Golfdom‘s Will Coughlin recaps his first pro-tournament experience The Players
I recently got to attend my first professional golf tournament. I tagged along with Golfdom Editor-in-Chief Seth Jones to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and The Players Championship. Quali-Pro sponsored our coverage of the tournament and I was tasked with capturing as much content as possible over the few days we were there.
A little background on me before I go any further. I am a diehard sports fan. I was a rugby player throughout high school, and I’m a massive football, baseball, soccer and basketball fan — especially for my hometown Cleveland teams. I am also a golfer, a major fan of the game and the history behind it. I was taught golf from an early age by my grandfathers.
My maternal grandpa got me my first set of used junior clubs and got me into golf camp at an early age (those lessons did not stick). My paternal grandpa gifted me Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book when I was done playing rugby and shifting more of my attention to golf.
I always found myself awestruck by the sacred courses of the game, such as Pebble Beach, Augusta National and St. Andrews. As a history nerd, the stories of Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods leaving their marks on those hallowed grounds felt larger than life.
Reality check
When I got the job with Golfdom Magazine some months after college graduation, I could not believe it. The industry that I am working in is one that I am invested in and find interesting. I was in shock when I found out I would be attending this year’s Players Championship.
I was filled with excitement about attending my first pro tournament, especially The Players, which is so iconic. I could not wait to get out on the course.
Our flights landed I met Seth at the Jacksonville airport and we were off. We checked into our hotel and were on our way to TPC Sawgrass. We were thrown a curveball right off the bat when we couldn’t find the media parking lot (in our defense, the church parking lot had no signs of life or signage … until the next day). This delayed our arrival at the course to 5:15 p.m. … 10 minutes after the media check-in attendants left.
My first professional golf tournament experience would have to wait one more evening.
Wednesday’s practice round went much smoother. We arrived bright and early to make the most of our day on the course. Seeing a course in such pristine condition was a mind-blowing experience for a local muni golfer like me. I want to give a massive shout-out to Jeff Plotts, Lucas Andrews and the rest of the team at Sawgrass. I was in awe, but there was work to be done. Seth and I met up with the kind folks from Quali-Pro, and we were off for the day.
Our Wednesday included shooting interviews with the Quali-Pro team, checking in on the maintenance facilities, talking to some of the volunteers who come from across the globe to help out, watching some of my favorite golfers bomb drives down the No. 7 fairway and enjoying the Creator Classic.
I felt some ccc in the Players Championship media center, eating lunch next to the Barstool Golf guys and other golf pundits I have seen on my TV since childhood. I hope that at future tournaments I’m able to muster up the courage to say hello and tell them that I love their stuff.
When the day was over, I went back to the hotel, sunburnt to a crisp and ready for a nice cold shower. We headed out again and found ourselves working and eating chicken wings while Seth sweated out a Kansas Jayhawks Big 12 tournament game. I was beat after our long day and asleep by 10 p.m.
No. 5 green and sunscreen
Thursday started busy. Our Golfdom Insider newsletter was due to be sent out later that afternoon, and I had to build it in the media center lunchroom. After some hiccups (Hey, I’m still less than three months into this job), the newsletter was sent out, and I got to enjoy some time on the course.
Thursday was incredible. I set up on the 5th green and waited for a superstar grouping to come to my green. I got to see Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, the three top-ranked golfers in the world, play a hole at one of the sport’s most iconic venues. It made my entire year (so far).
The rest of the day included getting posts up on social media, photo parades on the website and reapplying sunscreen throughout the day.
We eventually packed it up and headed back to the airport for our evening flights home and I was floating the whole trip back to Cleveland. I had a three-day experience that I will remember for the rest of my life, and it was all a part of a work trip — WOW.
I am so lucky to work for a publication like Golfdom and so thankful for Quali-Pro’s sponsorship of our coverage of The Players. A trip like that can ignite passion like nothing else, and I am ready for wherever this wonderful job takes me next.
I hope to see you at the next tournament we cover — maybe the U.S. Open? Let’s say hello, so I can get your photo or a video of you in our next Golfdom Insider enewsletter.
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