THE PLAYERS Championship

THE PLAYERS Championship

"(THE PLAYERS) has ... tradition and history, and I had watched it a lot before I came over and played it the first time, and I think that goes for everybody that's a keen golfer," Stenson said. "Especially if you're a professional golfer, from whatever corner of the world you come from, you will have seen this event and know what great history it's got and what great champions you've got from the past (wholesale golf)."

Stenson has made four consecutive cuts at TPC Sawgrass. Besides his win a year ago, Stenson also tied for third in 2006. In those four tournaments, he has five rounds in the 60s and 11 at par or better (used taylor made golf clubs).

"It's a course I love playing, and it's even sweeter to return as defending champion," Stenson said. "And I will try my hardest to have a good week this week, and I could be the first one to go back-to-back, I guess."

At the time of his win, Stenson moved to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Entering this week's tournament, Stenson is ranked 18th. His top PGA TOUR finish this season was a tie for 33rd at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. In five international starts in 2010, Stenson's top performances are a pair of ties for eighth -- at the Dubai Desert Classic in February and the Volvo China Open last month.THE PLAYERS Championship dates to 1974 when Jack Nicklaus won the first tournament. The event permanently moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in 1977 and found a home at TPC Sawgrass five years later.

TPC Sawgrass' PLAYERS Stadium Course annually ranks as one of the most-difficult venues on the PGA TOUR, making scoring on the four par 5s -- Nos. 2, 9, 11 and 16 -- even more important at THE PLAYERS. No player has taken advantage of those four TPC Sawgrass holes over the years more than Tiger Woods, who is a cumulative 92-under-par.

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