Players Championship week got off to a stormy start on Monday when a line of thundershowers swept through Ponte Vedra Beach and added more than 2 inches of rain on the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass to the total that already fell on Sunday.
PGA Tour pros arriving early were unable to access the practice areas until noon and maintenance crews had not opened the course for practice rounds as of 1:30 p.m.
TPC Sawgrass superintendent Jeff Plotts reported that 3.2 inches of rain fell on the property Sunday and Monday. There was a bit more than 1 inch on Sunday.
The course has been closed to fans on Mondays since the tournament was in the final years of its May era. Tuesday is the first day they will be admitted to the course.
Although there was lightning associated with the storm, there was no damage to any part of the golf course or the many bleachers, hospitality chalets, tents or other temporary structures, nor were there any immediate reports of tree damage, said 2025 volunteer chairman Tyler Oldenburg.
Among the players on the practice grounds as soon as they were allowed were 2021 Players champion Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Billy Horschel, Max Homa, Charley Hoffman, Lucas Glover, Will Zalatoris, Sam Ryder, Davis Thompson and Min Woo Lee.
Rain has plagued Players leading into tournament week
It’s the second year in a row that heavy rain fell on the property the weekend before The Players. Plotts said there was 2.65 inches of rain last year during the same Sunday night/Monday morning window, and the greens were soft all week, leading to a 71.471 scoring average, the second-lowest in history.
The final-round scoring average was 71.096, also the second-lowest in tournament history. Scottie Scheffler shot 64 in the final round to win at 20-under 268, the lowest 72-hole score for a winner since Greg Norman set the record at 24-under in 1994.
“Mother Nature is the one thing that has all the control,” Plotts said last week. “These guys are the best players in the world and they’re going to shoot low scores if you have benign conditions.”
Weather forecast looks good through Friday
The sun came out shortly after 11 a.m. on Monday and according to PGA Tour meteorologist Wade Stettner, it will be sunny with temperatures reaching the low-70s and a zero percent chance of rain through Thursday and Friday’s opening rounds.
The Weather Underground extended forecast is calling for good weather through Saturday but a chance of afternoon thundershowers on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Players Championship gets off to a stormy start but forecast looks good
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