of sudden death, the dangerous par 3 17th, with an unfortunate three putt while Choi made an easy par to take home the title. Toms was leading the majority of the day heading into the par 5 16th, but put his second shot in the water that eventually lead to a bogey as well. Choi shot a final round -5 67 to get the job done, while Toms shot a -1 par 71, including a birdie on the 72nd hole to force the playoff.

The day began with Graeme McDowell atop the leaderboard, but he began to lose his focus towards the end of his front nine in a big way. He eventually finished the day with 6 bogeys and a double, and unfortunate final round 79 on the scorecard. Paul Goydos also made a gutsy charge on Sunday, carding back-to-back 69’s to get him to -11 for the tournament, alone in third place.

Sacramento native and Fresno State Alum Nick Watney finsihed T4 at -10 while his fellow Sacramentan Spencer Levin finished T12 at -8 par. UC Berkeley Alumni Charlie Wi shot a 75 in his final round to drop to -3 for the week.

Full leaderboard can be found here.

For more discussion and analysis of the Players Championship, head over to SB Nation’s golf blog Waggle Room to get your fix.

The 2011 Players Championship: Graeme McDowell Take Solo Lead After Third Round, Nick Watney Two Back

After inclement weather pushed the third round of the 2011 Players Championship back into Sunday, there were over 25 players within two shots of the lead with many of the leaders with over 30 holes to play on Sunday. But after some early tee times to finish the round, Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell outlasted the field, taking a one shot lead at -12 par into the final round at TPC Sawgrass today.

McDowell shot a -4 par 68 to vault himself atop the leaderboard but veterans K.J. Choi and David Toms sit only one shot behind him at -11 par, and Sacramento Native Nick Watney only one shot behind them at -10. Watney shot an even par 72 after going +4 par for the 3 hole stretch of 14-16, including a double bogey on 14. Not exactly how you want to finish after making 5 birdies in your first 13 holes.

The conditions remain benign out there and there are many birdies for the taking, it will all come down to who can navigate their way through the final three holes and claim the Players Championship as their own.

The 2011 Players Championship: Nick Watney, Graeme McDowell Lead in Rain Shortened Third Round

After an elongated rain delay the third round of the 2011 Players Championship will spill over into Sunday as the majority of the field were unable to finish today due to darkness. Nevertheless, the soggy conditions and benign wind made it a birdie fest after play resumed, vaulting Sacramento Native and Fresno State Alumni Nick Watney back atop the leaderboard at -11 par, tied with Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell.

Watney shot two under in his third round, that has consisted of only 5 holes thus far, while McDowell shot three under in his 5 holes of play. One player that was luckily enough to finish was Sean O’Hair, shooting a -5 par 67, the best score so far in the third round. UC Berkley Alumni Charlie Wi was also hot today, making 7 birdies on his round of -4 par 68.

Second round leader David Toms remained at -10 par, even par through 5 holes of his third round while Steve Stricker moved up to -10 with two birdies through 5 holes as well.

Coverage will begin at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m PT) on NBC, play will resume 7:45 a.m. ET at TPC Sawgrass, and will use split tees for the final round of play to be able to get everyone finished in time.

The 2011 Players Championship: Updated Saturday Tee Times

There has been a heavy rainstorm falling in the Ponte Vedra Beach Area this morning, causing a elongated weather delay during the third round of the 2011 Players Championship. TPC Sawgrass can be a very soggy place, but it should prove to play into the hands of the leaders as they will get much softer, easier conditions to go at the flagstick.

The final 10 twosomes are still yet to tee off today and PGATour.com has released their updated tee times. Needless to say, non of these players will get a chance to finish their third round before Sunday, giving golf fans a long day of some exciting golf to end their weekend.

5:30 p.m. ET – Paul Goydos, Jason Dufner
5:40 p.m. ET – Kevin Streelman, Jason Day
5:50 p.m. ET – K.J. Choi, Rory Sabbatini
6 p.m. ET – Greg Chalmers, Brian Davis
6:10 p.m. ET – Chris Stroud, Robert Karlsson
6:20 p.m. ET – J. B. Holmes, Davis Love III
6:30 p.m. ET – Hunter Mahan, Aaron Baddeley
6:40 p.m. ET – Luke Donald, Lucas Glover
6:50 p.m. ET – Graeme McDowell, Steve Stricker
7 p.m. ET – David Toms, Nick Watney

The 2011 Players Championship: Third Round Tee Times

Moving Day is upon us at the 2011 Players Championship, and with 6 players within two shots of the lead, it should prove to be a terrific weekend of golf. David Toms has shown some of his brilliance of yesteryear as he sits atop the leaderboard, but with the talented Nick Watney only one shot behind him, can Toms maintain his form for the next 36 holes?Last week's winner Lucas Glover, along with Luke Donald, Steve Stricker and Graeme McDowell are all well within striking distance. Saturday may prove to be the most important of the tournament if someone can separate themselves from the field. 

Tee times for Saturday are provided by PGATour.com (all times Eastern) 

The 2011 Players Championship, Second Round Scores: David Toms Leads at -10, Nick Watney One Back at -9

The second round of the 2011 Players Championship is in the books, and veteran David Toms has taken the lead with a tidy -4 68 on Friday at TPC Sawgrass. Toms has had a long drought in the winner’s circle but is placed nicely to end that reign this weekend.

Toms had 6 birdies on his round today mixed with two bogeys on the 8th and 15th, but played the difficult stretch of 16,17, and 18 at -1 par today. His last win came in the 2006 Sony Open in Hawaii, but has seemingly turned back the clock and found his form once again.

First round leader and Fresno State Alumni Nick Watney shot a -1 par 71 to remain one shot back of Toms in solo second in front of Luke Donald, Lucas Glover, Graeme McDowell and Steve Stricker, all at -8 par.Watney carded 3 birdies and 2 bogeys today, missing a number of birdie putts that would have sent him atop the leaderboard. But he still is positioned well to make a charge during the weekend.

Both Donald and Stricker shot -5 par 67’s today to place them T3 halfway through the tournament, but it was Austrailian Greg Chalmers who made the biggest move on Friday, shooting a -7 par 65 to move to -6 for the tournament, tied for eleventh place. Bubba Watson carded a -6 par 66 to move to -2 for the week, tied 35th.

For more discussion and analysis of the Players Championship, head over to SB Nation’s Golf Blog, Waggle Room, to get your fix.

The 2011 Players Championship: Notable Pairings for Friday at TPC Sawgrass

There sure was a lot of low scoring taking place at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday, and if the perfect weather keeps up it will likely be the case on Friday as well. There is a slight chance of rain and a bit of breeze in the forecast, but you never quite know in the Ponte Vedra Beach area.

Here's a look at some notable pairings during the second round of the Players Championship, taken from PGATour.com:

With the absence of Tiger Woods, Martin Kaymer and Matt Kuchar will play as a twosome, teeing off at 1:18 p.m. ET off of the tenth tee.

For more discussion and analysis of the Players Championship, head on over to SB Nation's golf blog Waggle Room to get in on the action.

The 2011 Players Championship: Friday Tee Times at TPC Sawgrass

After Fresno State Alumni Nick Watney shot an impressive 64 to take the first round lead at the Players Championship, he will look to keep it against the outstanding field at TPC Sawgrass this weekend. 60 players are currently under par after some benign conditions gave the field lots of scoring opportunities, and the weather seemingly will have the same in store for Friday. The pairings for the second round are the same, but the times and starting tees have all been swapped. 

Coverage will be on the Golf Channel once again from 1-7 p.m. ET, then moving over to NBC for the weekend. 

For more discussion and analysis of the Players Championship, head over to SB Nation's golf blog Waggle Room. 

Here is the full list of Friday's tee times from PGATour.com: (all times Eastern)

2011 Players Championship, First Round Scores: Fresno State Alum Nick Watney Leads at -8 Par

Even with the news of Tiger Woods withdrawing from the 2011 Players Championship, there was still plenty to talk about as Fresno State Alumni Nick Watney shot an impressive 64 to take th efirst round lead at -8 par at TPC Sawgrass.

Watney started on the back nine, finishing with 9 birdies on his round today. He also added a chip in eagle on the par 5 second hole, but had a double bogey on the 14th and bogey on the 8th as well, keeping him from having a very special round this afternoon.

Last week’s winner Lucas Glover continued his great play shoot a -7 par 65 to remain one shot back of Watney. He had 6 birdies and an eagle on his round today with only one bogey on the par 5 16th. Veterans Mark O’Meara and David Toms palyed very well today as well, shooting a pair of 66’s to sit tied for third after one round of play.

Full leaderboard can be found here.

There are 12 players within four shots of the lead thus far at TPC Sawgrass, and with the wind staying relatively calm there are some serious birdies to be had on the course. Should prove to be an exciting Friday to see how it will all play out.

The 2011 Players Championship BREAKING NEWS: Tiger Woods Withdraws From Tournament

After beginning his day +6 par for his first nine holes Tiger Woods has decided to withdraw from the Players Championship. Tiger has been struggling with both knee and Achilles injuries, and obviously they were still affecting his game.

This was his first start since the Masters, and has only played 27 holes total since his T4 finish at Augsuta National due to his nagging afflictions of his lower body.

“The knee acted up and the Achilles followed that, and then the calf started cramping up,” said Woods. “Everything started getting tight, so it’s just a whole chain reaction.”

Tiger’s first tee shot found the rough, leading to an opening bogey for the former number one player in the world, then twice found water on the fourth, eventually carding a triple-bogey seven. He bogeyed the fifth and ninth holes as well to finish the front nine with a 42, 10 shots off the lead.

“This morning, it felt fine during warm-up and then as I played it got progressively worse. [The doctors] said I could play. The more rest I get, the better it would be. I wanted to come back for it and play and unfortunately I wasn’t able to finish.”

Tiger also had to withdraw from the Players last year in the final round with a neck injury.

Stay with SB Nation Bay Area for complete coverage of the 2011 Players Championship.

The 2011 Players Championship: Notable Pairings for Thursday at TPC Sawgrass

As the 2011 Players Championship gets underway, there is a number of notable pairings for the people to enjoy. Some are just too talented to keep your eyes off of, some are intriguing mixes of playing styles, while others are causing a stir, even if they aren't playing together.

Bubba Watson recently made some comments about Tiger Woods and his golf swing, which was a bit overblown by the media. Nevertheless, Tiger didn't appreciate it all too much, and said the two 'will talk' about the situation. Both players tee off at 8:08 a.m. ET, although Tiger will be teeing off the first tee while Bubba will be on the tenth. Maybe they will see each other on opposing holes and starting yelling at one another tee box to tee box. Highly doubtful, but still would make for an epic golfing experience for viewers. 

Below is a listing of important pairing to keep your eye on throughout the course of Thursday's round. Some will be off earlier that the television coverage begins (1:00 p.m. ET, Golf Channel), but you can still follow along at the Players Championship Page at PGATour.com.

Taken from PGATour.com:

Stick with SB Nation Bay Area for complete Players Championship coverage or get in on the conversation over at SB Nation's golf blog Waggle Room. 

The 2011 Players Championship: Thursday Tee Times at TPC Sawgrass

TPC Sawgrass Odds: Tiger Woods Favored To Win 2011 Players Championship

The 2011 Players Championship kicks off bright and early Thursday morning at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, and naturally Tiger Woods has quickly become a betting favorite. Although Tiger has been winless in tournament play for some time now, that hasn’t stopped the oddsmakers from installing him as a favorite, or co-favorite with Phil Mickelson.

A quick look at Bodog’s odds for the event reveals Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Luke Donald as the three early favorites. After Donald at 16/1, the next closest odds are seven players at 33/1.

Phil Mickelson 14/1
Tiger Woods 14/1
Luke Donald 16/1
Adam Scott 33/1
Ben Crane 33/1
Jim Furyk 33/1
Martin Kaymer 33/1
Matt Kuchar 33/1
Nick Watney 33/1
Steve Stricker 33/1
Bubba Watson 40/1
Charl Schwartzel 40/1
Dustin Johnson 40/1
Hunter Mahan 40/1
Jason Day 40/1
K.J. Choi 40/1
Padraig Harrington 40/1
Bill Haas 50/1
Geoff Ogilvy 50/1
J.B. Holmes 50/1
Paul Casey 50/1

Although I’m sure plenty of people will be throwing down money on Tiger Woods this weekend, Gene Wojciechowski provides plenty of reasons to stay away from Tiger when it comes to betting. He hasn’t won at TPC Sawgrass since 2001 and he has one top ten finish there since 2002. He apparently has played a grand total of 18 holes since last month’s Masters fourth place finish. Heading into Thursday’s tee off one has to wonder whether that’s a good or a bad thing.

Whatever the case, given how the PGA Tour has played out this season, you could very well draw a name out of a hat and be better off than researching the players. As Ernie mentioned in opening this stream, it’s really anybody’s tournament and probably won’t be decided until the closing holes. Make sure and check back all week for more coverage of the 2011 Players Championship. We’ll have tee times each morning, a look at notable pairings, and of course daily recaps of the action.

The 2011 Players Championship: Can Tiger Woods Return to Form at TPC Sawgrass?

It's been about a month since the World has last heard from Tiger Woods, who was just a few missed putts away from claiming his 5th green jacket at Augusta National. Now after his injured knee and Achilles have kept him away from the golf course for weeks on end, can he get it all together in time to compete in this years Players Championship?

History says no. Aside from his win there in 2001 Tiger has never finished higher than eighth in the tournament, and actually withdrew last year after he hurt his neck during the final round. He's in tinker mode right now, checking and double checking every nook and cranny of his golf swing in hopes of figuring it out in time for the U.S. Open next month. Tiger knows the importance of the PGA Tour's unofficial "fifth major," that's why he's playing even though I doubt he is back to 100%. But some other high profile golfers don't exactly see it that way. 

Current number one in the world Lee Westwood and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy both decided to skip the Players this week,  with Westwood taking his son to the Manchester City v Stoke City FA Cup final in England and will play in South Korea instead. McIlroy on the other hand simply doesn't like the layout of the course and feels he won't do well there. To each their own, and I'd have to say that this tourney probably means more to Americans than Europeans, but it's called the "fifth major" for a reason, and makes people scratch their heads when golfers choose not to play it. 

Predictions? I don't even want to go there. This has been such a crazy season on the PGA Tour so far that it literally is anybody's week to win. It will all come down to the 16th, 17th, and 18th on Sunday, where danger and opportunity mesh to create one of the most exciting finishes in all of golf. 

Can't wait for this thing to start tomorrow. Should be a great weekend of golf.