Brief
History of the Players Championship
In the 2003/04 season, LG Electronics decided to sponsor the whole
tour or at least an Order of Merit covering all the ranking events except the
world championship. Normally the Scottish Open would have been the final event
of the tour but as the final event would carry double points and decide the
Order of Merit, it was decided to rename it the Players Championship. With
£50,000 at stake for the overall Tour champion, it was hoped that the added
status of the event would concentrate the minds of players who, in the recent
past had seemed to be thinking more about the world championship which follows
a few days later. This seemed to have worked when six of the top eight reached
the quarter finals when the championship was played, with sponsorship from the Daily
Record, at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow. However one man, Jimmy White, who
had not won a ranking event for twelve years came through to win.
Sky TV deciding not to renew their contract for the 2004/5 season and,
with no television coverage, the event was dropped after just one season.
