Best of the Players Championship: The 25 Most Dominant Performances

As time goes by, sometimes we forget about the great performances of the past. Lets make sure that doesn’t happen, as we take a look back at the 25 most dominant performances in the history of the Players Championship.

Known familiarly as “the fifth major,” the Players Championship moves back to mid-March this season following a dozen years in a May slot on the PGA Tour schedule. The event will be played March 14-17.

Since its creation in 1974 – and especially since its relocation to the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course in 1982 – the Players Championship has generated a host of pulsating outcomes. That’s due in part to the strength of the field – annually one of the deepest on tour – and also due to the stage. Pete Dye designed Sawgrass for its dramatic intensity, the three closing holes including a reachable par 5, the iconic island green par 3 17th, and a challenging par 4 conclusion alongside a menacing lake.

Here’s one good indication of the depth of the field and intensity of the drama: In the 44-year history of the event, no player has ever successfully defended.

Even so, the list of Players champions is essentially a Who’s Who of the game, beginning with the inaugural champion, Jack Nicklaus in 1974. He won two more times, in 1976 and 1978, making him the event’s only three-time champion. Ray Floyd, Tom Kite, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Lee Trevino, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler are all also on the list of champions.

Five men have won the tournament twice: Hal Sutton (1983 and 2000), Fred Couples (1984 and 1996), Steve Elkington (1991 and 1997), Davis Love (1992 and 2003) and Tiger Woods (2001 and 2013).

Listed below are the 25 most dominant performances in the history of the Players Championship. The rating is based on the standard deviation of each champion’s performance relative to that week’s four-round field average.

Note that this is not a subjective rating of “Best” Players. Although several of the tournaments recapped below produced close finishes – one of the 25 was settled in a playoff – the victor’s relative dominance, not spectator drama, is the determining characteristic.

For each entry, heading information includes the player’s name, year, raw score, relationship to par, and standard deviation.