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The Players volunteers ready for big challenge

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – One of the components that powers The Players is the massive volunteer force that turns out each year. And every year, there is a new Volunteer Chairman who oversees the other Red Coats on the volunteer committee and the thousands of volunteers underneath them. But as you mentioned, safety and health of everyone involved, whether it be the fans, the volunteers, or the players, is it’s going to remain our number one priority this year. “We’ve developed safety and health protocols so that we can present the tournament in a safe, responsible manner,” Smith said. “Normally we’d meet once a month with staff leading up to the tournament, as we get closer to the tournament we meet every weekend.

Tyler McCumber ready to make his own memories at The Players

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Tyler McCumber has more memories at TPC Sawgrass than he can count. But McCumber wanted his next memory to be of him actually competing in The Players Championship. McCumber and Nease won the Class 2A state championship in 2007. Bartram Trail’s Julian Suri, also a current professional golfer, won back-to-back individual state championships during that time. And being in the gallery when Funk won, McCumber knows the pride that locals feel when a hometown golfer succeeds.

Fans eager to renew Players Championship tradition after pandemic year

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Some fans at The Players Championship said they’re enjoying their first major sporting event in the last year because of the pandemic, and they’re eager to get outside and enjoy the event safely. For many people in Northeast Florida, The Players Championship is a tradition. “Just came out to walk with my daughter and get her outside,” Kennon said. Kennon is one of many fans planning to check out the action this week and feel a sense of normalcy. Pierre Hildebrand said he is pleased with the safety measures in place.

Great spots to watch the action at The Players besides the 17th hole

This year, the PGA Tour is encouraging people to check out some of the different spots to watch the action in order to help spread people out more during the coronavirus pandemic. The 17th hole is one of the most popular spots for fans to watch The Players, but around the course, there are a variety of great vantage points you might not think of. But this year, there won’t be a hospitality tent, making it easier for fans to watch the action at both holes from the same spot. AdThe Players Championship returns: Fan’s guide to the 2021 tournamentJared Rice, executive director of The Players, also shared with News4Jax his favorite place to watch. TacoLu is back there, so who doesn’t like to grab a taco, a little something to drink out there and watch some great golf?

Northeast Florida charity helping people spot the warning signs to prevent veteran suicides

Bean met Dempsey at the 5 Star Veterans Center, a local charity that gets service members back on their feet. It’s now the model for The Fire Watch, the charity in Northeast Florida aimed at ending veteran suicide. The Fire Watch is building a network of so-called Watch Standers, volunteers who are trained to identify the warning signs and step in. Since it started in May, 450 people have signed up to be Watch Standers. If you want to be a Watch Stander, go to TheFireWatch.org, click the “Watch Standers” button at the top of the screen and then register.

The Players volunteer spotlight: Azinger ace a great memory for Herbert

The legion of volunteers at The Players Championship are one of the most integral parts of the event. This week, we’re looking at several longtime volunteers who are celebrating tournament milestones in 2021. Herbert had a perfect view of one of those, carded by Paul Azinger in the third round of the 2000 event. AdHerbert spent four years in various volunteer roles before becoming a walking scorer in 1991 and has been in that position since. The ball lands, I hit, ‘shot hit,’ … a laser operator lasers that ball, and you know exactly immediately how far he hit it, 247 yards, and he’s got 185 to go to the hole,” she said.

The Players tees off this week with changes in place

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Players Championship officially tees off this week, with practice rounds open to the public starting Tuesday. The number of fans at the tournament this year will be limited each day. “I think for our volunteers, our staff and our players to have an opportunity to show we can do this safely and to finish it,” said Jared Rice, executive director of The Players. “And when we do that, it’s going to be really awesome for our community.”Rice explained one of the changes to this year’s tournament that fans will notice. The Players Championship returns: Fan’s guide to the 2021 tournamentThe Players was canceled after the first round last year, so Rice said it was important to make sure the tournament happened this year.

TPC Sawgrass agronomy team works year-round to get course ready for The Players

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Every year, some of the world’s best golfers compete in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. “It takes a great team,” said Jeff Plotts, director of agronomy at TPC Sawgrass. Plotts and his team work year-round to get the course ready for the tournament. “This is the third year doing the overseed, and we’re just getting better and better each year,” Plotts said. “It’s been a really good year for us, difficult weather-wise, but we’ve been able to endure and have some really good conditions.”This year, Plotts said, they tried to improve some of the conditions based on player feedback.

Match4Military: Daylong fundraising campaign to support Northeast Florida military organizations

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Players Championship kicks off this week at TPC Sawgrass, and News4Jax is teaming up with The Players this year for a daylong fundraising campaign called Match4Military. Typically, people come out to the tournament’s Military Appreciation Day ceremony and concert on the 17th hole every year. But this year, both events are canceled, so Match4Military is providing a way for everyone to come together remotely and give back to those who have given so much to our country. “Tuesday, March 9, we’re going to market with a community campaign in order to drive, hopefully, more than $500,000 in charitable benefit to military charities,” said Jared Rice, executive director of The Players. The Players will match donations dollar for dollar up to $250,000, and the money raised will benefit several different military organizations in Northeast Florida, including Wounded Warrior Project and The Fire Watch.

Koepka withdraws from Players Championship with knee injury

Brooks Koepka hits from the seventh fairway during the final round of the Workday Championship golf tournament Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Bradenton, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)ORLANDO, Fla. – Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from The Players Championship next week with what his manager described as a strained right knee. Koepka won the Phoenix Open last month and was a runner-up in the Workday Championship last week. He has been saddled the last few years with injuries to his left knee, including a partially torn patella. His manager at Hambric Sports, Blake Smith, said Koepka would meet with doctors this week for a better evaluation and no further details. Koepka was planning to play the Honda Classic the following week, and he had the Dell Match Play after that as the Masters on April 8-11 gets closer.

Brooks Koepka out of The Players

Brooks Koepka tees off on the second hole during the third round of the Workday Championship golf tournament, Feb. 27, 2021, in Bradenton, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Two-time major championship winner Brooks Koepka will not play in The Players Championship because of an injury. 12 in the World Golf rankings, competed in the World Golf Championship event last week but did not tee off in the Arnold Palmer Invitational this weekend at Bay Hill. “Brooks strained his right knee and he is scheduled to further consult with doctors this week to receive a more extensive evaluation and outlook,” said Blake Smith, Koepka’s manager. According to a release by the PGA Tour, “With Koepka’s withdrawal, the field now includes 48 of the top 50 in both the FedExCup standings and the Official World Golf Ranking. He will be replaced in the 154-player field by Anirban Lahiri of India, unless a player not otherwise exempt wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.”AdKoepka was expected to be in one of the featured groups in the first two rounds of The Players along with John Rahm and Patrick Reed.

Players Championship tickets sell out within hours on Tuesday

Fans gather at the TPC Sawgrass course to watch The Players during the 2019 event. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tickets came and went for The Players Championship on Tuesday, with the tournament selling out its limited allotment of passes within two hours. The only tickets that remain are for Tuesday’s practice round. The event is March 9-10 (practice rounds) and 11-14 (tournament rounds) at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. A limited number of pre-sale tickets were made available on Feb. 1 to those who subscribe to the Players newsletter, and those who attended the tournament in 2019 and ’20.

Limited number of tickets for The Players go on sale Tuesday

File photo of the 17th green during The Players Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Tickets to The Players Championship will be harder to get this year due to limits on the size of the crowd. So they may go fast when single-day tickets go on sale Tuesday. Jared Rice, the executive director of The Players, said last month that tickets would be limited to 20% of the maximum capacity — a number he declined to share. The Players was the first event on the PGA Tour to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Want Players Championship tickets this year? Better get them early

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tickets for next month’s Players Championship are going to be more in demand than ever before. The message from The Players — get those tickets quickly. The Tour hasn’t released attendance totals since 2013, so nailing down an exact number of available tickets is a bit estimation. That would put a 20% attendance at roughly 9,000 per day this year if the Tour based its numbers off that 2013 high. Players tickets are always in demand, especially the Friday and Saturday rounds, so scooping those up early is strongly encouraged by the tournament this year.

The Players will have only 20% of usual attendance due to coronavirus concerns

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – In December, The Players announced that the tournament would be played in 2021, but with fewer fans on the course. Jared Rice, the executive director of The Players, said Monday that tickets would be limited to 20% of the maximum capacity — a number he declined to share. “As part of that, we’re going to ask a lot of this community and ask for the greater good,” Rice said. Contactless entry and commerce throughout the golf course. There is DNA of how we addressed that situation here last year, in terms of the tour’s return to golf.