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Jacksonville native Mark McCumber dreamed of one day capturing the event now known as the PLAYERS Championship but struggled to find success in the tournament he wanted to win so badly for all of the people in his home city that supported him.
McCumber would have his day in the sun in front of his Jacksonville fan base 20 years when he rode a wave of early season success on the PGA TOUR to a victory in the PLAYERS Championship, giving him the crowning achievment of his professional golfing career.
On Wednesday May 7, McCumber, who is now a successful golf course designer, will be honored during the week of THE PLAYERS in recognition of the 20th anniversary of his historic victory. At the time, he became the only local player ever to have won what is now one of professional golf's most prestigious events.
Of his 10 PGA TOUR titles, his victory at THE PLAYERS stands above the rest. On May 7, McCumber's contributions to the game of golf, local charities and his family will be celebrated at THE PLAYERS downtown Experience Opening Ceremony.
Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton will delcare it "PLAYERS Championship Week" during the ceremony which will include the singing of the National Anthem by Brook Pernice, daughter of PGA TOUR professional Tom Pernice. Live entertainment will follow with McCumber's nephew Kort and his niece Beth performing - the McCumberland Gap Band - until 9 p.m.
Before McCumber's victory in 1988, his PLAYERS experiences yielded a few disappointing moments. In his first eight starts at Sawgrass, he missed four cuts, experienced a disqualification and finished no higher than a tie for 35th. He did record a top 15 in 1987; the year before he won the event.
Because of weather conditions in 1988, McCumber was forced to play his final 32 holes on Sunday. He held the lead for the majority of the day and finally realized his dream when he two-putted for his first bogey of the weekend on the 18th hole of the Stadium Course, giving him a four-shot victory over Mike Reid and at the time, the Stadium Course 72-hole scoring record of 15-under-par 273. Greg Norman now holds that scoring record with a 264.
The PLAYERS win was in many ways a gateway to more success. McCumber went on to win the World Cup later that year with Ben Crenshaw, added the second of his two Western Opens in 1989, then went 2-1 in the Ryder Cup. He won three times in 1994, including the TOUR Championship, and had a career-high finish of third on the money list.
Before McCumber captured the tournament, the PLAYERS was already well-entrenched as an elite event with champions such as Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd, Lee Trevino, Fred Couples and Sandy Lyle.
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