Days after Justin Thomas carded an incredible 62 and scoring was pretty low at TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course, the weather has taken a turn for the worse over the weekend and recording level par might be considered an impressive achievement.
Due to what the PGA Tour has described as a "likely" threat of thunderstorms later on Sunday, all final-round tee times at The Players have been moved up to between 10am and 12:01pm ET in a two-tee start.
Also unlikely to help the aim of an earlier finish in order to beat the weather are the strong winds expected to once again play havoc with players' strategies.
Gusts of over 30mph arrived on Saturday afternoon and ensured that leader, J.J. Spaun was unable to pull away from the pack while preventing anyone else from making too much ground. Ahead of the final round, Spaun's lead is just one stroke over Bud Cauley and three shots over Alex Smalley and Lucas Glover.
Those chasing glory will once again have to put up with gusts of up to 30mph for the majority of their rounds, with the wind consistently blowing at between 15 and 25mph between 11am and 3pm GMT.
Temperatures are set to remain around 76-78 degrees Fahrenheit (24-25C) throughout the final round with the threat of rain under 20% until dramatically increasing to 70% at 3pm ET.
According to the PGA Tour, thunderstorms and a strong breeze is expected to affect conditions at TPC Sawgrass for around four hours later on Sunday, although the hope is that the leaders have completed their full quota of holes before the bad weather sets in.
Anyone off earlier might have a marginally better chance of posting a low number, but it appears as though minimizing mistakes could be the way to go for this year's eventual champion.
It's the back nine on the late Pete Dye's famous layout that features some of the toughest holes on the course, including the 17th. The famous signature hole and it's 'island' green is a bit of a knee-knocker on a calm day, certainly for amateur golfers, but it's sure to play an even bigger part on Sunday in strong winds.
Water is a big feature on the 18th hole, too. With the pressure of playing the back nine when in contention, the weather is sure to play an added part in who leaves with the trophy.
Spectators might rub their hands together at the prospect of watching the world's best players grind away in brutal conditions, but the worry is that the weather could end up threatening play. The last time The Players Championship finished on a Monday was three years ago.
Should the action stretch into a fifth day, the weather forecast suggests the tournament will certainly be completed but scoring would not be any easier. Sunshine is expected throughout Monday, but the wind is thought to remain strong with gusts of up to 30mph once more.
Below is a detailed look at the weather forecast for Sunday and Monday at The Players Championship.
Sunday’s weather forecast for THE PLAYERS Championship pic.twitter.com/V6YvhWsA75March 16, 2025
