Johnson vs DeChambeau "The Clash of the 5th Major"... What About '2017 Champion' Kim Siwoo?

On the Night of the 11th, The Players Championship Opens: 'Star Wars', McIlroy Defends Title, Rahm and Thomas Compete for Victory, Korea's Im Sungjae Joins

'Masters Champ' Dustin Johnson has set out to secure his second win at The Players Championship.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ‘Masters Champion’ Dustin Johnson vs ‘US Open Champion’ Bryson DeChambeau (both from the USA).

It is truly a ‘Star Wars’. The Players Championship, opening on the night of the 11th (Korean time) at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (par 72, 7,189 yards), is famously known as the ‘5th Major’ of the PGA Tour. With a total prize fund of $15 million (17.1 billion KRW) and a winner’s prize of $2.7 million (310 million KRW), it is an unprecedented ‘money festival’. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is defending his title, and the world’s top 10 players are all participating.

▲ Johnson: "Hunting for 2 wins in front of the gallery" = This tournament was abruptly canceled last year right after the first round on March 1 due to COVID-19. The PGA Tour resumed the season only in June at the Charles Schwab Challenge, and matches continued without spectators. It is welcome news that galleries are now allowed, albeit in limited numbers. This tournament is expected to allow about 9,000 spectators per day, which is 20% of the maximum capacity. Tickets sold out within an hour of online reservation.

For Johnson, this is a great opportunity to showcase his ‘Number 1 power’ to the world. He won 3 times in the 2020 season and once in the 2021 season, totaling 4 wins, and achieved an amazing record of ‘win-runner-up-win’ in the three playoff (PO) tournaments from August to September. The highlight was the ‘Fall Masters’ in November. Starting the final day with a 4-stroke lead, he shot 4 under par to claim the lowest score victory (20 under par, 268 strokes). This year, he gained momentum with a win at the European Tour’s Saudi International on the 7th of last month.

'US Open champ' Bryson DeChambeau is already eyeing his third win of the season at The Players Championship.

▲ DeChambeau: "Going for 3 wins while I’m at it" = DeChambeau transformed into the PGA Tour’s top power hitter by bulking up 18 kg last year. It is noteworthy that he immediately became a major champion by winning the US Open in September. At the ‘Devil’s Course’, Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, he was the only player to score under par (6 under par, 274 strokes). His long-drive experiments, including leading the 2021 season with an average of 323.5 yards, are still ongoing.

With his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational that ended on the 8th, DeChambeau reached 2 wins this season. He currently ranks 1st in prize money ($4,477,017) and 1st in the FedEx Cup (PO) rankings (1,375 points). At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his ‘1-on attempt’ over water on the par-5 6th hole (565 yards) drew applause. He easily made birdies with drives over 370 yards in both the 3rd and 4th rounds. This time, he will face off head-to-head with Johnson from the first day in the same group.

Siwoo Kim aims to reclaim the top spot at The Players Championship for the first time in four years since 2017.

▲ McIlroy ‘Title Defense’, Kim Si-woo "Memories of 2020" = McIlroy was the 2019 champion. After a sluggish even-par tied 83rd place in the first round last year, he has another chance for ‘consecutive wins’. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) is a dark horse. He tied the course record with 9 under par on the first day last year, but the second round was canceled, leaving him frustrated. ‘Number 2’ Jon Rahm (Spain), Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and Xander Schauffele (all from the USA) have joined the competition for the title.

Korea is led by 2017 champion Kim Si-woo (26). He added 3 under par on the final day to win by 3 strokes (10 under par, 278 strokes), setting a rare record as the youngest champion. Last year, he also showed a particularly strong performance at TPC Sawgrass, including a surprise 7 under par spurt. Expectations are high for his shot form following his win at the American Express in January. He will be accompanied by Im Sung-jae (23), An Byeong-hun (30), Kang Sung-hoon (34), and Lee Kyoung-hoon (30, all from CJ Logistics).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.