TPC has no clear favorite

Previous winners include 23-year-old Adam Scott and 48-year old Fred Funk.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- The Players Championship is the perfect name for this tournament known as golf's fifth major, for no other reason than it offers equal opportunity to every player.
Just look at the diverse list of winners.
One year it was Justin Leonard, who doesn't hit it very high or very far but makes do with his irons and putting. The next year it was David Duval, an elite power player who rose to No. 1 in the world when he won The Players Championship in 1999. Adam Scott won at age 23. Fred Funk won at age 48.
Hal Sutton conquered the TPC at Sawgrass with his accuracy. Tiger Woods won on his way to completing his own version of the Grand Slam in 2001.
About the only thing they have in common is they drive courtesy cars.
"The way the course is set up, it doesn't favor long hitters, short hitters or medium hitters," Duval said Wednesday morning on the practice range. "It favors good play."
Not tricked up
That's largely true any week in golf, although the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course does the trick without having to be tricked up -- at least beyond what's already there, namely that island green for the par-3 17th.
For all the hysteria about distance in golf, the PGA Tour has never put Sawgrass on steroids. Since it became the permanent home of The Players Championship in 1982, Sawgrass has been lengthened by a mere 236 yards.
And it remains as demanding as it was 25 years ago.
"It's not a bomber's paradise," said Scott Verplank, who finished one shot behind Funk last year. "If you miss it sideways, it seems the penalty is more severe than a lot of courses we play. You can miss it by a yard or 20 yards on some courses and might have to wedge out. If you miss it by 20 yards here, you have to re-tee."
Richest event on Tour
The richest event on the PGA Tour -- an $8 million purse with $1.44 million to the winner -- gets started today with a few chances of rain during the week, but a forecast that is bright enough for the tour to believe it might finish on schedule. Three of the last six Players Championships have been decided on Monday because of rain.
If it stays firm and dry, chances are it will feel like a major. Lee Janzen won at 5-under 283 when the course played like a U.S. Open, and Duval won in '99 at 3-under 285 under similar conditions.
Woods plays without the benefit of an extra practice round. He was absent Wednesday to fly to California and check on his father's health.
All top 10 players entered
This will be the first time all year that all the top 10 players have been assembled at one tournament. Sergio Garcia skipped the Match Play Championship, while Scott did not play at Doral.
That doesn't mean any of the top 10 will be holding the Waterford crystal trophy at the end.
Woods and Scott are the only players from the top 10 who have won this tournament. The roll call of champions is impressive -- only seven winners do not have a major championship to their credit. But there's always room for a surprise, such as Craig Perks, an unknown from New Zealand who went eagle-birdie to take the lead, and chipped in for par to finish off his surprising win.
"I love this place," Brad Faxon said. "It's one of the few courses that makes you think off the tee."
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