What happened at The Players Championship 2020?
As The PLAYERS Championship got underway at TPC Sawgrass in March 2020, there wasn’t yet the understanding of just how massive an impact COVID-19 would have on the world we’re living in.
Ultimately, the championship became one of the first victims of the global pandemic, being cancelled after the first round and setting the precedent for countless other sporting events due to take place over the following years.
For six BIGGA members, this was due to be the trip of a lifetime as they flew out to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with John Deere to join the agronomy team for the March hosting of the event.
John Deere has kindly invited the BIGGA members back to finish what they started in March 2023 and we'll be catching up with them throughout the build-up to the championship, so keep your eyes glued to BIGGA's social media channels for updates throughout the week.
But what happened back in March 2020? We've taken a look back at this unbelievable week for everyone involved.
Edward Irvine, deputy head greenkeeper, Trump International Aberdeen
“Meeting the other guys at the hotel in Manchester the night before our flight, we were all thrilled to be heading over to work at what is known affectionately as men’s golf’s fifth major tournament. As the only Scottish representative, I felt I had been bestowed with a badge of honour and was looking forward to participating with others from around the world.”
Mark Tucker, head greenkeeper, Temple
“Once we touched down in Orlando, we were driven by Marcus Morris to Daytona Beach. Daytona is mid-way to Sawgrass and makes an ideal place to stop over, refuel and rest up ready for the long 10 days ahead. While at Daytona, Yannick joined us from Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand. Now all the delegates were together, we gelled instantly and there was a real buzz about what lied ahead for us.”
Ben Hunter, course manager, Royal Norwich
“When we first got to Sawgrass we were taken into the biggest marquee tent I have ever seen, where we were given bags overflowing with The PLAYERS uniform and supplies for week. On the first day we did a full day’s shift, to try and get used to the jobs we would be doing in the morning and afternoon shifts of tournament week. I was doing a debris sweep on tee complexes in the morning and then divoting fairways in the afternoon shift. We then had two practice days where we perfected our jobs, to ensure that when the tournament kicked off we could get round as efficiently as possible.”
Peter Lewis, greenkeeper, Royal Liverpool
“The TPC Sawgrass experience includes 10 days of work at the course, to make The PLAYERS a successful event. On arrival at TPC Sawgrass we attended a welcome meeting with Lucas Andrews, assistant director of agronomy. He informed us of our roles and his expectations of us. I was asked to hand cut the back nine approaches and greens, including the iconic 17th green, so I was really excited.”
Edward Irvine
“Stepping on to the 7,245-yard championship course for the first time was a truly memorable moment. Designed by renowned course architect Pete Dye and PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman, the legendary track is spectacularly balanced for every level of golfer. From the impressive fairways to the luscious rolling greens, it is a course that I was pleased to be working on. While I love my home course at Trump International in Aberdeenshire, the warm Floridian weather was a treat and a dramatic contrast to the fresh North Sea breeze that I was used to.
Yannick Weber, head greenkeeper, Golf & Country Club Zurich
“I like to compare the course to a Formula 1 car as it represents the best our industry can get out of a product. It is the flagship of the PGA Tour and at this stage it felt great to have the course to ourselves, being able to take pictures from all angles and having access to the good spots before he crowds arrived.”
Mark Tucker
“My work partner was a Penn State graduate from Tennessee. At 5.15am we found our Gator and trailer loaded with two John Deere 180SL greens mowers, eight turning boards and a bucket for measuring clip yield. We then set off in a convoy to find the 10th green, where it soon became apparent that we would be expected to cut the green in the dark. It was daunting being given the responsibility of mowing greens, but add complete darkness into the equation and the pressure was raised to a whole new level. The mowers were fitted with lights and we placed the turning boards on the green, so there was no chance of taking a chunk out of the surrounds, which was a huge relief! Our supervisors were JB Workman and Tyler DaSilva, both Stadium Course assistant superintendents. They were quite rightly keeping a close eye on us, shining powerful LED lights across the greens to show up any missed bits!
“It was a very surreal moment, cutting the 18th green on my first day, but it’s something I’ll never forget. I’m very glad the sun had risen at that point as I was cutting 6-2, which leaves about a foot of turning space between the green and the lake!”
Edward Irvine
“From Sunday to Wednesday, both morning and evening shifts (5am to 8.30am and 4.30pm to 8.30pm) were dedicated to understanding our tasks in depth. We had to think about our schedule and getting the job dialled in so that when Thursday came, the first official day of the tournament, everyone knew the script. And we all did, it ran impeccably and we were off to a great start!”
Mark Tucker
“Wednesday evening was a real eye opener and something I had been looking forward to witnessing first hand – it was rough mowing day. At any ordinary club this is a pretty mundane task, but not at TPC Sawgrass, where it’s done with walk-behind rotary mowers. To see 40 greenkeepers set off cutting rough in unison, it was reminiscent of the Red Arrows, an awesome sight!”
Yannick Weber
“Soon the jokes about COVID-19 started to turn into real concerns. We started to realise this could quickly turn into an unpleasant situation. The headlines on the newsfeeds and the social media posts were updated so fast. Hope dies last and it was great to see that everyone stayed positive and gave their everything to keep working hard in the hopes the tournament could take place.
“During Thursday it was communicated that the tournament would be held without spectators. This was a big disappointment as the spectators are such a big part of the event, but we were pleased the event was going ahead.
“But the global news kept getting worse and we started to feel the cancellation was inevitable.”
Ben Hunter
“On the Thursday, the first day of the tournament, everything seemed fairly normal. The morning shift went well and while we were all tucking into our breakfast, news came that there were to be no spectators for the remainder of the tournament. The director of agronomy, Jeff Plotts, addressed all the team to explain what that meant. Our main question was would we be allowed to spectate ourselves or at least follow a group around with a rake so we could catch some of the action. A few meetings later and the answer was a firm ‘no’.
Mark Tucker
“At first we heard from some dodgy Twitter accounts, so we didn’t really believe it. But then as time went by an official announcement was made that the championship was cancelled. This was quickly followed by an email from Lucas asking us to report for a briefing at the normal time of 4.30am. So many emotions and thoughts were running through our heads at that point that it was hard to think straight, but it soon sank in that our time at TPC Sawgrass had come to an abrupt end. All the months of planning and excitement, only to prepare the course for one day of competitive golf was devastating.
“The Friday morning briefing was a surreal moment, with hundreds of people in disbelief that this was actually happening. Jeff address the group and explained the situation in detail, saying the main priority was getting the volunteers safely home to their families.
Ben Hunter
“The cancellation left the management team with a tough decision to make. In the end, their priority is to the golf course and while they appreciated the our help, no tournament means no volunteers. The full-time staff went about their usual daily routines of course set up, while we were told we were no longer needed. They put on shuttle buses to take us back to the hotel and told us we were welcome to continue to use the hotel until the end of our stay, but we would no longer be required to help out on the golf course.”
Edward Irvine
“They thanked everyone for their hard work to date and then we were hit with another surprise; this time it was a great one. We have been invited back to complete The PLAYERS next year! This was a fantastic gesture considering the circumstances and it changed from ‘goodbye’ to ‘see you next year’.
Ben Hunter
“Although our experience was cut short by this horrific virus, we all agreed that the days that we had out there were nothing short of amazing. We all learned so much, both on and off the course. We made great friends and are already planning a golf tour of the UK, visiting each other’s clubs. I would like to take this opportunity to thank BIGGA, John Deere, the guys at TPC Sawgrass and, of course, my fellow volunteers for making this experience so memorable.”
Applications for the John Deere TPC Sawgrass Volunteer Programme 2024 open in March
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