# 1987 Tournament Players Championship

The 1987 Tournament Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 26–29 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. It was the fourteenth Tournament Players Championship.
Sandy Lyle of Scotland defeated Jeff Sluman on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff to become the first international player to win the title. Rains had softened the course and led to favorable scoring; the 36-hole cut of 143 (−1) was the lowest until 1993.
At the second playoff hole, the par-3 17th "Island Green," an unruly spectator jumped into the water as Sluman was addressing his six-foot (1.8 m) birdie putt for the win. After order was restored, he missed and they went to third extra hole at 18. Both found the fairway with their tee shots but both approaches went deep. Sluman couldn't save par from twelve feet (3.7 m) while Lyle made his from seven feet (2.1 m) to end it.
This was the second playoff at the Tournament Players Championship, but the first at the Stadium Course. This year also marked the championship's first seven-figure purse and its last with "Tournament" in the title.
Defending champion John Mahaffey finished ten strokes back, in a tie for 32nd place.

## Venue

This was the sixth Tournament Players Championship held at the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course and it remained at 6,857 yards (6,270 m).

## Eligibility requirements

1. Top 126 players, if PGA Tour members, from Final 1986 Official Money List:
Greg Norman, Bob Tway, Payne Stewart, Andy Bean, Dan Pohl, Hal Sutton, Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Raymond Floyd, Bernhard Langer, John Mahaffey, Calvin Peete, Fuzzy Zoeller, Joey Sindelar, Jim Thorpe, Ken Green, Larry Mize, Doug Tewell, Corey Pavin, Tom Watson, Mike Hulbert, Don Pooley, Lanny Wadkins, Kenny Knox, Mark Wiebe, John Cook, Donnie Hammond, Paul Azinger, Mark O'Meara, Tim Simpson, Curtis Strange, Bobby Wadkins, Jack Nicklaus, Nick Price, Scott Hoch, Tom Purtzer, Chip Beck, Roger Maltbie, Scott Simpson, Gene Sauers, Phil Blackmar, Clarence Rose, Jay Haas, David Frost, Bruce Lietzke, Jodie Mudd, Bob Murphy, Gary Koch, Steve Pate, Willie Wood, Craig Stadler, Dan Forsman, D. A. Weibring, Ronnie Black, Howard Twitty, Mark Calcavecchia, Wayne Levi, Jeff Sluman, Rick Fehr, J. C. Snead, Sandy Lyle, Pat McGowan, Mike Reid, Danny Edwards, Ernie Gonzalez, Larry Nelson, Dave Barr, David Edwards, Bill Glasson, Hubert Green, Mark Hayes, Brian Claar, Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Peter Jacobsen, Lennie Clements, Mark McCumber, Jim Colbert, Mike Donald, Morris Hatalsky, Bob Gilder, Lon Hinkle, Bobby Clampett, David Graham, Brett Upper, Brad Faxon, Buddy Gardner, Russ Cochran, Tom Byrum, Blaine McCallister, Bobby Cole, Charlie Bolling, TC Chen, Lee Trevino, Bob Lohr, Jack Renner, Dan Halldorson, Leonard Thompson, Dave Rummells, George Archer, Barry Jaeckel, Larry Rinker, Jim Gallagher Jr., Curt Byrum, Dick Mast, Ken Brown, Mark Lye, George Burns, David Ogrin, Chris Perry, Fred Wadsworth, Andy Dillard, Bob Eastwood, Johnny Miller, Ed Fiori, Andrew Magee, Gary Hallberg, Mark Pfeil, Jay Delsing, John Adams, Tom Sieckmann, Antonio Cerda, Jr.
Source:
* Mac O'Grady, Gil Morgan, Mike Sullivan, and Tony Sills elected not to play
2. Designated players
Andy North
3. Any foreign player meeting the requirements of a designated player, whether or not he is a PGA Tour member
Seve Ballesteros
4. Winners in the last 10 calendar years of the Tournament Players Championship, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, Masters Tournament and World Series of Golf
Hale Irwin, Bill Rogers
5. The leader in Senior PGA Tour official earnings of 1986
* Bruce Crampton elected not to play
Source:
6. The three players, not otherwise eligible, designated by the TPC Committee as "special selections"
Rodger Davis, Dave Stockton
7. To complete a field of 144 players, those players in order, not otherwise eligible, from the 1987 Official Money List, as of the completion of the USF&G Classic, March 22, 1987
Isao Aoki, Keith Clearwater, Steve Elkington, Sam Randolph, Brad Fabel, Bill Sander, Tsuneyuki Nakajima, Steve Jones, Rick Dalpos, Rocco Mediate, Jay Don Blake, John Inman, Mark Brooks, Denis Watson, Richard Zokol, Mike Nicolette
Source:
General source:

## Round summaries
### First round

Thursday, March 26, 1987 Friday, March 27, 1987
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
| 1 | Steve Jones | 66 | −6 |
| T2 | Bob Eastwood | 67 | −5 |
| T2 | Brad Fabel | 67 | −5 |
| T2 | Sandy Lyle | 67 | −5 |
| T2 | Greg Norman | 67 | −5 |
| T6 | Isao Aoki | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Paul Azinger | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Mark Brooks | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Hale Irwin | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Wayne Levi | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Blaine McCallister | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Mark O'Meara | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Chris Perry | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Dan Pohl | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Dave Rummells | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Gene Sauers | 68 | −4 |
| T6 | Hal Sutton | 68 | −4 |
Source:

### Second round

Friday, March 27, 1987 Saturday, March 28, 1987
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
| T1 | Steve Jones | 66-67=133 | −11 |
| T1 | Mark O'Meara | 68-65=133 | −11 |
| T3 | Dan Pohl | 68-66=134 | −10 |
| T3 | Scott Simpson | 69-65=134 | −10 |
| T5 | Brad Fabel | 67-68=135 | −9 |
| T5 | Greg Norman | 67-68=135 | −9 |
| T7 | Hale Irwin | 68-68=136 | −8 |
| T7 | Tom Purtzer | 69-67=136 | −8 |
| T7 | Jeff Sluman | 70-66=136 | −8 |
| 10 | Curt Byrum | 69-68=137 | −7 |
Source:

### Third round

Saturday, March 28, 1987
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
| T1 | Mark O'Meara | 68-65-69=202 | −14 |
| T1 | Scott Simpson | 69-65-68=202 | −14 |
| T3 | Ben Crenshaw | 70-68-66=204 | −12 |
| T3 | Sandy Lyle | 67-71-66=204 | −12 |
| 5 | Jeff Sluman | 70-66-69=205 | −11 |
| 6 | Paul Azinger | 68-70-68=206 | −10 |
| 6 | Bill Glasson | 69-69-68=206 | −10 |
| 6 | Greg Norman | 67-68-71=206 | −10 |
| 9 | Nick Price | 71-68-68=207 | −9 |
| 10 | Tom Purtzer | 69-67-72=208 | −8 |
Source:

### Final round

Sunday, March 29, 1987
On the 72nd hole, Lyle and Sluman both made birdie putts to finish at 274 (−14) and advanced to the playoff.
* Champion
* (c) = past champion
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
| T1 | Sandy Lyle | 67-71-66-70=274 | −14 | Playoff |
| T1 | Jeff Sluman | 70-66-69-69=274 | −14 | Playoff |
| 3 | Mark O'Meara | 68-65-69-73=275 | −13 | 68,000 |
| T4 | Greg Norman | 67-68-71-70=276 | −12 | 44,000 |
| T4 | Scott Simpson | 69-65-68-74=276 | −12 | 44,000 |
| 6 | Paul Azinger | 68-70-68-71=277 | −11 | 36,000 |
| T7 | Bill Glasson | 69-69-68-72=278 | −10 | 32,250 |
| T7 | Dan Pohl | 68-66-75-69=278 | −10 | 32,250 |
| T9 | Ben Crenshaw | 70-68-66-75=279 | −9 | 27,000 |
| T9 | Tom Kite | 72-70-67-70=279 | −9 | 27,000 |
| T9 | Tom Purtzer | 69-67-72-71=279 | −9 | 27,000 |
Leaderboard below the top 10 :
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
| T12 | Brad Fabel | 67-68-75-70=280 | −8 | 21,000 |
| T12 | Mark McCumber | 69-71-69-71=280 | −8 | 21,000 |
| T12 | Larry Mize | 70-70-69-71=280 | −8 | 21,000 |
| T15 | David Frost | 70-69-71-71=281 | −7 | 16,000 |
| T15 | Hubert Green | 69-71-72-69=281 | −7 | 16,000 |
| T15 | Steve Jones | 66-67-76-72=281 | −7 | 16,000 |
| T15 | Tsuneyuki Nakajima | 69-70-70-72=281 | −7 | 16,000 |
| T15 | Mike Reid | 72-69-69-71=281 | −7 | 16,000 |
| T20 | Keith Clearwater | 73-70-71-68=282 | −6 | 11,650 |
| T20 | Morris Hatalsky | 73-69-70-70=282 | −6 | 11,650 |
| T20 | Chris Perry | 68-71-70-73=282 | −6 | 11,650 |
| T20 | Mark Wiebe | 70-69-71-72=282 | −6 | 11,650 |
| T24 | Isao Aoki | 68-73-72-70=283 | −5 | 7,737 |
| T24 | Buddy Gardner | 69-69-75-70=283 | −5 | 7,737 |
| T24 | Ken Green | 71-72-69-71=283 | −5 | 7,737 |
| T24 | Mike Hulbert | 71-71-71-70=283 | −5 | 7,737 |
| T24 | Hale Irwin | 68-68-74-73=283 | −5 | 7,737 |
| T24 | Bernhard Langer | 72-71-71-69=283 | −5 | 7,737 |
| T24 | Nick Price | 71-68-68-76=283 | −5 | 7,737 |
| T24 | Hal Sutton (c) | 68-74-71-70=283 | −5 | 7,737 |
| T32 | Curt Byrum | 69-68-73-74=284 | −4 | 5,414 |
| T32 | David Edwards | 70-70-70-74=284 | −4 | 5,414 |
| T32 | Bob Gilder | 73-68-72-71=284 | −4 | 5,414 |
| T32 | John Mahaffey (c) | 70-72-69-73=284 | −4 | 5,414 |
| T32 | Jack Renner | 70-73-69-72=284 | −4 | 5,414 |
| T32 | Dave Rummells | 68-71-73-72=284 | −4 | 5,414 |
| T32 | Gene Sauers | 68-72-72-72=284 | −4 | 5,414 |
| T39 | Scott Hoch | 76-65-70-74=285 | −3 | 4,400 |
| T39 | Clarence Rose | 73-69-70-73=285 | −3 | 4,400 |
| T41 | Bobby Cole | 70-70-71-75=286 | −2 | 3,900 |
| T41 | Mike Nicolette | 73-69-70-74=286 | −2 | 3,900 |
| T41 | Don Pooley | 74-68-73-71=286 | −2 | 3,900 |
| T44 | Chip Beck | 71-71-76-69=287 | −1 | 3,023 |
| T44 | Chen Tze-chung | 71-69-73-74=287 | −1 | 3,023 |
| T44 | Lennie Clements | 74-67-72-74=287 | −1 | 3,023 |
| T44 | John Inman | 73-70-72-72=287 | −1 | 3,023 |
| T44 | Bob Murphy | 73-70-69-75=287 | −1 | 3,023 |
| T44 | Bill Rogers | 69-73-69-76=287 | −1 | 3,023 |
| T50 | Mark Calcavecchia | 73-69-73-73=288 | E | 2,435 |
| T50 | Jay Haas | 70-73-74-71=288 | E | 2,435 |
| T50 | Rocco Mediate | 71-72-76-69=288 | E | 2,435 |
| T50 | Corey Pavin | 75-68-70-75=288 | E | 2,435 |
| T54 | Andy Dillard | 70-73-73-73=289 | +1 | 2,270 |
| T54 | Bob Eastwood | 67-73-74-75=289 | +1 | 2,270 |
| T54 | Mark Hayes (c) | 70-70-73-76=289 | +1 | 2,270 |
| T54 | Barry Jaeckel | 72-69-72-76=289 | +1 | 2,270 |
| T54 | Andy North | 70-69-76-74=289 | +1 | 2,270 |
| T54 | Fuzzy Zoeller | 75-67-73-74=289 | +1 | 2,270 |
| 60 | Russ Cochran | 72-70-76-72=290 | +2 | 2,200 |
| T61 | Ken Brown | 71-71-69-80=291 | +3 | 2,170 |
| T61 | Dan Forsman | 71-69-74-77=291 | +3 | 2,170 |
| T63 | Mark Brooks | 68-75-73-76=292 | +4 | 2,130 |
| T63 | Joey Sindelar | 72-71-71-78=292 | +4 | 2,130 |
| T65 | Seve Ballesteros | 70-69-77-77=293 | +5 | 2,080 |
| T65 | George Burns | 69-73-84-67=293 | +5 | 2,080 |
| T65 | Larry Rinker | 75-68-78-72=293 | +5 | 2,080 |
| 68 | Rodger Davis | 73-70-76-76=295 | +7 | 2,040 |
| 69 | Blaine McCallister | 68-73-80-75=296 | +8 | 2,020 |
| 70 | Dave Stockton | 68-70-79-80=297 | +9 | 2,000 |
| 71 | Bob Lohr | 72-71-73-82=298 | +10 | 1,980 |
| 72 | Sam Randolph | 71-71-82-78=302 | +14 | 1,960 |
| CUT | John Adams | 72-72=144 | E | |
| CUT | Tom Byrum | 76-68=144 | E | |
| CUT | Bobby Clampett | 74-70=144 | E | |
| CUT | John Cook | 72-72=144 | E | |
| CUT | Fred Couples (c) | 72-72=144 | E | |
| CUT | Steve Elkington | 74-70=144 | E | |
| CUT | Jim Gallagher Jr. | 71-73=144 | E | |
| CUT | Lon Hinkle | 71-73=144 | E | |
| CUT | Kenny Knox | 73-71=144 | E | |
| CUT | Andrew Magee | 71-73=144 | E | |
| CUT | Roger Maltbie | 73-71=144 | E | |
| CUT | Larry Nelson | 73-71=144 | E | |
| CUT | Jack Nicklaus (c) | 70-74=144 | E | |
| CUT | Steve Pate | 71-73=144 | E | |
| CUT | J. C. Snead | 71-73=144 | E | |
| CUT | Leonard Thompson | 74-70=144 | E | |
| CUT | Bob Tway | 71-73=144 | E | |
| CUT | Bobby Wadkins | 72-72=144 | E | |
| CUT | D. A. Weibring | 72-72=144 | E | |
| CUT | Richard Zokol | 74-70=144 | E | |
| CUT | Phil Blackmar | 71-74=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Charlie Bolling | 69-76=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Ed Fiori | 75-70=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Gary Hallberg | 77-68=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Johnny Miller | 73-72=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Calvin Peete (c) | 71-74=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Mark Pfeil | 73-72=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Tim Simpson | 73-72=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Payne Stewart | 77-68=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Doug Tewell | 74-71=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Lanny Wadkins (c) | 70-75=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Tom Watson | 73-72=145 | +1 | |
| CUT | Antonio Cerda Jr. | 75-71=146 | +2 | |
| CUT | Danny Edwards | 70-76=146 | +2 | |
| CUT | Donnie Hammond | 70-76=146 | +2 | |
| CUT | Wayne Levi | 68-78=146 | +2 | |
| CUT | Pat McGowan | 74-72=146 | +2 | |
| CUT | Craig Stadler | 74-72=146 | +2 | |
| CUT | Jim Thorpe | 76-70=146 | +2 | |
| CUT | Fred Wadsworth | 69-77=146 | +2 | |
| CUT | Dave Barr | 73-74=147 | +3 | |
| CUT | Ronnie Black | 72-75=147 | +3 | |
| CUT | Mike Donald | 78-69=147 | +3 | |
| CUT | Brad Faxon | 76-71=147 | +3 | |
| CUT | Rick Fehr | 73-74=147 | +3 | |
| CUT | Bruce Lietzke | 71-76=147 | +3 | |
| CUT | Davis Love III | 73-74=147 | +3 | |
| CUT | Mark Lye | 73-74=147 | +3 | |
| CUT | Dick Mast | 74-73=147 | +3 | |
| CUT | Denis Watson | 73-74=147 | +3 | |
| CUT | Jay Don Blake | 78-70=148 | +4 | |
| CUT | Brian Claar | 81-67=148 | +4 | |
| CUT | Rick Dalpos | 73-75=148 | +4 | |
| CUT | Bill Sander | 74-74=148 | +4 | |
| CUT | Brett Upper | 71-77=148 | +4 | |
| CUT | Jay Delsing | 73-76=149 | +5 | |
| CUT | Ernie Gonzalez | 76-73=149 | +5 | |
| CUT | Dan Halldorson | 76-73=149 | +5 | |
| CUT | Raymond Floyd (c) | 74-76=150 | +6 | |
| CUT | Gary Koch | 75-75=150 | +6 | |
| CUT | Curtis Strange | 75-75=150 | +6 | |
| CUT | Howard Twitty | 76-74=150 | +6 | |
| CUT | Lee Trevino (c) | 70-81=151 | +7 | |
| CUT | George Archer | 77-75=152 | +8 | |
| CUT | Peter Jacobsen | 75-77=152 | +8 | |
| CUT | David Ogrin | 73-79=152 | +8 | |
| CUT | Andy Bean | 73-80=153 | +9 | |
| CUT | David Graham | 76-77=153 | +9 | |
| CUT | Tom Sieckmann | 81-72=153 | +9 | |
| CUT | Willie Wood | 80-78=158 | +14 | |
| WD | Jodie Mudd | 70 | −2 | |
| WD | Jim Colbert | 75 | +3 | |
Source:

#### Playoff

| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
| 1 | Sandy Lyle | 5-3-4=12 | E | 180,000 |
| 2 | Jeff Sluman | 5-3-5=13 | +1 | 108,000 |
* The sudden-death playoff began on hole 16, went to 17, and ended at 18.

##### Scorecard

| Hole | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Par | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Lyle | E | E | E |
| Sluman | E | E | +1 |
Source: