WATCH: PGA Tour stars' first reactions to infamous new tree at The Players Championship
When the PGA Tour stars arrived at the course to practice for the Players Championship, they were in for a surprise. The Player Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, which is hosting the event, has added a new tree at No. 6.
The tree restricts the ball's flight. If a golfer were to hit it very high, they could be obstructed by the tree branches. So either the ball will get entangled in them or drop straight down after hitting a branch.
As the star golfers slowly started pouring in for their practice sessions, the PGA Tour was sure to record their first reactions to the new tree. The Tour recently posted a compilation of videos of the participants' first reactions to the new addition on their Instagram page.
The video compilation included notable golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Min Woo Lee, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Scottie Scheffler, Jason Day, Keith Mitchell, and Matt Fitzpatrick. Day had withdrawn from the Players Championship hours before his opening round tee time after coming down with illness.
McIlroy and Lowry were seen discussing the new tree on the sixth hole. Morikawa complimented the "beautiful" addition before adding that it could have been a "little higher". Lee joked with him, saying it should have been "lower".
Scheffler remarked that it was a bit "aggressive". Day also commended the "cool tree" before describing the differences between the old and the new tree. Mitchell discussed how the new tree would make things "dicey" while competing in the tournament. Fitzpatrick didn't hesitate before calling the feature "the dumbest tree" he had seen. He also amusingly requested for it to be removed.
Due to darkness, round 1 of the Players Championship was suspended on Thursday, March 13. Lucas Glover, J.J. Spaun, and Camilo Villegas were leading the standings.
How to watch the Players Championship this week?
Fans can tune into the Players Championship live on the NBC Sports App, ESPN+, Golf Channel, and Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio. Here is the television, streaming, and radio schedule of the tournament this week:
Friday, March 14
Second round
- 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
- 12-7 p.m. ET, SiriusXM PGA Tour radio
- 1-7 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
- 1-7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports app
Saturday, March 15
Third round
- 8 a.m.-7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
- 2-7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports app
- 1-7 p.m. ET, SiriusXM PGA Tour radio
- 2-7 p.m. ET, NBC
Sunday, March 16
Final round
- 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET, ESPN+
- 1-6 p.m. ET, NBC Sports app
- 12-6 p.m. ET, SiriusXM PGA Tour radio
- 1-6 p.m. ET, NBC