| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 21–24, 2002 |
| 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 | 7,093 yards (6,486 m) |
| Field | 149 players, 75 after cut |
| Cut | 146 (+2) |
| Prize fund | $6.0 million |
| Winner's share | $1.08 million |
| Champion | |
 Craig Perks | |
| 280 (−8) | |
| Location map | |
  TPC Sawgrass Location in the United States  TPC Sawgrass Location in Florida | |
The 2002 Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 21–24 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. It was the 29th Players Championship.
Unheralded Craig Perks gained his only career win on the PGA Tour, two strokes ahead of runner-up Stephen Ames.[1][2] In the last three holes, Perks chipped in twice; for eagle at 16 and for par at 18. In between, he made a 25-foot (7.6 m) birdie putt on the Island Green; he had only two pars in the last fourteen holes.[1][3]
Starting the year at 256 in the world rankings, Perks moved from 203 to 64 with the win.[3][4]
Defending champion Tiger Woods finished seven strokes back, in a tie for fourteenth place.
- ^ a b Van Sickle, Gary (April 1, 2002). "Pitched battle". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ^ "Drama marks Perks' first title rum". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 25, 2002. p. 2E.
- ^ a b "A million Perks for TPC champ". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. March 25, 2002. p. 1C.
- ^ "2002: Week 12" (PDF). Official World Golf Ranking. March 24, 2002. Retrieved April 30, 2002.[permanent dead link]