The Players Championship Will Always Be Special

The The Players Championship holds a special place in my heart. It was the second professional tournament I ever attended. The first was the Wyndham Championship back in the early 2010s, and that trip planted the seed for what has become one of my favorite yearly traditions.

There is something about attending a golf tournament in person that television can never quite capture. The quiet before a swing. The murmur of the gallery moving down the fairway. The moment when everyone collectively holds their breath as a putt rolls toward the hole.

Having played golf in college, I always appreciate watching professionals navigate water hazards. For me, any time there is water on a hole, even something as small as a rain puddle, that is exactly where my ball would land. Watching the best players in the world calmly hit shots over lakes and hazards is both impressive and mildly humbling.

And then there is the Island Green.

Standing around the famous par three 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course feels like stepping directly into golf history. The hole was designed by Pete Dye and has become one of the most recognizable holes in the world (there’s additional history on this that I will share in a later episode of the podcast). The green is surrounded entirely by water, which means every tee shot carries real consequences. Over the years it has produced everything from unforgettable birdies to tournament-changing disasters.

The Players is often called the unofficial fifth major, and when you stand around that hole with thousands of fans watching golf balls fly toward the island, it is easy to understand why.

One of my earliest memories at this tournament involves that very hole. When I first attended years ago, I watched Adam Scott make a hole in one on seventeen. If you are going to witness a hole in one anywhere in golf, the island green is a pretty incredible place for it to happen.

The tournament also gave me another unforgettable moment when Shane Lowry made an ace during one of the years we attended. That moment happened around the same time my husband proposed to me on a very rainy Saturday at the tournament.

Yes, he proposed at The Players.

We were standing near the second hole watching Adam Scott play when he got down on one knee. The rain was coming down, golfers were walking the fairway, and suddenly I realized what was happening. It was one of those moments that feels surreal even years later.

Now I like Adam Scott for obvious reasons. He is handsome. He is incredibly talented. And he has been one of the most consistent players in the modern era. The Australian star won the The Masters Tournament in 2013 and has spent time ranked number one in the world.

Because of that proposal, The Players became more than just a golf tournament for us. It turned into an annual anniversary tradition. My husband and I were married on March fourth, and the tournament almost always falls right around our anniversary.

The only year we missed it was the year we got married because we were in Hawaii. I love The Players, but Hawaii was not exactly a terrible substitute for a golf trip.

My husband is a trooper. Luckily he loves golf almost as much as I do, maybe more. That helps when he has to spend money every year to take his wife to see her golf crush.

This year we arrived mid morning on Saturday with a simple plan. Follow Adam Scott.

Scott has been a regular presence at The Players for decades. The 2026 tournament marked yet another appearance in what has been one of the longest active streaks of cuts made at the event. Even after more than twenty years on tour, he still draws a loyal gallery.

During the week he ultimately finished tied for 56th at two over par, but the scorecard never really tells the whole story when you watch someone like Scott play in person.

His iron play still looks effortless. The rhythm of his swing is exactly the same one that made him one of the most admired ball strikers of his generation.

We followed him through several holes and caught glimpses of other stars along the way. We watched a bit of Jason Day navigating the course and caught groups that included Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler. At one point we tried to get closer to Rory McIlroy, but that quickly proved difficult.

Following Rory is a little like trying to walk through a moving stadium crowd. His gallery is massive.

At one point during Adam Scott’s round we noticed a group nearby that looked very much like his family following along. We were a little too star struck to confirm that theory, but the smiles and quiet excitement from that group made us pretty confident we were right.

Once we finished watching his round we headed over to the Intercoastal Club hospitality area and bounced between holes twelve and thirteen.

That stretch of the course offers some great golf. The twelfth is a par four that tempts players to attack the green, while the thirteenth is a precise par three that rewards accurate iron shots.

I enjoyed an Ultra Zero while we watched groups come through. I have discovered that the sober life is much better for my golf game.

We also spent some time camping out on the eleventh hole. That spot has shade, which is a gift at a Florida golf tournament, and it offers a great view of players launching some absolutely beautiful drives.

Sunday started early.

We arrived around eight in the morning and made our traditional stop at the fan shop to grab our yearly swag. After that we headed back to the Intercoastal Club and grabbed some fantastic seats overlooking the twelfth hole.

From there we watched players absolutely blister drives toward the green.

I am naturally a little nosey, so I started chatting with the people sitting next to us. They had some fantastic restaurant recommendations in St. Augustine and they were dog lovers, which automatically qualifies them as wonderful people.

Throughout the day I wandered out occasionally to get closer to the action, especially when Adam Scott was nearby. Watching him tee off on thirteen and then approach the green gave me the chance to capture a few great photos.

I have learned one thing about filming golf though. Whenever I pull out my phone to record someone putting for birdie, they seem to miss it. At this point I try to keep the phone down and just enjoy the moment.

The final round ended with a dramatic finish. Cameron Young rallied from four shots behind to win the tournament at thirteen under par, edging out Matt Fitzpatrick by a single stroke after a clutch birdie on the island green seventeenth.

Young then crushed a massive 375 yard drive on the eighteenth hole, the longest recorded there since tracking began, setting up the closing par that secured the biggest win of his career.

We did not stay until the final putt dropped. By that point we were exhausted and decided to head back to the hotel, where we watched the finish on television.

Every year The Players ends up being one of my favorite vacations.

That might sound dramatic, but it means something coming from someone who spends a lot of time traveling to historic places. With the upcoming celebrations surrounding America’s two hundred and fiftieth birthday, many of my future trips will involve historical sites across the country.

But The Players will always be special.

It is where my love of golf, my personal history, and some unforgettable moments all came together in one place.

And honestly, any tournament where you can watch the best golfers in the world attempt to survive an island green while remembering the day you got engaged is pretty hard to beat.

xoxo,

Sammy Jo

Host of the Under Par Over Time Podcast launching April 7, 2026