When Adam Scott tees off Thursday at TPC Sawgrass, he will have played a quarter-century’s worth of Players Championships.
Among Scott’s four career top-10s in the event is his 2004 Players victory, his second of what is now 14 total Tour wins.
“I have funny stories from that week,” Scott said Tuesday.
Scott and his wife, Marie, were dating back then, and Marie had traveled to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, for the tournament. Scott fired an opening, 7-under 65 to take the first-round lead by a shot over Duffy Waldorf and Kevin Sutherland.
“We had dinner on Thursday night after the first round somewhere across the street there in the shopping complex,” Scott recounted, “and we were sitting at the bar eating and overheard the guys next to us, and he said, ‘Who is leading this tournament?’ And the guy looked at him and said, ‘Some [expletive] no-name’ (laughing). And it was me. I shot 65 on Thursday. My wife, or girlfriend at the time, was ready to kind of jump in there and let him have it, but I held her back. But it was pretty funny. So, it was good to go on and win and maybe get out of the no-name category.”
Scott shot 12 under that week, besting Padraig Harrington by a shot. Phil Mickelson was among those tied for third.