It's the Tank ...and the Turtle..

As it turned out this Players championship was about the Tank and .. the turtle..

My friend Guy Boros and I were talking on the putting green at the Hamilton GC before the 2003 Canadian Open. Guy was practising in the shade of a tree but was still sweating profusely, and he hadn't even teed off yet.

We joked a little about how he would probably lose a few pounds then he said, 'this heat won't bother my partner, the Tank, he's relentless, he's indestructable'

He was referring to KJ Choi, who of course beat David Toms on the first playoff hole, when Toms missed a 3 footer for par.

KJ actually earned his nickname as a 95 pound teenage power lifter who could squat 350 pounds. He said after his win that he  can hit a high fade, and that shot suits TPC Sawgrass. He also said that the experience he got playing 4 rounds at the Masters with Tiger enabled him to stay very calm inside playing in the final group with Toms and McDowell..

He was the first south Korean to win on the PGA tour back in 2002, and he is on his way back home today to play in his national championship, and in that golf mad nation he will receive a hero's welcome

I was saying yesterday here how I thought there would be a 3 way playoff, well I was close and didn't count on GMac shooting a 79 to end up with Phil Mickelson at T33.

He admitted in his post round interview that the bad bounce he got on 18 in round 3, when he was sailing along with a 3 shot lead at -14, which turned a birdie or par into a double bogey deflated him a bit, then bogey's at 6 and 7 ' took all the air out of me"

In the end it was the relentless Tank, hitting fairways and greens with that high fade who stayed calm under pressure and eventually took the championship when a valiant Toms missed that little put on the playoff hole.

The 16th hole played a big role in the championship as Toms went for the green with his 2nd shot in regulation, and dumped it in the pond and made bogey 6 to let  KJ  draw even.

It was also where ... the turtle comes into the story. If you didn't see it google YouTube 'turtle takes a dive at Players". This fellow scampered across the green, stuck his neck way out to peek over the edge of the railway ties, and to the urging of the crowd finally dove in !!

I spoke today with Alan Foley who is with the Florida Fisheries and Wildlife Commission who tells me it was " a Florida Spiny Softshell" about 2 1/2 feet long. They are very shy around humans so you can imagine his surprise when he found himself the centre of attraction.

Softshells are found in a variety of waters: lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, even ditches. Some species are quite aggressive. They are carnivores and as such are able to render some very painful bites should they be so inclined
Some larger species snag ducks and other small aquatic birds by grabbing them from below. Other species may feed on frogs, tadpoles, mudpuppies, snails, molluscs, and worms

The Tank and .... the Turtle..

1 1 6 K.J. Choi -13 F -2 color info 70 68 67 70 275

2 22 David Toms -13 F -2 color info 66 68 71 70 275
3 7 59 Paul Goydos -11 F -3 color info 69 70 69 69 277
T4 2 Luke Donald -10 F -1 color info 69 67 71 71 278
T4 5 Nick Watney -10 F -1 color info 64 71 72 71 278
T6 18 28 Jason Day -9 F -4 color info 69 70 72 68 279
T6 10 14 Hunter Mahan -9 F -3 color info 70 67 73 69 279
T6 10 34 J.B. Holmes -9 F -3 color info 68 69 73 69 279
T6 4 -- Alvaro Quiros -9 F -1 color info 67 73 68 71 279
T6 2 21 Jason Dufner -9 F E color info 69 70 68 72 279
T6 2 10 Aaron Baddeley -9 F E color info 70 67 70 72 279

Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles