Solving Sawgrass: A look at the 5 best finishes at The Players

Sadly, there was no final round at the 2020 Players Championship.

There were no leaderboard-flipping eagle opportunities on No. 16. The iconic 17th hole provided no drama as the sun set on TPC Sawgrass. There were no nervy tee shots on No. 18 as the tournament hung in the balance.

However, no golf on Sunday provided the opportunity to revisit some of the most memorable Players Championships of all time. Here are the five best finishes from TPC Sawgrass:

5. Greg Norman - 1994

Greg Norman dismantled TPC Sawgrass in 1994.

After opening with a course-record-tying 63, Norman posted three straight rounds of 67 with only a single bogey all week for an astonishing total of 24-under par. His 264 aggregate total remains the lowest ever at TPC Sawgrass by six shots.

Fuzzy Zoeller came second by four shots. His 268 total would have been good enough to win every other Players Championship in the history of the event.

"That's the best I've ever played and had absolutely no chance of winning," Zoeller said after coming up short to Norman.

4. Hal Sutton - 2000

Tiger Woods was at the peak of his dominance during the 2000 Players Championship. He had won 11 of his previous 18 worldwide starts and was in prime position to find the winner's circle once again after trailing Hal Sutton by only one heading into the final round.

But Sutton wouldn't back down. A few weeks after calling out fellow PGA Tour pros for their constant praise of Tiger - what he viewed as a "defeatist attitude" - Sutton went toe to toe with the best player in the world at TPC Sawgrass. Sutton was able to stretch his lead to three before inclement weather forced play to be suspended until Monday.

After quickly falling four shots back Monday morning, Woods made his patented charge and managed to cut Sutton's lead to one with an eagle on No. 16. But once again, Sutton didn't flinch.

He safely found the island green and stuck his approach on the final hole, delivering one of the most memorable lines in golf.

"Be the right club. Be the right club today!"

It was. And Sutton locked up his second Players Championship title with the most dominant golfer in the world breathing down his neck the entire time.

3. Craig Perks - 2002

Craig Perks closed his final round in style to seal the 2002 Players Championship, becoming one of the most unlikely winners ever at TPC Sawgrass. The New Zealander started Sunday one shot off the lead and needed a flurry of remarkable shots late in the day to eventually hoist the trophy.

After nearly finding the water with his approach into the par-5 16th, Perks chipped in for eagle with his ball laying a couple of feet away from the hazard. On 17, Perks hit the center of the green and proceeded to drain the 28-footer for birdie. He was forced to punch out after an errant tee shot on the final hole but was able to make par to cap his round.

"You're unbelievable," defending champion Woods said to Perks at the trophy presentation.

Perks climbed from No. 199 in the world rankings to No. 64 with his lone PGA Tour title. He would go on to record only one top-10 finish for the rest of his career and quit professional golf in 2007.

2. Fred Couples - 1996

In search of his second win at Sawgrass, Fred Couples entered the final round four shots behind Tommy Tolles at the 1996 Player Championship.

Prior to Sunday's round, Couples was asked if he was going to need to match his course record of 63 in order to win: “Wait, wait, I don’t have any 63s in me," he said, according to Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated.

But Couples gave it a valiant effort. He shot 32 on the front nine to pull within one and remained there until the 16th hole. There, Couples hit a piercing 2-iron into the par 5 that barely cleared the water, and proceeded to roll in the eagle putt from just off the green to take a one-shot lead. He then dropped a slippery 30-footer for birdie on the island green to extend his lead further, which grew into an eventual four-shot victory as his competitors crumbled.

Couples shot an 8-under 64 to seal his second Players Championship, 12 years after his first.

"I hate to say it," he said afterward, "but it was a pretty easy 64."

Couples is one of six players with multiple Players Championship titles.

1. Rickie Fowler - 2015

Days after being voted as the most overrated player on the PGA Tour, Rickie Fowler collected the biggest (and second) win of his career at the dramatic 2015 Players Championship.

Fowler began the day three shots off the lead and needed to jump a handful of players in order to get into contention. He played his first 12 holes at 1-over par, which put him so far out of the mix his mother and sister headed to the airport before his round was complete.

However, the then-26-year-old caught fire and played his final six holes at 6-under par, including a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie finish through the most intimidating stretch of the course. Fowler's historic run secured his spot in a three-man playoff alongside Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner.

Fowler played No. 17 three times on Sunday, twice in the playoff, and hit all three tee shots inside seven feet. He birdied the iconic hole five times, and his fifth and final birdie secured his Players Championship victory in the most thrilling finish at TPC Sawgrass to date.