2023 Players Championship: Jon Rahm’s dominance, Justin Thomas’ struggles lead 10 storylines at TPC Sawgrass

The 2023 Players Championship marks the end result of an unbelievable five-week stretch for the PGA Tour. It began in Phoenix with Scottie Scheffler protecting his Phoenix Open identify, endured in Los Angeles with Jon Rahm’s eightieth (approximate) win of the season at the Genesis Invitational and carried into Florida during the last two weeks. Now, the Tour items its crown jewel with a number of peak avid gamers taking part in their easiest golfing and one thousand speaking issues to hit because the week unfolds. 

Until final week’s T39 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Rahm had actually been on a Tiger Woodsian run. Given his, uh, fascinating historical past at TPC Sawgrass, what he does at this yr’s Players will have to be interesting. Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele have all performed terrific golfing at instances, and a number of other of them will issue into this event.

Throw in the entire off-the-course drama — the remodeled PGA Tour time table, LIV Golf’s ever-present risk, the $25 million handbag — and now not even Tiger’s absence can hose down what will have to be one of the crucial easiest weeks of the yr.

Let’s have a look at 10 storylines for what will have to be any other impressive week at the Players Championship. 

2023 Players Championship storylines

1. Planet Rahm: Before final week’s 76-76-72 remaining stretch, Rahm had just about burned all the factor to the bottom. His sizzling West Coast swing was once comically excellent, and it appeared for a little bit like he would possibly now not fall out of competition all yr (the API end was once his first out of doors the highest 10 any place on the earth since earlier than the final NFL season). Given his close to misses at TPC Sawgrass, together with a mini-meltdown in 2019 that ended in McIlroy selecting up the win, the deserving favourite and largest interest this week lie inside of the similar individual. As an apart: How wild wouldn’t it be for any individual to pressure up Magnolia Lane in April having bagged Kapalua, Palm Springs, Riviera and TPC Sawgrass?

2. So a lot randomness: TPC Sawgrass, in all probability greater than every other common direction at the peak avid gamers’ schedules, elicits odd leaderboards which can be apparently not possible to expect. I imply, glance at those final two peak 10s.

Joseph LaMagna lays out the explanations for this seeming randomness, together with heaps of water hazards and an larger call for for accuracy off the tee, in this piece, however the level stays that it is extraordinarily tough to expect who will emerge from the pack — or from time to time even make the lower — at this golfing event. Thankfully, in your one-and-done, it is not the largest handbag of the yr or anything else. 

3. No protecting champion: Not best is it abnormal that the protecting champion of a distinguished event may not be in attendance for non-injury causes, however The Players might be lacking part of its peak 10 from a yr in the past. Cameron Smith, Anirban Lahiri and Paul Casey (completing first via 3rd) plus Harold Varner III and Dustin Johnson (each within the peak 10) are all out of the sector. They are wholesome however none will play as a result of they moved to LIV and stay indefinitely suspended from the PGA Tour. What’s crazier? This is going on for the second one time within the final yr at one of the crucial sport’s maximum essential occasions. Phil Mickelson was once final yr’s protecting champion at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, and he selected to not shield his identify despite the fact that there have been no restrictions on his participation. 

4. Signature win: Many golfers on this box are on the lookout for their first signature win and even their first win on the whole. You may throw Hovland, Sam Burns, Cameron Young, Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, Sahith Theegala and perhaps even Will Zalatoris and Tony Finau into that bucket. Those final two golfers have each gained FedEx Cup Playoff occasions, however The Players is way other than the playoffs, and a win this week would usurp anything else that got here earlier than it. Given TPC Sawgrass’ aforementioned relative randomness, this turns into a little bit extra of a storyline than it in a different way would at a spot like, say, Augusta National.

5. Disney Spieth: I’m shocked that Jordan Spieth performed smartly at where with the entire curler coasters final week. His historical past at TPC Sawgrass, on the other hand, is much less compelling. He completed T4 in his first look in 2014 however hasn’t positioned throughout the peak 40 since. If he contends for the second one week in a row, particularly at a spot this is excessively penal towards wayward tee photographs, I’d be completely stunned, even if now not as stunned as I used to be on Sunday when I found out he does not write down his rating after each and every hollow. Others who carry out worse than their anticipated quantity at TPC Sawgrass come with Rahm, McIlroy, Young, Finau, Burns, Cantlay, Collin Morikawa and Harris English. So, once more, excellent success this week.

6. Rory’s again: The 2019 champion had a mediocre West Coast swing following his victory in Dubai however were given issues again on the right track with a close to win at Bay Hill. Like maximum, he has been a blended bag right here. The victory in ’19 was once great, however he sandwiched that with overlooked cuts, together with one in 2021 through which he chased Bryson DeChambeau’s duration proper into the lake operating up the 18th hollow. He’ll really feel the highlight this week as each a participant and obvious taking part in commissioner of the league, and he ceaselessly prospers when he feels he has one thing to end up and a explanation why to end up it. I have no idea that that leads to any other win right here — he is been extra crooked off the tee than standard this season, which does not bode smartly — but when he does get started feeling the instant just a little bit, then it will have to be a display.

7. Scottie as Phil: Scheffler has been Mickelson to Rahm’s Woods influence thus far in 2023, however do not let what Rahm has accomplished get in the way in which of the truth that Scheffler, now not Rahm, has been the most productive ball-striker on the earth thus far in 2023. That’s a shocking truth given what Rahm — and to a lesser extent McIlroy and Homa — has been doing, however it is true. It does not imply Scheffler goes to win the event, however it is a excellent one to bear in mind because the week starts.

8. Speaking of Tiger: His absence might be felt, nevertheless it may not be enormous. That’s lovely loopy, proper? I’ll dive deeper into this concept later within the week, however the Tour has been so sturdy throughout the first two months of designated occasions that the speculation of a post-Tiger international thriving greater than it did when Tiger was once at his apex isn’t impossible. Brendan Porath mentioned this concept on the Shotgun Start. There’s actual momentum at this yr’s Players, however extra importantly, actual motion. If you distinction this yr to final yr, through which it felt just like the Tour was once seeking to defeat LIV with out a plan of which to talk, there is authentic pleasure about the place all of this is able to move.

9. What’s up with J.T.? The 2021 champion has been … tremendous thus far in 2023, however now not his standard, elite self. This flooring continues to be lovely top for Thomas — he has six peak 25s in seven begins! — however he is is disinterested in peak 25s and hasn’t actually contended for a golfing event of overdue. Interestingly, he has been suffering with the soundest a part of his sport (once more, relative to his commonplace efficiency). He’s a top-20 participant during the last two years from 50-100 yards, however in 2023, he is been about league moderate. This is something to control with such a lot of essential means photographs at TPC Sawgrass this week.

10. Gold Boy: The greatest query of all the week, because the league and its long term and the largest championship on its slate all grasp within the stability, is whether or not the anthropomorphic golden statue will make his 2nd consecutive look on our televisions. My hope, clearly, is that he returns and returns with gusto.