Photos: Because It Happened!: 2019 Donna 5k at THE PLAYERS, March 2

March 3, 2019:  It was a very pink morning at a very green venue for the 12th edition of the Donna 5k at The PLAYERS, on Saturday, March 2, at the famed TPC Sawgrass course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. With the move to March from May of The PLAYERS Championship in 2019, so too came a rescheduled date of the charity 5k hosted by The Donna Foundation in its ongoing initiative to provide awareness and assistance to those affected by breast cancer. Over the past years, the 5k course has changed somewhat, with different start and finish points near the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse or behind the 17th Tee area. The course takes participants (run or walk) through the back nine of the spectacular course, past Holes 10 and 11, around several food court sites set up for the tournament, around the 16th Tee and along the fairway, past the renowned 17th Tee and Green, before heading to the cartpath next to the 9th fairway and green, and then making the turn home toward the magnificant clubhouse and the dual finish/start line. For those who watch the tournament on TV, broadcast doesn't capture all of the hills and elevation nuances, and the 5k course tracked those as well (in other words, there's quite a bit of hilly terrain here!).

Previewing The Players 2019

The new trophy at The PLAYERS 2019
(photo: Linda Johnson)

(see UPDATE below, during The PLAYERS)

February 12, 2019: With a month to go before the "best field in golf" tees it up at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, The PLAYERS Championship hosted a Charity Challenge on the 17th Hole and a media day which included looks at the course, a new fan-experience layout, a new sandwich, and a new trophy. Welcome to The PLAYERS 2019!

Move to March

First of all, mark those calendars, because the 2019 Tournament takes place March 12-17. Yes, that's March. Long-time fans will remember that the tournament was previously held in March until its rescheduling to May in 2007 ("Moving to May"). In 2017, the PGA Tour announced the move back to March in 2019.

About a month ago, Tournament Executive Director Jared Rice outlined noticeable changes to the tournament grounds during a luncheon with the St. Johns County and Jax Chambers of Commerce. 

Jared Rice explaining the move to March and redesigns for The PLAYERS 2019
at Joint Chamber luncheon in January  (photo: Linda Johnson)

The move to March will allow The PLAYERS to "kick off" the Tour's major championship season and a chance to "own" the sports calendar during the summer months. The tournament occurs the week before NCAA March Madness, and while the community had rallied around a Championship Sunday on Mother's Day, many wanted to be home with families. The revised Tour schedule allows its majors to conclude before the fall football season starts. For those watching on TV, the telecast will also feature new modern, energetic theme music recorded in December. With a campaign heralding "Our Gold Standard," the Tour's flagship event will once again "give back to charity in our hometown." Having generated over $100 million for local charities since 1977, and over $50 million in Northeast Florida over the last eight years, "imagine what we can do over the next eight years," Rice exclaimed. 

A Look Around the Course

With the date change, TPC Sawgrass agronomy staff overseeded the course by planting cooler weather grass on top of warmer weather grass. The result? The course is in spectacular condition, with emerald green, lush grass throughout. 

The 18th Green (photo: Linda Johnson)

17th Hole from the Tee (photo: Linda Johnson)

A walk up 18: always an amazing view! And, I actually visited from Chicago and played the course
during construction of that fantastic clubhouse years ago! (photo: Linda Johnson)

The Round-up: A Round at TPC Sawgrass, and Have a Round in Jax Beach Afterwards! Round 1: The Players Championship®

It's now a tradition in the month of May. Last year, 191,000 people attended.  It's the busiest week of the year at Jacksonville International Airport.  Over 400 businesses take part through corporate hospitality and tickets. It reaches one billion total households via broadcast in 226 countries. It generates significant funds for charities: in 2015, over $8.1M raised for over 300 local organizations. The tournament record is 264 (-24) by Greg Norman in 1994.*  

Two words, that's all you need: THE PLAYERS®.