Player's Ball - Golf Edition
Surviving Golf
The Player’s Ball
All the players came from far and wide…
Now I'm here to tell you there's a better day
When the player's ball is happenin', all day ery'day
-Outkast
When you Google “Player’s Ball,” this is what you get: “The Players Ball is an annual gathering of pimps, held in Chicago, Illinois. Other Players Balls take place across the country, most notably in Miami and Atlanta. Presently, there are "Players Ball" events in Las Vegas and Memphis, Tennessee. On December 16-18th 2011, a Players Ball was hosted in Hollywood, California.” The Player’s Ball was famous by Outkast and standup comedians, and parodied by the Chappelle Show into the “Player Haters Ball.” I want to bring it to the golf course…
The Players Championship always reminds me of a common thought in basketball. There’s a difference between a basketball player and a “baller” or “hooper.” LeBron James is a great basketball player. Kevin Durant is a hooper. Chris Paul is a great basketball player. Jamaal Crawford is a hooper. I don’t know how to define this difference, other than you know it when you see it. It’s a stylistic thing. It’s the game being played in its purist form, for the love of the game, in a way that all players respect even if it makes the player more inefficient. I know that’s not the best sentence ever written, and I don’t even know if it makes sense…but I’m going with it.
Does that exist in golf? Can someone be a great golfer, but not a “player,” to speak? I think of someone like Russell Henley, who just won the Arnold Palmer Classic, and, Russell, to me, is a classic golfer. Boring, robotic, but a great player. Then, I look at someone like a Shane Lowry who is probably not as good as Henley…but just, to me, is a better “player” than Henley. Lowry can flight it high, can flight it low, shape it both ways, hit all sorts of creative short game shots, and, perhaps most importantly, can play with his emotions on his sleeve and ride them or die with them the same.
If we’re comparing it to basketball, and credit my buddy Jon for flushing this out with me…It’s like the difference between Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving as point guards. Both excellent players. Kyrie is a way bigger “hooper” than Chris Paul because he’s constantly doing difficult, cool stuff that sometimes does not correlate to winning basketball. In the same vein, does hitting a 50 yard swinging 5 wood stinger into a fairway contribute to winning? Sometimes. But it’s cool.
With all of that in mind, and in honoring of the Players Championship at the famed TPC Sawgrass, here is the Player’s Ball - golf edition:
Host of the Players Ball: Justin Thomas
Shaper of the golf ball in all ways, hitter of big swinging bullet draws, 5-woods out of the heavy rough, a million different short game shots, and, perhaps, the most relatable thing for golfers—a huge dip in form—Justin Thomas gets to host the Player’s Ball. Most importantly, JT holds the current title for best one-liner on a course with THIS GEM which has probably been muttered screamed by most recreational golfers at some point in their lives…
Player of the Year: Hideki Matsuyama
Hideki could have also hosted the event. His trademark one-armed finish on excellent shots is one thing, but the increased skill in his short game, especially around the greens, is what gets him this award for the year. Shots come in all shapes, sizes, and have all the reactions possible. Plus, he gave us THIS AMAZING MOMENT this season!
Lifetime Player Award: Jordan Spieth
You want every shot you’ve ever seen? Spieth is the definition—especially around the greens. Indeed, part of Spieth’s identity is his penchant for taking risks and trying the most difficult shots, even if they’re not the most efficient shots. Instead of writing a full paragraph on this… just watch HIS BEST ESCAPES
Survivor Pool Update!
Week 10 Recap
Starting Entries: 13
Cut: PGA Tour Signature Event Cut — Top 50, Ties, and those within 10 of the lead
Players Cut: Harris English
Entries Eliminated: 1
Week 11: The Players Championship
Cut: PGA Tour Cut
Course: TPC Sawgrass
Brief Preview:
The Players Championship, aka the “Fifth Major” as it is affectionately known, kicks off this week and prepares everyone for the official start of the Major season!
TPC Sawgrass, visually, is one of the most perfect courses in the world. Few other courses in the world can match its risk/reward brilliance which is present on essentially every single hole. The other exceptional part of Sawgrass and the Players is that any playing style can win, while still favoring elite play. Like few other tournaments, the best overall golfer usually wins the Players.
Target golf chess match style golf prevails at Sawgrass. The only separator is approach play — those that can hit the proper spots on small greens are the only players that can have the opportunity to make birdies and separate themselves from the rest of the field. Other than elite ball-striking, elite short-game skills can buoy a player to success during the week. Bombers are, for the most part, neutralized. No two consecutive holes play in the same direction. Players need to shape shots both ways to be successful. Finally, and perhaps most famous, is the island green 17th is one of the most volatile holes on tour even though it is well under 185 yards even at its furthest pin.
Sawgrass is as volatile and unpredictable a course as you get on the PGA Tour. Penalty hazards line almost every hole on the course, and, when windy, create conditions for total chaos. Past performances at Sawgrass are among the least predictive for future success. Other than Scottie Scheffler, not a single returning winner has finished inside the top-10 the following year.