User:TreyCranfield/Sandbox2
 Logo of the 2019 T-1 Players Championship | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 1-4, 2019 |
| Location | Kholer Wisconsin 43.7392° N, 87.7818° W |
| Course(s) | Whistling Straits, Straits Course |
| Organized by | T-1 Golf Federation |
| Tour(s) | T-1 Golf Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 7,773 yards |
| Field | 132 players |
| Prize fund | $8,600,000 |
| Winner's share | $1,700,000 |
| Champion | |
 Benvolio Pagòn | |
| 275 (-9) | |
The 2019 T-1 Players Championship was the 2nd T-1 Players Championship, held April 1-4, 2019 at Whistling Straits Golf Course in Kholer, Wisconsin, the first edition at the Straits Course. It was the first event of the 2019 T-1 Golf Tour, and the first major of the season.
The T-1 Golf Federation, under the leadership of new President Jonathan Rogers, announced on August 30, 2018 that the T-1 Players Championship would become a major championship, replacing the cancelled T-1 Puerto Rico Open, which wasn't generating enough revenue, along with the destruction of the golf course during Hurricane Irma.
Frenchman Benvolio Pagòn won the tournament with a 9-under par score, taking advantage of the final round collapse of 36 and 54-hole leader Noram Lower. The win marks Pagòn's first professional golf win.
Venue
Course layout
2019 tournament yardages
Straits Course
The T-1 Golf Federation announced on February 2, 2019 that they would be "significantly lengthening" the golf course for the tournament. Later in the month, President Jonathan Rogers announced that the 11th hole would be changed from a par 5 to a par 4, bringing in mixed reactions from the players. The hole will become the longest par 4 in T-1 tournament history, playing at just over 570 yards for each day of the tournament. 2001 T-1 Augusta Invitational champion and 2-time Order of Merit champion Noram Lower called the change "a sham to fair and balanced golf".
| Hole | Name | Yards | Par | Hole | Name | Yards | Par | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outward Bound | 422 | 4 | 10 | Voyageur | 370 | 4 | |
| 2 | Cross Country | 595 | 5 | 11 | Sand Box | 574 | 4 | |
| 3 | O' Man | 187 | 3 | 12 | Pop Up | 149 | 3 | |
| 4 | Glory | 512 | 4 | 13 | Cliff Hanger | 414 | 4 | |
| 5 | Snake | 614 | 5 | 14 | Widow's Watch | 440 | 4 | |
| 6 | Gremlin's Ear | 359 | 4 | 15 | Grand Strand | 520 | 4 | |
| 7 | Shipwreck | 225 | 3 | 16 | Endless Bite | 589 | 5 | |
| 8 | On the Rocks | 518 | 4 | 17 | Pinched Nerve | 229 | 3 | |
| 9 | Down and Dirty | 488 | 4 | 18 | Dyeabolical | 536 | 4 | |
| Out | 3,920 | 36 | In | 3,817 | 35 | |||
| Total | 7,773 | 71 | ||||||
Field
The following qualification criteria were used to select the field. Each player is listed according to the first category by which he qualified with additional categories in which he qualified shown in parentheses.
1. All former T-1 Players Champions
David Duval (6)
2. Last 10 Augusta Invitational Champions
Trevor Immelman (4), Norman Xi (3,4,5), Syo Yin Yee, Matt Gennellii (3,5), Jamie Otto (3,5), Chris Euphoricson, Trey Cranfield (3,4)
3. Last 10 U.S. T-1 Open Champions
Jack Leeland (4,5), Cole Carllsson, Tiger Woods (4,5), Scott Jamiessonn (2,4,5)
4. Last 10 T-1 British Open Champions
Steve Scott, Tommy Fleetwood, Graeme McDowell
5. All former T-1 Tour Champions
James Thompson, Brad Miller, Y.E. Yang, Jamey Hannity, Phil Mickelson, Nick Price, Jerry Platon, Bob Tway, Tom Kite
- The following former champions are not competing: Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller, Billy Casper, Bernhard Langer, Ken Venturi, Lee Trevino, Sam Snead, Gay Brewer, Andy Bean, Payne Stewart, Calvin Peete, Gary Player
6. 15 low scorers and ties in the 2018 T-1 Players Championship
Henrik Ilgin, Colt Summer, Lanny Wadkins, Fin Duberjakamj, Jackson Somerset, Norman Julio (a)
7. Top 60 in points at the end of the 2018 season of the T-1 Golf Tour
Maxum Durocvich (a), Jay Henry, Daman Smart, Myrtle Rouge, Matthieu Bright, Russell Henley, Jimmy Rico (a), Tom Jeffries, Noram Lower, Padraig Smithlin, Freddie Meyer, Jacoby Johnson, Yuta Ikeda, Marcus Smart, Rodrick Perry, Samson Brawn, Zack Taylorman (a), David Hollingsworth, Tongchai Fooldan, Kevin Fletcher, Phil Rogers (a), Landon Watson, Jay Luegur, Jeff Lemán, Simon Coldnorg, Ryan Burton, Justin Reeves, Alexander Tyrone, Novak Lewis (a), Rory Erden, David Vennes (a), Allen Whyte, Chance Wanda, Justin Randolph, Blake Stone, Davis Love IV, Woody Tomlinson, Jimmie Dain, Sean Smith, Jeffrey Damrian Jr., Drake McCarthy, Hayden Davis, Jamie Rocklin, Jim Ramsey, Colin Farrell, Jake Loch, Jason Wecke (a), Connor Champ (a), Glen Day, Patrick Wolfington, Noah Tracie, Ryder Pippensin, Billy Hurley III, Tim Burke (a), Davis Love III, Richard Smock (a), Bryce Long (a), Davis Smitson, Nik Vermeere, Jackson Pelacious
8. Members of the International and United States 2018 International Cup teams
Edoardo Molinari, Mike Weir, Eddie Pepperell
9. Additional invitations from the T-1 Golf Federation
Erin Widdleson, Ian Lock, David Dixon, Aidan Dow, Gunter El-Towardo, Rickie Morris, Xander Hoffman, Zach Martin VI, Tommy Jefferson, Webb Bishop, Heong Lu (a), Braydon Hanlin, John Walrith, Denny Hopkins, Benvolio Pagòn (a), Jon Cork, David Brown, Philip Hulan, Samuel J. Wright, Devan Putman, Samuel Brown, Idickson Lowel, Adam O'Brian, Rod Perry, Colin Teener, Jaye Dobbins, Aaron Burlander, Dale Littenhoff, Christian Louson
10. Winner of the 2019 T-1 Winter Open
John Sanderson Jr.
11. Qualifiers at the T-1 Players Qualifying Event
James Thompson, Nicolas Patterson, Carl Shizzer, Wilson Davis, Jackson Swanson III, Donald Alexander (a), Kenneth Cook (a), Richard Hughes, Anthony Houston
Past champions expected in the field
Made the cut
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Duval |  United States |
2018 | 70 | 67 | 71 | 70 | 278 | −6 | 4 |
Round Summaries
Round 1
Monday April 1, 2019
The first round commenced with the first tee shot honor going to Frenchman and 2018 T-1 Rookie of the Year, Benvolio Pagòn. Pagòn held on to the lead for most of the day, being challenged only once after falling victim to the par-4 11th hole, which had a day one scoring average of 5.45, nearly a shot and a half over par, making it by far the hardest hole on the golf course. Conditions were more favorable than originally thought, seeing 9 players break par, including 2018 T-1 Order of Merit winner Norman Xi, Tiger Woods, and the 2018 T-1 Players champion, David Duval. Nearly 75 players were between 2-over and 5-over par, making it one of the densest field days of T-1 golf. As the day continued on, the golf course progressively played more difficult, with only two players in the afternoon breaking par, versus a much friendlier amount in the morning wave. 2001 Augusta Invitational champion, Noram Lower, who expressed his immense discontent with the golf course setup finished the day in solo 2nd place. After the round, he said he discredited the T-1GF and how they anticipated the setup for the golf course through the duration of the tournament. He also apologized for his harsh words to T-1 President Jonathan Rogers.
Round 2
Tuesday April 2, 2019
On day 2 of the tournament, players enjoyed much better scoring conditions, playing nearly five shots better than day one with an average of 69.78, just over one under par for the day. Overnight leader Benvolio Pagòn got off to a strong start, birdieing his first three holes to take a four stroke lead over Noram Lower. He quickly then fell off the pace, bogeying the 7th hole and making a quad on 11. He finished with a birdie on 18 to shoot a 1-under 70 for the second day, putting him in a tie for 7th place. Lower, who started the day one behind Pagòn got off to a much slower start, yet found his rhythm headed into the back nine, where he birdied the 10th and 11th holes, becoming the only player thus far in the tournament to birdie the two holes, and becoming only the third to birdie the 11th over the course of the two days. Notables such as Trey Cranfield (+9), Steve Scott (+6), Fin Duberjakamj (+3), Maxum Durocvich (+3), and Henrik Ilgin (+2) all missed the 1-over cut-line.
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noram Lower | United States |
69-66=135 | −7 |
| 2 | David Vennes (a) | France |
70-66=136 | −6 |
| T3 | Drake McCarthy |  Scotland |
71-66=137 | −5 |
| Jeff Lemán | United States |
71-66=137 | ||
| Tiger Woods | United States |
70-67=137 | ||
| David Duval | United States |
70-67=137 | ||
| T7 | Simon Coldnorg |  Sweden |
70-68=138 | −4 |
| Benvolio Pagòn | France |
68-70=138 | ||
| Jay Lueger | United States |
71-67=138 | ||
| Jack Leeland | United States |
70-68=138 | ||
| Norman Xi |  China |
70-68=138 | ||
| Colt Summer | United States |
75-63=138 | ||
| Blake Stone | United States |
75-63=138 |
Round 3
Wednesday April 3, 2019
Day three of the tournament brought more tough conditions for the players, although not too evident on the first page of the leaderboard. Notables such as Tiger Woods and Norman Xi fell victim to the cross winds and speedy greens among others. The round three scoring average was 73.45 (+2.5). 36-hole leader Noram Lower did not falter in the tough conditions and easily soared to a 3-under 68 on the day, opening up a three shot gap between him and round one leader Benvolio Pagòn. Also in a tie for second is 2018 T-1 International Cup breakout Swede Simon Coldnorg, who also found his way in the tough weather, firing a 68. The low round of the day went to Idickson Lowell, who sat at -5 headed into the final round of the tournament.
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noram Lower | United States |
69-66-68=203 | −10 |
| T2 | Simon Coldnorg | Sweden |
70-68-68=206 | −7 |
| Benvolio Pagòn | France |
68-70-68=206 | ||
| 4 | Drake McCarthy | Scotland |
71-66-70=207 | −6 |
| T5 | Idickson Lowell |  United States |
71-70-67=208 | −5 |
| David Duval | United States |
70-67-71=208 | ||
| Jeff Lemán | United States |
71-66-71=208 | ||
| Colt Summer | United States |
75-63-70=208 | ||
| David Vennes (a) | France |
70-66-72=208 | ||
| 10 | Jay Lueger | United States |
71-67-61=209 | −4 |
Round 4
Thursday April 4, 2019
The final round began at 8:30am on April 4, 2019. As the early groups went out, it was noticed that scoring would then again be trouble to the later pairings. The scoring average for round 4 was 74.06 (+3.1), the second hardest of the week behind round 1 (75.20). Noram Lower, the 54-hole leader got off to a bumpy start, bogeying the first hole and allowing Benvolio Pagòn to close within one with a birdie at the first. Simon Coldnorg also pulled out a birdie at the first. Pagòn went on to birdie the second as well, tying Lower at the top. At the 5th hole, Coldnorg made eagle to pull ahead by one over the two.
As the final two pairings made the turn, Simon Coldnorg held a one shot lead over Benvolio Pagòn who had pared the remaining holes on outward nine. Noram Lower bogeyed 6, 7, and 9 to fall two behind the leaders. On 12, Coldnorg made a bogey to fall back into a tie with Pagòn at -8. By the time the leaders reached the 15th, David Duval had closed the gap to 1 with a birdie at 17. Duval went on to bogey the 18th to finish at -6, or solo 4th.
Lower went on birdie 17 and 18 to finish at -8, a tie with Simon Coldnorg who hooked his drive off the 18th tee, where he was tied with Pagòn at -9. Coldnorg bogeyed the hole and Pagòn pared it, giving Pagòn his first T-1 major championship win, first T-1 Tour win, and first professional win in his career.
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benvolio Pagòn | France |
68-70-68-69=275 | −9 |
| T2 | Noram Lower | United States |
69-66-68-73=276 | −8 |
| Simon Coldnorg | Sweden |
70-68-68-70=276 | ||
| 4 | David Duval | United States |
70-67-71-70=278 | −6 |
| 5 | Idickson Lowell | United States |
71-70-67-71=279 | −5 |
| T6 | Drake McCarthy | Scotland |
71-66-70-74=281 | −3 |
| David Vennes (a) | France |
70-66-72-73=281 | ||
| Norman Xi | China |
70-68-72-71=281 | ||
| 9 | Colt Summer | United States |
75-63-70-74=282 | −2 |
| T10 | Jay Lueger | United States |
71-67-71-74=283 | −1 |
| Tiger Woods | United States |
70-67-73-73=283 |