Up & Down: News and Notes
PhilMickelson
Coming off two straight third-place finishes, Lefty was hot. With nothree-putts all week and a masterpiece of controlled play on Sunday, heexorcised his demons faster than you can say Winged Foot.
The Course
Pete Dye's tee-to-green renovations made what was already an intricatechallenge even more intriguing, without succumbing to the rampant impulse tojust make every hole 150 yards longer.
Sergio García'sSunday
García drafted off fellow Spaniard José María Olaàbal (tie for third) andfinally came through in the final round of a big event, shooting 66 and goingfrom 13th to second.
May
The new date gives the season a great sense of momentum; it's only been fourweeks since the Masters, and it's only four more until the U.S. Open!
Late-SpringWeather
Part of the reason for the move to May was to escape the questionable weatherof early spring. It worked. After a rough Thursday, Saturday was perfect andSunday storms held off, providing ideal scoring conditions and excitinggolf.
The 17thHole
Once again it was the scene of unfiltered misery and drama, and played adefinitive role in deciding the tournament's outcome.
Butch Harmon
The former tutor of Greg Norman and Woods has officially been working withMickelson for three weeks, and after this win, Harmon has vaulted back to thefront of the teaching pack.
Tiger Woods
Woods hit it all over the place and lipped out a ton of putts. If not for hislate rally on Sunday, he would've gone all week without breaking par.
TheClubhouse
The PGA Tour reportedly spent $16 million to $18 million on a77,000-square-foot behemoth that has all the elegance and charm of a DonaldTrump casino.
Luke Donald'sSunday
After a blistering 65 on Saturday put him in contention (tie for fifth), theusually consistent Donald shot a 74 in the final round to drop to 16th.
March
For 32 years the Players Championship had been played in the weeks leading upto the Masters. The Players may never be considered a major, but it alwaysdeserved to be more than a run-up to Augusta.
Tropical StormAndrea
She made a mess of Thursday's round, with swirling winds that gusted to 39 mphand pushed 50 balls into the water at 17. How hard was the Stadium courseplaying? In 2006 only 51 splashed down for the entire tournament.
The 17thHole
Woods called it gimmicky and unbefitting the 71st hole of a prestigioustournament. Watching Sean O'Hair implode there was gut-wrenching.
Hank Haney
His marquee student won the Wachovia, but it was in spite of his poor ballstriking, not because of it. At Sawgrass the full-swing troubles persisted; thescorching putting did not.
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EIGHT PHOTOS
ROBERT BECK (MICKELSON, WOODS); DAVID WALBERG (CLUBHOUSE, 17TH HOLE); RICHARD HEATHCOTE/GETTY IMAGES (GARCIA); TANNEN MAURY/EPA (DONALD); CHRIS CONDON/PGA TOUR/WIREIMAGE.COM (HARMON, HANEY)