Golfers enjoy quiet course for start of Players practice

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Thousands of golf fans are expected to attend The Players Championship this week at TPC Sawgrass.

Just not Monday.

For the second year in a row, the course is closed to spectators on Monday, something that is OK with some of the golfers.

"Monday is a good day to get some quiet work done on the range," said 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell. "Living in Orlando, I wanted to take the opportunity to get some testing done early on what might the be the best practice facility in the world."

McDowell said that the Stadium Course is one that tests every club in your bag.

"There's no bad winners here," he said. "It's total ball striking out here this week.  Driving, fairways, greens, putting, you have to do everything extremely well here."

Billy Horschel, the 2014 FedEx Cup champion, was also out on the course early Monday morning.  It's only a mile or two from his home down the road in Ponte Vedra Beach. He said it's one of his favorite weeks of the year, and not just because he can sleep in his own bed all week.

"It's obviously The Players Championship," Horschel said. "I like that the players have some influence with how things are done here, how the course is and practice as well."

Horschel said that he wouldn't mind having a chance to hold up a trophy at the end of the week either.

"It's our event," he said. "We like to call it our event, and what player out on tour wouldn't want to win our tournament?"