1977 Tournament Players Championship
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| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 17–20, 1977 |
| Location | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 30°11′20″N 81°22′12″W / 30.189°N 81.370°W |
| Course(s) | Sawgrass Country Club, East-West course |
| Tour | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,174 yards (6,560 m)[1] |
| Field | 140 players, 79 after cut |
| Cut | 155 (+11) |
| Prize fund | $300,000 |
| Winner's share | $60,000 |
| Champion | |
 Mark Hayes | |
| 289 (+1) | |
| Location map | |
  Sawgrass CC Location in the United States  Sawgrass CC Location in Florida | |
The 1977 Tournament Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 17–20 at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. The fourth Tournament Players Championship,it was the first standalone version of the tournament after the first three editions were attached to previously established tournaments. It was the first of five consecutive at Sawgrass, which had agreed a multi-year with the PGA Tour in 1976.[2]
Mark Hayes was the champion in windy conditions at 289 (+1), two strokes ahead of runner-up Mike McCullough.[1][3][4] McCullough and Tom Watson were the co-leaders after the third round, with Hayes a stroke back.[5] Defending champion Jack Nicklaus finished four strokes back, in a tie for fifth place.[1][3]
Bob Menne set the tour's 72-hole record for fewest putts with 99,[6] but tied for 47th at 303 (+15).[1] The record had been 102 putts, by Bert Yancey in 1966 at his victory in the final Portland Open Invitational.[6][7]
This was the first of five Tournament Players Championships held at Sawgrass Country Club; it moved to the nearby TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course in 1982. The venues for the first three editions in Georgia, Texas, and south Florida were familiar to most of the participants as those courses had recently hosted multiple PGA Tour events; this was the first tour event at Sawgrass.[4]
