David Toms picked the worst possible time for his first miss inside of 5 feet this week. His 3 1/2 foot miscue on the 1st playoff hole gave KJ Choi the 2011 Players Championship trophy. About an hour earlier, Paul Goydos was in the clubhouse at -11, Choi had laid up on the par five 16th. Toms elected to go for it from 240 with a hybrid yanked from his bag. He found water and the accompanying bogey, while Choi made par. All tied. On the first go around on 17 Choi birdied from 10 feet to Toms par, giving him a one stroke advantage into the tough 18th, where only three birdies had been carded all day. Toms' best drive of the day found what was probably the only fairway divot, but he hit a spectacular shot to about 20 feet and dead-centered the putt to force the playoff after Choi's up and down par. His aforementioned miss on 17 closed the deal for Choi. Both players had finished 31 holes for the day after a rain delayed Saturday. They had logged about 12 hours of course time. Graeme McDowell, the third round leader by 1, grabbed an anchor and plummeted 32 spots on the board after an unfortunate 79. Final Full Field ScoresI'm of the strong opinion that TPC Sawgrass is a tricked up mini-putt course and a crapshoot for determining winners. The tour leading 1.7 million dollar purse and lavish exemptions for the winner is certainly a factor in attracting what's always a strong field. I just hate to see players penalized for good shots. Happens a lot here. Still, it can be tolerated once a year and has the reputation for supplying drama. I just don't see it as the 10th major, much less the 5th.
It was great to see a rejuvenated David Toms and KJ, a couple of 40 year olds, duke it out on Sunday. Nice going KJ. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
I agree. I really enjoyed watching those "old" guys. Too bad one of them had to lose.
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