News

PINK OUT and Mother's Day at THE PLAYERS

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- In support of breast cancer research and in celebration of Mother's Day, it's "PINK OUT" day on the final day of THE PLAYERS Championship.

Caddies, players, sponsors, volunteers and fans are encouraged to wear pink to TPC Sawgrass in support of 26.2 with Donna.

For the fans that come out on Championship Sunday, THE PLAYERS are making a donation to 26.2 with Donna. Last year THE PLAYERS raised $35,510 on Championship Sunday. The tournament is giving $1 for every fan who attends Sunday.

Pink floral displays are all around TPC Sawgrass and all the mothers in attendance have received a commemorative Mother's Day pin.

There were pink hats and pink shoes and much more at THE PLAYERS today.  

Heidi Fischer, husband Steve and their 3 children chose to spend Mother's day at THE PLAYERS.

" What's more fun that watching golf and being with the family"

Top standard bearer at THE PLAYERS is golden

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- It's a sign of their times, whether really good or, less than. In pro golf, your status follows you constantly.
     
Maybe it lessens the blow of a bad score knowing these standard bearers are all really nice local kids.

Perhaps the nicest is Matt Smith. In a sea of green, his is the gold standard.

"The perks of being standard bearer of the year is I get the gold standard, stands out a little more," he said.

He's volunteered for this job five years now.

"It's really competitive to get in. You volunteer on the stroke of midnight on New Years Day and get in line."

But once you're in, you're in.

And his Ponte Vedra High School GPA, community service and job well done earned him the top spot this year.

Military Appreciation Day at TPC Sawgrass

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. -- Wednesday was all about service men and women at THE PLAYERS Championship.

The Birdies for the Brave held a special presentation for military heroes.

"It's just nice. It's nice that people are actually starting to care and people are paying more attention to the vets," U.S. Army Veteran Tyler Steinle said.

Steinle flew to Jacksonville from California for the recognition. 

The PGA Tour presented the wounded warrior with an honorary TPC Summerlin membership. 

Steinle served in the Army for five years, but just when re-enlisted for another five years, he suffered several injuries from Improvised Explosive Device blasts in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010.

"Fortunately I came back with all my remains by whole body but some other people weren't as fortunate," said Steinle.

Dell presented 10 wounded warriors with laptops and laptop bags -- gifts that Army Veteran Joane Dandurand will put to good use.

What it's like to be a PGA Tour caddy

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. -- Matt Kelly works as the caddy for PGA TOUR pro Marc Leishman. 

The Australian duo's star rose during their run at The Masters this year. 

Leishman finished in a tie for fourth place, but was in the group with eventual winner and fellow Australian Adam Scott.

"If it couldn't be my guy, it was cool to see another Australian win," Kelly said during an interview from TPC Sawgrass.

"There's been a lot of replays [of Adam Scott's win] and it's cool to see yourself in the background there," he said.

The background is generally where caddies find themselves in the course of a tournament. 

That's not a low blow, or a jab -- just the nature of their business. 

But Kelly said he's fine with that. It's a career path that introduced him to his girlfriend. They met at The Players. 

He even decided to move to Jacksonville Beach full-time from Australia to be closer to her.

Players Championship closed to public Monday

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. - Golf fans gearing up for the The Players Championship tournament will not be admitted to the event Monday.

The TPC Sawgrass will be closed to fans May 6 to allow time for final preparations delayed by inclement weather conditions. Efforts are also underway to move cart paths after the course received over six inches of rain.

Tickets to Monday's TPC events will be honored on Tuesday, May 7, however the Executive Woman's Day set for Monday will go on as planned.

THE PLAYERS 5K with Donna has also been postponed due to severe weather and flooding, and has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 a.m. at TPC Sawgrass.

St. Johns County watches warnings and road conditions

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- A Nor'easter is underway across the region and is expected to linger throughout the day and tonight.

According to a release from the St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center, another two to four inches are expected to fall across the region with strong winds continuing through the evening.

St. Johns County is currently under a Flood Watch through late this evening according to the SJCEOC. If you live in an area of St. Johns County prone to flooding, officials state you should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. 

Officials are also reminding residents not to drive in areas where water is covering the roadway, "Make the smart choice, turn around, don't drown."

According to the SJCEOC, St. Johns County is also under a wind and high surf advisory. Residents are being asked to use caution outdoors.

St. Johns County road conditions:

Ponte Vedra Police Blotter - May 2013

No police reports at this time.