The Players Championship, also known as golf’s unofficial fifth Major, is up next on the PGA schedule held at the famed TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Fla.

Matt Kuchar comes back to defend his 2012 title, where he outlasted a bevy of big names cruising in with a 13-under par total of 275, good for a 2-stroke victory over challengers Ben Curtis, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson and Martin Laird.  Kuchar’s only round in the 70s was his closing round of 70, where he had a cozy 2-stroke lead going in to the famed No. 18 without needing to do anything heroic in order to secure what amounted to the the biggest win of his career.  Kuchar’s signature moment was sinking a sizable birdie putt on No. 17 in his final round, giving him the two-stroke lead going in to the legendary 18th hole where the margin of error gave him just the mental cushion he needed for the win on a hole that has famously brought others to their knees.

The Players Championship traditionally features one of the best fields in all of golf and this year is no different. All 10 of the top 10 players in the world will be in attendance — Tiger, Rory, Phil, Bubba, Lee, Dustin, Brandt, Sergio, and just about every other big name in golf all fighting for the winners’ share of $1.71 million. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that The Players Championship boasts the largest purse on the PGA Tour ($9.5 million) besting all four majors for prize money, hence the “Fifth Major” moniker.

Kuchar’s win last year was not the biggest story of the tournament, however. It was Round 3 leader Kevin Na who stole the show and started a national debate — but much of it for the wrong reasons.  Na, leading after three days, was plagued by a paralyzing bout of nerves for much of the tournament.  Na frequently found himself standing over his ball, waggling endlessly, seemingly unable to swing the club for spells at a time. Then, even stranger, he frequently swung what looked like a full “whiff” missing the ball completely — on purpose.

This brought about a national discussion regarding both slow play and much pondering about whether he should be penalized for missing the ball.  Rules officials ultimately claimed that Na was purposely missing the ball much like a “practice swing,” and wasn’t assessed a penalty (he was assessed a warning for slow play, however). The on-course galleries voiced their displeasure about Na’s slow-play by jeering him as the tournament wore on. It was all too much in the end, and Na wilted to a 7th place finish with a closing round of 76.

The Players Championship has been held at the famed Pete Dye-designed TPC Sawgrass Stadium course for the past 20 years. The course was originally opened in 1979, but Dye redesigned the track in 2006 in order to give it more teeth.  The finishing two holes are considered two of the toughest closing holes on Tour, highlighted by arguably the most famous par-3 hole in the world. No. 17 is an imposing 137-yard always-intimidating island green that swallows golf balls like a dog swallows steak. From there, the course finishes with a challenging 447-yard par 4 with water running the length of the hole down the left side forcing the leaders to have a serious gut check when trying to close out for the win.

There has been foul weather in the area earlier in the week forcing the organizers to cancel early practice rounds.  The rain should soften the course a little bit in the early going, which may keep the scores low.  The weekend outlook is much brighter with only a small hint of rain expected on Friday.