The Players Championship was easily the best week of viewing we’ve seen so far in 2024.
From Rory McIlroy‘s dynamite start to the dropgate drama, Wyndham Clark and Xander Schauffele‘s stunning charges and then Scheffler’s epic comeback title defense, it was box office viewing for golf fans.
The Players might have dropped down the pecking order from golf’s unofficial fifth Major to ‘just’ the PGA Tour’s top event, but the golf on show was of a supreme high quality and it showed us that when the PGA Tour gets it right, it can get by without its former star names who now play in the LIV Golf League.
So here are my takeaways from what was a fantastic 2024 Players Championship.
Scheffler is king
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Despite almost pulling out with a neck injury, Scheffler somehow got it done against three world class players who were all playing near their top level. Schauffele, Clark and Harman will all have felt gutted after coming up one stroke shy – but the man who beat them is on another level right now.
Scottie has re-found his putting boots and seems to be able to rise to the occasion when it matters. He’ll be favorite for every Major this year and for good reason. He’s a ball striking machine, he remembers how to putt and he clearly has the mental strength to produce his best stuff when it’s needed.
It’s hard to believe he’s only won one Major, and he’ll be disappointed at the end of the year if he isn’t at least a two-time Major champion.
It’s time for him to keep his foot on the gas and start catching up the likes of Rahm, Thomas, Spieth, McIlroy and Koepka.
It felt like a Major
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The Players Championship simply can’t be considered a Major until it has all of the world’s best in the field, but the grandstand finish really did give off Major vibes.
The 16th and 17th holes in particular have got to be some of the best two-hole stretches in professional golf, and the 18th isn’t bad either.
Schauffele clearly got nervous towards the end and the pressure and atmosphere really did feel like the pros were competing for something big.
If Scottie strolled it by five it might have been different, but with the finishing stretch and the players involved towards the end right around the lead it was far and away the best golf viewing since the Ryder Cup.
It’s got the course, the history, the prestige, the huge galleries and the prize money. It’s missing just one thing right now – the top LIV pros – before it basically is a Major.
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