| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 24–27, 1988 |
| Location | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 30°11′53″N 81°23′38″W / 30.198°N 81.394°W |
| Course(s) | TPC Sawgrass, Stadium Course |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,857 yards (6,270 m)[1] |
| Field | 144 players, 72 after cut |
| Cut | 146 (+2) |
| Prize fund | $1.25 million |
| Winner's share | $225,000 |
| Champion | |
 Mark McCumber | |
| 273 (−15) | |
| Location map | |
  TPC Sawgrass Location in the United States  TPC Sawgrass Location in Florida | |
The 1988 Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 24–27 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. It was the fifteenth Players Championship and the first without "Tournament" in the title.[2]
Local resident Mark McCumber opened with 65 and won with 273 (−15), four strokes ahead of runner-up Mike Reid.[3][4][2] McCumber's 72-hole score at the Stadium Course set a record; it was equaled in 1992 and broken in 1993.
Jay Haas was disqualified on Thursday after playing with a bent putter.[5] Davis Love III had a similar occurrence on Friday, while Curtis Strange reported that he signed an incorrect scorecard.[6] (Strange won the next two U.S. Opens.)
Weather delays on Saturday caused the leaders to complete only a few holes of the third round; play was resumed early on Sunday morning.[7]
Defending champion Sandy Lyle missed the 36-hole cut by six strokes, and the purse was increased 25% this year to $1.25 million.
- ^ "PGA Players". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. March 28, 1988. p. 27.
- ^ a b Diaz, Jaime (April 4, 1988). "Mark him well". Sports Illustrated. p. 32.
- ^ "McCumber wins emotional 'major'". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 28, 1988. p. 2B.
- ^ Hanley, Reid (March 28, 1988). "McCumber brings TPC home". Chicago Tribune. p. 5, sec. 3.
- ^ "Haas disqualified for using bent putter". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (Los Angeles Times). March 25, 1988. p. 2B.
- ^ "Two more out over bent club, bad scorecard". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (Los Angeles Times). March 26, 1988. p. 7C.
- ^ Hanley, Reid (March 27, 1988). "Pohl has 1-shot lead in rain-delayed TPC". Chicago Tribune. p. 12, sec. 3.