Best of the Players Championship: The 25 Most Dominant Performances

At various stages of the 2002 Players, most of the world’s premier golfing talent made a run at the title. Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, David Duval, Sergio Garcia and Nick Faldo all flitted in and out of contention.

When the final scores were tallied, however, the winner was among the least likely in the tour’s history.

Craig Perks, a 35-year-old New Zealander ranked 203rd in the world, had no victories and almost no significant tournament experience when he outlasted the field at Sawgrass. In only his third season on tour, he had to that point competed in 65 events to that point, missing the cut in 37 of them and registering just four top 10’s.

Mickelson stole the early show, opening with 64 that put him two strokes ahead of Chris DeMarco, four up on Duval and Faldo, and seven ahead of Woods….and, although nobody cared at the time, Perks.

But Mickelson followed his 67 with a Friday 75, and when neither Duval (75), Faldo (73) nor Woods (72) took advantage,  the lead fell to Carl Paulson and Jeff Sluman virtually by default.  Perks meanwhile cobbled together a steady 68 to tie Mickelson and Mark Calcavecchia for third place.

Paulson’s third straight 69 left him in front after play Saturday with Perks, who shot 69, the closest pursuer. Woods, Garcia and Faldo all lingered six shots back.

For a few moments Sunday, Paulson looked like the most plausible candidate to emerge from the field. He birdied the first hole while Perks bogeyed, extending his advantage to three strokes. But Paulson epically gave those back and more with bogeys at three through six, and when Perks birdied eight he led Paulson, Mike Weir and Billy Andrade by two.

Perks played  choppy golf for most of the back nine, coming to the 16th having mixed two birdies with three bogeys and just one par. A missed two-foot putt at 15 had ceded the lead to yet another little-known player, Stephen Ames.

At 16, Perks’ 4-iron approach flirted with the pond before stopping a few feet away in heavy rough. He chipped it in for an eagle to tie Ames. A 28-foot birdie putt to take the lead followed on 17, and when Ames bogeyed the final hole, Perks led by two.

Still he was not home free. He drove into the trees on the right on 18, pitched back in the fairway and then flew the green with his third shot. Needing to get up and down for the win, Perks went one better, chipping in for a second critical time in three holes.