In what was both surprising and bizarre, the PGA Tour released a statement on Saturday evening stating that, “Due to forecasted inclement weather on Sunday afternoon, final-round tee times for THE PLAYERS Championship will run from 8 – 10:01 a.m. E.T. in threesomes off Nos. 1 and 10.”
This means that there are two changes away from the norm. One, the players, are usually grouped in twos for the final rounds. Instead, for the last day of the PLAYERS, they will be grouped in threes, similar to the first two rounds. Two, the players start from the same tee for the final round, but at the TPC Sawgrass on Sunday, a few groups will start from the first tee and a few from the tenth hole of the Stadium Course.
But why the sudden change? The short answer, the weather. According to AccuWeather, Sunday has high chances of rain, with 90% probability. The rain is also expected to be long, expected to last nearly one hour. The TPC Sawgrass is also expected to be windy, with 44 Km/H(27 MPH) wind gusts expected to be present throughout the day.
Statement on final-round tee times for THE PLAYERS Championship: pic.twitter.com/93rHThHBkF
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) March 15, 2025
But what really turns the needle, is the probability of thunderstorms, as there is an 82% chance for that to happen. There is also a Rip Current Warning given to beaches for the entirety of Sunday due to the expected bad weather. Despite, the weather playing spoilsport, some fans were not convinced.
Ardent fans were particularly miffed about the idea that some players start from different tees during the final day of the event, which could prove to give advantages for some players. Imagine walking up to the 17th tee, the Island Green, with the pressure of victory on you, when your competitor is taking his time on the 8th hole on the other side. “This is horrendous. Split tees for the final is a complete joke.”
Another netizen was bothered about the grouping, slamming the PGA Tour about tripling the groups instead of having it as pairs, like normal. He made his case stating that despite the weather, that was something the PGA Tour should not have changed. “Playing in groups of 3 sucks why don’t they ever learn regardless of the weather forecast.”
One user summed up what the schedule change would be like for the Tour, explaining, “Well, that’s one way to screw up a great event.”
This is a developing story..
The post ‘Why Don’t They Ever Learn’: PGA Tour Under Fire for Last-Minute Change as Bad Weather Threatens TPC Sawgrass Event appeared first on EssentiallySports.
