| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 8–11, 2014 |
| 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 | 7,215 yards (6,597 m) |
| Field | 144 players, 82 after cut (71 after second cut) |
| Cut | 144 (Even), 218 (+2) |
| Prize fund | $10.0 million |
| Winner's share | $1.80 million |
| Champion | |
 Martin Kaymer | |
| 275 (−13) | |
| Location map | |
  TPC Sawgrass Location in the United States  TPC Sawgrass Location in Florida | |
The 2014 Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held May 8–11 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. It was the 41st Players Championship.
Martin Kaymer opened with a 63, led after each round, and won his first Players, one stroke ahead of runner-up Jim Furyk.[1] It was the first to feature an eight-figure purse,[2] with a winner's share of $1.8 million.
With defending champion and world number one Tiger Woods out of competition due to back surgery in late March,[3] four entered this Players Championship with an opportunity to ascend to the top of the world rankings. World number two Adam Scott needed a 16th-place finish, third-ranked Henrik Stenson a top-six finish, number four Bubba Watson a solo runner-up, and fifth-ranked Matt Kuchar a win.[4] They finished at T38, T34, T48, and T17, respectively, and Woods remained number one.[5][6][7]
Due to 82 players making the halfway cut (top 70 and ties), a second cut was initiated after the third round.
This was the first year for the new playoff format, a three-hole aggregate beginning on the 16th hole,[8] which was not necessary. After a 90-minute rain delay late in the final round, Kaymer finished with a par in near-darkness.[1] If he had bogeyed the final hole, the playoff would have begun on Monday morning.
Kaymer was the fourth European to win the Players, following Sandy Lyle, Sergio García, and Henrik Stenson. A month later he won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst and became the fourth to win the Players and a major in the same calendar year, joining Jack Nicklaus (1978, Open), Hal Sutton (1983, PGA), and Woods (2001, Masters).
- ^ a b "Martin Kaymer holds on to win". ESPN. Associated Press. May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ "PGA Tour, PGA of America announce new joint initiatives". PGA Tour. November 6, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
- ^ Harig, Bob (May 5, 2014). "Tiger: Recovery is 'slow process'". ESPN. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Ross, Helen (May 7, 2014). "Four players could unseat Woods as No. 1". PGA Tour.
- ^ Harig, Bob (May 11, 2014). "Tiger Woods remains No. 1". ESPN.
- ^ "Martin Kaymer in dramatic win while Justin Rose sees penalty overturned". Daily Telegraph. May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- ^ "Martin Kaymer holds on to claim win". BBC Sport. May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- ^ Martin, Sean (April 16, 2014). "The Players Championship announces change to playoff format". PGA Tour. Retrieved May 12, 2014.