Best Players Championships, Nos. 39-31: Jack Nicklaus wins twice in three years, at two sites

The Times-Union has ranked all 48 Players Championships, taking into account the winner, leaderboard and the nature of the Sunday finish.

Today: How Jack Nicklaus won the first Players and a set of strong international winners.

No. 39, 1974: Jack gets it all started

The inaugural Players was then called the Tournament Players Championship and was played over Labor Day weekend at a sultry, stormy Atlanta Country Club. Predictably, severe weather interfered with the proceedings and there was a Monday finish.

Ranking the Players

No. 48-40:Blowout victories, drama-free golf

Nicklaus lurked behind all week, then made his move with a final-round 67 for a 16-under total of 272. He rallied from three shots behind J.C. Snead, who matched the par of 72. Nicklaus earned $50,000 from a $250,000 purse. Players who tied for 50th at the 2022 Players Championship earned $50,200.

No. 38, 1984: Boom-Boom's coming out

Fred Couples had been known as a bit of an aberration in his first few years on the PGA Tour, a long bomber, even with persimmon drivers, a mop-top haircut and not much else.

He proved he had the rest of it in 1984.

Couples followed a pedestrian 71 in the first round with a 64 that was then the course record, took a two-shot lead into the weekend and held off Seve Ballesteros and Tom Watson to win his first Players. The top-10 leader board included Hall of Famers Couples, Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Lanny Wadkins, Mark O’Meara and Nick Price.

No. 37, 1976: A stormy week at Inverrary

Nicklaus won the second Players in three years, and the final one under a rotating basis. The Players replaced the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic for one year in Lauderhill, and storms again interrupted the tournament.

But Nicklaus outclassed everyone with a final-round 65 on a Monday finish, pulling away from a tie with J.C. Snead to win by three shots. It was the second time in three years Nicklaus won and Snead finished solo second.

No. 36, 1989: Let’s go fly a Kite

Tom Kite won in typically methodical fashion during a week of mostly good weather, climbing the leaderboard every day after tying for 15th in the first round and finally winning by one shot over Chip Beck with a closing 71 under windy conditions. Kite finished at 9-under 279.

The tournament was notable in that Jacksonville native Mark McCumber came the closest of any defending champion to winning again, tying for sixth, four shots behind. McCumber was tied for the lead in the third round but called a whiff of a short putt on himself at the 17^th hole.

No. 35, 2016: Day domination

Jason Day was the No. 1-ranked player in the world and he looked every bit the part in leading wire-to-wire after matching the course record with a 63 in the first round.

Day broke Greg Norman’s record for lowest 36-hole score with a second-round 66 to enter the weekend at 15-under, with a four-shot lead. He never threatened Norman’s 72-hole record after a third-round 73 but it was enough to keep him four shots clear and he won by that margin over Kevin Chappell with a closing 71.

No. 34, 2009: A Swede Sunday

European golfers had won The Players before 2009, but they presented either the British Isles or Spain. Henrik Stenson’s brilliant final-round 66 put Sweden in the winner’s circle for the first time as he came from five shots off the 54-hole lead held by Alex Cejka and beat Ian Poulter by four shots at 12-under 276.

Cejka, who was born in the Czech Republic and was a German citizen, dominated the tournament. But he faded with a 79 in the final round, with a double-bogey at No. 4 starting a stretch of five holes he played at 5-over.

Stenson broke from a pack of contenders that included Tiger Woods and Retief Goosen when he made all six of his birdies within a 10-hole stretch, with a 4-under 32 on the back nine.

No. 33, 2012: 'Kuuuuuch!' takes control

Most of the week was focused on contender Kevin Na’s twitches and mutters and slow play. Na, whose controlled game seemed suited to the Stadium Course, opened with rounds of 67-69-68 and led Matt Kuchar by one shot entering the final round.

But Na’s nerves and fan reaction to his inability to pull the string and hit shots eventually wore him down. He shot 76 in the final round, Kuchar fashioned a workmanlike 70 and his 13-under score gave him a two-shot victory over a quartet of worthy competitors, British Open champions Ben Curtis and Zach Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Martin Laird.

Kuchar, who lived in Ponte Vedra Beach at the time, was all smiles from the opening tee shot to the final stroll up No. 18 and was greeted from every tee to green with the shouts of fans yelling "Kuuuuch!"

No. 32, 2019: Back to March

After 12 years in May, the PGA Tour steered its Gold Standard event back to where it started, in March.

It was two weeks earlier than previous March dates but the weather held up — especially with balmy temperatures in the first two rounds — and Rory McIlroy eased past European Ryder Cup teammates Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood with a final-round 70 that gave him a one-shot victory over hard-charging Jim Furyk (67 in the final round) at 16-under 272. Two international players who had 66s in the final round, Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela and Eddie Pepperell of England, were another shot behind.

McIlroy would go on to win the FedEx Cup and earn PGA Tour player of the year honors and admitted after the tournament that regardless of how many majors he might win, he couldn’t foresee his career ending without a victory at the Stadium Course.

No. 31, 1993: The Price is right at 17

The former military helicopter pilot from Zimbabwe and one of the most affable players of his time on the PGA Tour, Nick Price struck precise shots and drained putts all week at the Stadium Course and led wire-to-wire in making The Players the middle jewel of a run in which he won the PGA twice and earned two money titles and two player of the year honors in a three-year span.

Price posted a first-round 64, entered the final round with a one-shot lead over three eventual fellow World Golf Hall of Fame members, Bernhard Langer, Norman and O’Meara, then stepped on the gas with a final-round 67. His tee shot at No. 17, to within 6 feet of the cup, was such a confident blow that six years later, David Duval would cite it an inspiration for his Players victory.

Tomorrow: The Times-Union ranks Players Championship Nos. 30-21.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Best Players Championships, No. 39-31: Jack Nicklaus wins highlight early years