Love on top early at Greenbrier

Rory McIlroy's title defense at THE PLAYERS has been two years in the making after the 2020 edition was cancelled before the first round could officially be put in the books. The COVID-19 pandemic rocked us all and has made the last 12 months feel like 12 years at times. So if you've forgotten how the last full PLAYERS Championship played out at TPC Sawgrass in 2019 don't be discouraged - you're not alone. With that being said we've compiled a quick refresher for you all. Here are five things you may have forgotten from an incredible championship. 1. Rory McIlroy snapped a 12-month winless drought. While some pre-tournament pundits were suggesting his ability to close was gone, there was no doubt McIlroy was "trending" as the 2019 PLAYERS approached. The Northern Irishman had posted five straight top-6 results on TOUR to start 2019, but the multiple near misses were being viewed as a negative by some. Since winning the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard McIlroy had yielded 11 PGA TOUR Top 10s in all without another win. In his title defense at Bay Hill - a week before the PLAYERS - McIlroy found himself in the final group Sunday for the ninth time in 13 months. He didn't win - making it 0 for 9. At TPC Sawgrass he opened 67-65-70 to be just one back of the lead but many weren't prepared to say he'd get the job done. And those folks were smirking after McIlroy had an early double bogey Sunday. A birdie at the par-5 9th put him back on the heels of the leaders and further birdies on 11 and 12 sent him to the top alone. But then he missed a short par putt on the 14th prompting a stinging assessment from Paul Azinger on the broadcast. "Just really a pathetic effort for somebody like McIlroy to completely miss the hole," he said of the putt that first dropped McIlroy into a logjam at the top and soon afterward had him one behind. Rather than dwell on the negative of both the poor putt and the last 12 months, McIlroy hit an incredible approach from a fairway bunker on the 15th and converted birdie from 14-feet to join the lead once more. A laser to the 16th set up another birdie before two clutch pars to finish on the dangerous island 17th and water flanked 18th secured his win. His aggressive drive and his approach on the 72nd hole were incredible and clearly not the stuff of a fragile individual. 2. There were as many as 11 potential champions other than McIlroy who ultimately lost their way. None more so than 54-hole leader Jon Rahm who crashed as part of a wild Sunday finish. Rahm would play in the final pairing starting at 15 under, one ahead of Sunday playing partner Tommy Fleetwood and McIlroy. His rollercoaster day started by dropping three shots in the first four holes before he bounced back with two birdies before the turn. A crucial moment came on the par-5 11th when, after driving the ball into a bunker, Rahm defied his caddie Adam Hayes' suggestion to lay up and found the water going for the green. A 13th hole birdie returned hope, but he played the final four holes 3 over par, including a water ball on the par-3 17th. Jim Furyk, the 48-year-old local favorite, hit the lead when he was four under on his round through 11 holes. A birdie on 16 countered a 15th hole bogey and the old guy took center stage when he took dead aim at 17 and hit it to 14-feet. While his birdie try looked good it wouldn't fall forcing Furyk to take an aggressive line off the 18th tee. His drive was brilliant, but his approach was better. A near tap in birdie posted 15-under well in front of McIlroy and others. It was almost enough - but ultimately left him runner up alone. Before that there were many other suitors. Mexico's Abraham Ancer and young American Ollie Schniederjans made moves with two and three birdies in the opening six holes respectively. The American dropped out of it with a double bogey on 10 while Ancer was gone with bogeys on 12 and 13. Attention turned to Hideki Matsuyama next. Previously out of sight an eagle on the par-5 16th introduced the Japanese star to the mix but he failed to birdie either of the final two holes and his clubhouse lead of 12 under was always likely to fall short. England's Eddie Pepperell closed with a 5-under 31 on the back nine, in part thanks to an incredible birdie on 17 (see below) to be the first to post 14 under - a mark that at the time held a piece of the lead and looked potentially ominous. Jhonattan Vegas – who made the longest putt ever made in the ShotLink era (since 2003) on the island green behind him (see below) - had a six-foot putt to post 15 under. He missed. Fleetwood led the tournament after the opening two rounds but on Sunday he three-putted the first, found water on 11 and bogeyed 15 to seemingly end his hopes. That was until a stunning second shot on 16 set up an eagle. But just as he'd reemerged as a contender he was gone again when his tee ball on the 17th bounced off the railroad ties and into the drink. Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and to a lesser extent Jason Day also all made small moves throughout Sunday but couldn't find a killer blow. 3. The first March PLAYERS since 2006. The last full PLAYERS Championship was also the first to move back to March after 12 years in a May slot. The course had its new ryegrass fairways (as opposed to Bermuda) and new, rye-overseeded greens, tested for the first time. While we still have a small sample size - at the time the shift back was considered a success - especially given the exciting finish and variety of players who had a chance to win. The early worries centered on the move helping out the bombers but of course Jim Furyk was living proof the design genius of TPC Sawgrass still shone through - any type of player can win. 4. Epic drama on the par-3 island 17th. It started in the opening round when Ryan Moore made a hole-in-one - a brilliant shot that dove into the hole on the fly. In Friday's second round the spotlight turned to Tiger Woods who saw his tournament derailed by a quadruple bogey 7 on the hole. Woods found the water off the tee and then again from the drop zone. A day later Woods would once again lead the highlight reel on the 17th - this time after a brilliant shot to close range was followed by a hilarious exchange with playing partner Kevin Na. Na had also hit the ball close and provided one of his trademark early walks to retrieve his birdie ball - much to Woods' amusement. The 82-time winner duly went about trying to replicate it. And then - Sunday. As the tournament was trying to shake out a winner England's Eddie Pepperell made an incredible double breaking 49-foot birdie on his way to the clubhouse lead. It was the longest of the week ... for a few minutes. Just as the echoes of Pepperell's out of this world putt had subsided around TPC Sawgrass, Jhonattan Vegas stepped up and made one from 70-feet – the longest ever made in the ShotLink era (since 2003) - to also surge into contention. 5. The highlights were seemingly never-ending. The Stadium Course is purpose built for spectator golf. Pete Dye wanted the chance of excitement at every turn. And in 2019 we certainly got that. While the above highlights were all brilliant - they weren't alone. Please allow us the chance to showcase a few more from two years ago. Harris English makes just the fifth albatross in PLAYERS history from 236 yards on the par-5 11th. Sungjae Im becomes the youngest to make an ace at THE PLAYERS on the par-3 13th. Seamus Power aces the par-3 3rd. Eagle efforts from Austin Cook, Louis Oosthuizen, Charley Hoffman and Ian Poulter. As always, there was some Phil Mickelson magic. Vaughn Taylor from downtown! Tiger Woods saves from the sand.

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