Wind tied them in knots

Field flustered by blustery day

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - It came flying out of nowhere, a woman's wide-brimmed white hat, the kind Greg Norman made famous, and landed in the greenside bunker at the par-5 ninth hole. With Sergio Garcia and Jeff Quinney fast approaching, an alert marshal jumped into action. He grabbed a rake, marched into the bunker to reclaim it, and cleaned up after himself as he backed out.

The fact that he tumbled backward and fell down as he tried to step out added a bit of levity, but it was just one of the many wild scenes on a wind-swept day of golf in yesterday's final round of The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course.

Consider, for instance, the start to Phil Mickelson's day. He was on the putting green near the first tee when a gust of wind blew off his hat, and it went into a small pond. Caddie Jim MacKay had to sprint to the locker room to get another hat for Mickelson.

Perhaps nothing in the final round got a reaction quite like Nicholas Thompson's 5-foot birdie putt at the par-3, island-green 17th - because it had started out as a 25-footer. Much to the crowd's delight, and Thompson's, before he reached down to mark the ball, a gust of wind pushed it down a slope and by the time it stopped, it had nestled in nicely.

"Tapped that one," said Thompson with a smile after making one of eight birdies at the 128-yard 17th.

Of course, not every incident with winds that blew upward of 40 miles per hour had a positive result. Boo Weekley, for instance, was penalized one stroke when at the par-3 eighth his ball moved while he was in the address position and had grounded his club.

When he got to the 17th, the wind remained in a cruel mood for Weekley, whose tee shot landed 15-20 feet from the hole, on the fringe. With the wind whipping, it was difficult to keep still and Weekley paid the price. It took him four shots to get down, but after finishing off his double bogey, Weekley did the only thing he could do. He flexed his muscles and encouraged the crowd, which shouted, "Boo, Boo, Boo."

Neither Thompson (74 -292) nor Weekley (77 -292) was much of a factor - in fact, they were in a group tied for 21st - but they'll have personal memories of a blustery day of golf like they've rarely seen.

Talented twosome

Good friends and longtime colleagues Brett Quigley and Briny Baird were paired Thursday and Friday. Combined, they have played in 578 PGA Tour events without winning, but both stood firm in brutal winds. Baird shot a 72 -287 for solo fourth. Quigley shot 71 to finish at 1-over 289, tied for sixth. In five previous appearances at the Players Championship, Quigley had missed three cuts and finished no better than tied for 24th . . . Once again, Players Championship officials can say that no one has successfully defended his title. That's because the 2007 winner, Mickelson, needed 40 strokes to come home in 78 -292 and faded into a share of 21st. Sitting five shots off the lead at the start, Mickelson needed to make things happen, but right out of blocks he stumbled. He missed the fairway right at the par-4 first, hacked his shot short of the green, pitched well short, and three-putted for one of two double bogeys. With the wind whipping for a fourth straight day, Mickelson almost conceded that he out-thought himself by playing for the wind so much. "That was the plan," Mickelson said. "Obviously it didn't work. I just didn't putt well." For the third time in the tournament, Mickelson required more than 30 putts (32 to be exact).

Hanging-in Chad

Chad Campbell had the day's best round, a 4-under 68, and that allowed him to hurdle 43 players. Having started tied for 53d, Campbell finished joint 10th, though his day could have been even sweeter if not for a water ball bogey at the 17th . . . Dean Wilson shot 69 despite a bogey-bogey finish. From T-47, Wilson roared into a tie for 10th at 2-over 290 . . . Given his wild swing and fascination for power, J.B. Holmes's front nine wasn't much of a surprise. He failed to register a par, as he made four birdies and five bogeys to turn in 37, before settling down for a birdie, bogey, double bogey, and six pars on the back. With a 75 -290, Holmes finished tied for 10th . . . On Mother's Day, Paul Goydos paid tribute to his 82-year-old mother, Shirley, by writing "Mom" on his golf ball. As he walked to the green at the 17th, Goydos looked into the NBC cameras and said, "Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. I hope you're having a great day." So determined was Goydos to pay tribute that even after his ball went into the water at the 17th in the playoff, he took the time to write "Mom" on the second one.

Double the fun

The field played the par-4 fourth over par (4.180), but no such problems for Kevin Stadler at the 466-yard hole. For a second straight day, he holed out from the fairway to eagle a hole that winds its way twice over water. At the time, he was 1 over for the tournament and had jumped from T-43 to T-20, but Stadler eventually shot 71 -291 to finish tied for 15th. Dramatic as Stadler's effort was, Hal Sutton eagled the same hole twice in the 2001 Players Championship. Stadler, who also eagled the par-5 11th in Round 2, is now tied with Justin Leonard (2000) for most eagles in a Players Championship . . . There were 19 eagles for the week, five at the par-5 second and five at the par-5 16th . . . As pace-setters, Tommy Armour and Troy Matteson moved swiftly, though not productively. They combined to go 10 over on the front and were hardly any better on the back. The bad news is, they shot 80 and 81, respectively, though on a brighter note, had they been playing better-ball, it would have been an even-par 72 . . . Things were going well for South African Richard Sterne, even par on his round through 17 holes. Then he rinsed not one, but two drives at the par-4 18th, made 9, and signed for a 77 -300 to finish joint 66th . . . Sterne was tied there with Camilo Villegas, who had his own adventures at the closing holes. Villegas hit tee balls into the water at 17 and 18, finished double bogey, triple bogey to cap a back-nine 41, and shot a 76. For the week, Villegas played the 17th and 18th in 8 over.