It all comes down to the final 18 ... but, most likely, the wild ride of TPC Sawgrass’ THE PLAYERS Stadium Course will come down the stretch as it always does.
Nos. 16-18 are treacherous for the best PGA TOUR pros in the world – to the extent that more golf balls were hit into the water on the final three holes (by 100) than the first 15 holes combined. From 2003-2014, TPC Sawgrass played 1,724 over par on No. 18.
Three of the most exciting finishing holes in the game of golf.
On Sunday, September 6 – the best junior golfers in the world will tee off with the final round course setup and hole locations from THE PLAYERS Championship. The best of what’s ahead in golf’s next generation has already begun.
Beyond the weight of an enchanted trophy also lies a little more than a month left in the 2019-2020 season and significant Rolex Junior Player of the Year and Rolex Junior All-America team points at stake.
After 36 holes, 13 players are under par divided by just five strokes. The majority are chasing their first AJGA Invitational win and include:
- Eight college commits (Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Duke, Florida State, N.C. State and Wake Forest)
- Youngest (age 15): Jack Gilbert of Houston, playing in his first AJGA Invitational
- 2019 Rolex Tournament of Champions winner and No. 1 Rolex AJGA Rankings player Kelly Chinn of Great Falls, Virginia
- First-round leader Evan Vo of Austin, Texas
- Second-round leader Preston Summerhays of Scottsdale, Arizona
2. Writing the next chapter in history:
The Junior PLAYERS Championship winners since 2007 include players from Alabama (3), Texas (2), Florida (3), New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Taiwan, and South Africa.
Records to watch for:
- 18 holes: Logan McCallister (2017) 9-under-par 63
- 54 holes: Travis Vick*, Bo Jin and Akshay Bhatia (2018) 8-under-par 208 (TPC Sawgrass); Kavish Varadan* and Cole Hammer (2016) 10-under-par 206 (Sawgrass Country Club) - * won in playoff
In 13 past years, extra holes were needed to determine the winner of The Junior PLAYERS Championship three times (2016-2018). A three-hole aggregate playoff (THE PLAYERS Championship) format will be used in 2020 on the finishing holes (Nos. 16-18) if needed.
3. “Better than most”: As determined by THE PLAYERS, Tiger Woods owns one of the most iconic moments in PGA TOUR history.
In 2001, Woods faced a triple-breaking, downhill 60-foot birdie try on No. 17. The seemingly impossible effort on one of the most infamous greens on TOUR was deemed “better than most” by NBC commentator Gary Koch when the putt was struck. The ball dropped into the hole, the crowd exploded, and that one stroke ended as Woods’ margin of victory.
Who will be “better than most” at #JrPLAYERS in 2020? Follow along on @AJGAGolf social and TaylorMade | adidas Golf Live Scoring.