Warming up for The Players: Fans welcome to Stadium Village this weekend to visit Fan Shop
Fans can warm up for The Players Championship this weekend by visiting the Stadium Village, where they can get the first look at what's on the shelves at the PGA Tour Fan Shop and take their swings at the 17th Hole Challenge.
The Players "Opening Weekend" will begin on Friday when the 37,000-square foot Fan Shop opens from noon to 5 p.m. They will get a first look at the items available which will include apparel commemorating The Players' 50th anniversary and new items from Barstool Sports, Malbon, Vineyard Vines and Peter Millar.
The Fan Shop and Stadium Village area are open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Fans can also go to the 17th Hole Challenge, a replica of the Island Green, and try their luck hitting the green from 45 yards out.
There will be local food trucks and a meet and greet with members of the Roar of the Jaguars.
Parking is free at the general lot off County Road 210.
Also open, to active-duty and veterans of the U.S. military (and their spouses), is the Players Championship Military Job Fair on Saturday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Patriots Outpost located near the 16th tee of the Players Stadium Course. The job fair is in partnership with the Jacksonville Military Veterans Coalition.
Representatives from 25 companies will be on hand to conduct interviews. Applicants should dress in business casual and bring copies of their resumes. There will be free parking in Lot 6. After going through one of the two main gates to the TPC Sawgrass, follow signs to the lot.
Players Military tickets, Friday parking sold out
The Players Championship announced on Tuesday that tickets for the military and retirees are sold out. Stadium Pass tickets remain on sale.
Returned military tickets may be available through the Tour's verified resale ticketing partner, ticketmasters.com.
Tournament week begins on March 12 with Military Appreciation Day, with the Patriots Outpost presented by CSX opening that day. Military ticket holders and their guests can enjoy complimentary food and beverages, with an outdoor deck providing views of the 16th hole.
The Military Appreciation Day Ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the 17th hole, with the Cole Swindell concert beginning after that.
The Players also announced that parking passes for the second round on Friday, March 15, are sold out. Friday historically is the most well-attended day of The Players.
As with tickets, returned parking passes may be available at ticketmaster.com.
Mike Weir getting pumped about Presidents Cup
The 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal is slightly more than six months away on Sept. 26-29 but International team captain Mike Weir loves the looks of his team — even if it won't include LIV Golf stars such as Joaquin Niemann of Chile and Cameron Smith of Australia.
"Sure, I want the best players, internationally," said Weir, a native of Canada who spoke on a teleconference on Tuesday. "It's an unfortunate situation we're in that they are not eligible, but they knew that going in [to LIV Golf]."
Weir, who will go against a U.S. team captained by Jacksonville resident Jim Furyk, will still have a formidable team and it could include as many as a half-dozen Canadians.
Six countrymen of Weir's are inside the top-25 on the International team points list: Nick Taylor (4), Adam Hadwin (9), Corey Conners (12), Adam Svensson (16), Mackenzie Hughes (17) and Taylor Pendrith (22). All of those players, plus Ben Silverman, are among the top 100 on the current FedEx Cup points list, and all are between 30 and 36 years old.
"You've got to give credit to Golf Canada and the development program that they've put together," Weir said of his country's national golf organization. "A lot of those guys grew up together, were in the junior program together and the development program and they've continued to elevate their games and elevate their careers.
"It's an exciting time for golf in Canada," Weir said. "If two, three or four of them make the team, it will create that much more excitement. It's not Team Canada but the more we have on the team the better. It will create a different buzz, more energy ... Canadian [fans] can be a little reserved but if the players encourage them, they can ramp it up."
Caitlin Clark may tee it up in Florida
Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark will play in the WNBA next season.
Schedule permitting, she may also be seen in Florida on the LPGA Tour — as a pro-am participant.
Clark has signed as a brand ambassador with Gainbridge, a financial services company that is the presenting sponsor for an LPGA event hosted by another of its clients, World Golf Hall of Fame member Annika Sorenstam. According to Beth Ann Nichols of Golfweek.com, that could result in Clark playing in The Annika Driven by Gainbridge Nov. 14-17 at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, just south of Clearwater.
World No. 1 Lilia Vu is the defending champion.
Clark won't embarrass herself on the golf course. She played in the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic pro-am last summer, with Zach Johnson and Ludvig Aberg, and displayed a smooth swing that often landed in the short grass.
“I played [golf] when I was a little kid,” Clark said during a John Deere press conference. “Started golfing with my dad, but then I didn’t play much all throughout high school. Then kind of started again in college. I obviously am pretty busy, so I don’t get to golf as much as I would like.”
PGA TOUR
Event: Arnold Palmer Invitational, Thursday-Sunday, Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando.
At stake: $20 million purse ($4 million and 700 FedEx Cup points to the winner.
Defending champion: Kurt Kitiyama.
TV: Golf Channel Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 12:30-2:30 p.m.; NBC (Saturday-Sunday, 2:30-6 p.m.).
Area players entered: Harris English, Brian Harman, J.T. Poston.
Notable: Kitiyama beat Rory McIlroy and English by one shot, despite shooting 72-72 on the weekend. ... In the field along with McIlroy in a Tour designated event are world No. 1-ranked Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris and Xander Schauffele.
Event: Puerto Rico Open, Thursday-Sunday, Grand Reserve Club, Rio Grande, P.R.
At stake: $4 million purse ($720,000 and 300 FedEx Cup points to the winner).
Defending champion: Nico Echavarria.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2:30-5 p.m.).
Area players entered: Fred Biondi, Jonathan Byrd, Patton Kizzire, Russell Knox, Raul Pereda.
Notable: Echavarria topped Akshay Bhatia by two shots.
LIV GOLF
Event: LIV Golf Hong Kong, Friday-Sunday, Hong Golf Club Club.
At stake: $25 million purse ($4 million to the winner).
Defending champion: First-year event.
TV: CW (Saturday, 12:30-5:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1-6 p.m.).
Area players entered: Cameron Smith.
Notable: Niemann has won twice on LIV Golf and once in Australia this season.
LPGA TOUR
Event: Blue Bay LPGA, Thursday-Sunday, Jian Blue Bay Golf Club, Hainan Island, China.
At stake: $2.2 million purse ($330,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Gaby Lopez.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Saturday, 12-5 a.m.; Sunday, 12-6 a.m.).
Area players entered: Auston Kim.
Notable: Lopez defeated Ariya Jutanugarn by one shot.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Event: Cologuard Classic, Friday-Sunday, La Paloma Country Club, Tucscon, Ari.
At stake: $2.2 million purse ($396,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: David Toms.
TV: Golf Channel (Friday, 7-9 p.m.; Saturday, 5-7 p.m.; Sunday, 5-8 p.m.).
Area players entered: David Duval, Fred Funk, Davis Love III.
Notable: Toms beat Robert Karlsson by one shot.
KORN FERRY TOUR
Event: Asatara Chile Classic, Thursday-Sunday, Prince of Wales Country Club, Santiago, Chile.
At stake: $1 million purse ($180,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Ben Kohles.
TV: None.
Area players entered: Dawson Armstrong, Chris Baker, Chandler Blanchet, Dillon Board, Taylor Funk, Rick Lamb, Doc Redman, Julian Suri, Jared Wolfe.
Notable: Kohles beat Dimi Papadatos on the second hole of sudden death.
ROAD TO THE PLAYERS
Dates: March 14-17.
Site: Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach.
Purse: $25 million ($4.5 million and 750 FedEx Cup points to the winner.
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler.
Days until the first round: Seven.
Tour events until The Players: Two.
Notable: This will be the 50th Players Championship.
Players trivia: Tiger Woods is the only person to win The Players in March (2001) and May (2013).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: PGA Tour Fan Shop, replica 17th hole open for fans before Players week
