Mother Nature is always unpredictable and, at The Players Championship, it has played its part in the outcome of the event several times.
Obviously, with golf being an outdoor sport, Mother Nature does take its toll and, throughout the 51 editions of The Players Championship, we have seen eight Monday finishes.
In fact, the first ever Players Championship in 1974 went to a Monday finish, due to downpours and electrical activity in the area leaving organisers no option but to extend the event into a fifth day.
Taking place at Atlanta Country Club in Georgia, it was Jack Nicklaus who overcame a five shot deficit to J.C. Snead to claim the inaugural event on Monday, securing a two-shot win and 16-under tournament total in the process.
Two years later, in 1976, Nicklaus won The Players again on a Monday finish. Taking place at Inverrary Country Club in Florida, Snead was once again the runner-up, as he finished three back of Nicklaus, who was 19-under.
The next two Players Championships to go to Monday finishes were in 1981 and 1983. In 1981, play was completely washed out on Sunday and, as players returned on Monday, a three-under score meant a three-way play-off between Raymond Floyd, Curtis Strange and Barry Jaeckel.
Floyd would par the first to win the tournament, while Sutton would win in 1983 after the first day of play was wiped out due to winds and rain. The 14-time PGA Tour winner finished at five-under, one shot clear of Bob Eastwood.
Like Nicklaus, Sutton then won for a second time via a Monday finish. The American led from start to finish, holding off Tiger Woods to claim the title by a single stroke. During the event, Sutton produced a memorable approach into the 18th which made him utter the words "be the right club today" as the ball was in the air.
After coming up short in 2000, Woods then went one better in 2001, as the tournament at TPC Sawgrass went to a Monday finish for a second consecutive year.
During the event, Woods produced the iconic "better than most" putt at the 17th, with the win also part of the Tiger Slam, whereby the American held all four Major championships.
The final two Monday finishes at TPC Sawgrass came in 2005 and 2022, when Fred Funk pulled off a huge shock and claim the biggest win of his career at the age of 48.
In 2022, various weather delays meant the event finished on a Monday and, during the final round, Cameron Smith shot a six-under 66 for a one shot victory over Anirban Lahiri. Later that year, Smith went on to win The 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.
