Author Alan Shipnuck will do a book signing at Jax Beach Books-A-Million

Award-winning author Alan Shipnuck will hold a book signing and question-and-answer sessions at the Jacksonville Beach Books-A-Million in conjunction with the coming release of his latest work, “Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf’s Most Human Superstar,” a biography of the defending Players champion Rory McIlroy and the most recent winner of the career Grand Slam.

“Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf’s Most Human Superstar,” is the latest book by author Alan Shipnuck. He will do a book signing and question-and-answer sessions on March 14 at the Jacksonville Beach Books-A-Million.

“An Evening with Alan Shipnuck” will be on March 14 from 5-7 p.m. at the Books-A-Million location at 738 Marsh Landing Parkway. The event is free to the public, and fans can purchase a copy of the book to be autographed by Shipnuck, who recently broke the record held by the legendary Dan Jenkins with 13 Golf Writers Association of America writing awards.

The official release date of the book is April 7, but First Coast golf fans can get a jump on purchasing the book at Books-A-Million and getting it autographed by Shipnuck ahead of that date.

Shipnuck has authored 10 books, including a biography of Phil Mickelson, “Phil: The Rip-Roaring Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar,” and “Liv And Let Die,” an inside story on the war between the PGA Tour and the upstart LIV Golf League.

He also wrote books profiling LPGA star Christina Kim and PGA Tour player Rich Beem; another detailing the push for the Augusta National Golf Club to admit a female member and a novel he co-authored with Michael Bamberger, “The Swinger,” loosely based on the life of Tiger Woods.

More takes on The Players and major status

PGA Tour professionals still, for the most part, squirm a bit when asked if they think The Players is a major championship.

More and more, the answers parallel what defending champion Rory McIlroy said a few weeks ago at Pebble Beach: It’s not a major but it has an identity and a status that sets it apart from the Masters, U.S. Open, the PGA.

“It’s The Players Championship, that’s what I view it as,” said five-time major champion Brooks Koepka. “You’ve got to have one big event on the Tour, their staple. Any time you have an event where everybody, the best players on the tour come together … that’s what makes the event so cool, and to come back to the same course very year is really fun and makes it enjoyable.”

Collin Morikawa said definitions aside, pros aspire to win The Players.

“It’s up there … I know this whole debate on major, not a major [but], I think, you ask any collegiate golfer, ask any junior golfer, they obviously want to win the four majors, but you want to win The Players. I want to finish off my career and look back one day and say I won The Players Championship. It’s a tournament you want to win. So I put it very, very high up there in the list of things I want to get done and I don’t think anyone takes this week lightly.”

And Justin Thomas said time will answer the question at some point.

“It’s an event that has a lot of history,” said the 2021 Players champion. “I’s still the biggest event that I would say that we have on Tour, and it’s one that we all want to win. I have a hard time believing that a lot of people wouldn’t put this one as first up there.”

Tackling the Stadium Course for the first time

The reduction of The Players field to 123 has also reduced the usual number of first-time Players participants.

There will be 14 getting their first taste of competition at the Stadium Course. In the past, the number has been around 20 or more.

Seven of the first-timers are rookies: Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year Johnny Keefer, Zach Bauchou, A.J. Ewart, Marco Penge, Kristoffer Reitan, Jordan Smith and Sudarshan Yellamaraju.

Three PGA Tour winners lead the veteran first-timers from 2025, Jacksonville resident Michael Brennan, St. Simons Island, Ga., resident Steven Fisk and William Mouw. The other veteran first-timers are Pierceson Coody, Zecheng Dou, Takumi Kanaya and Michael Thorbjornsen.

The last first-time Players participant to win was Craig Perks in 2002.

PGA Tour

Event: The Players Championship, March 12-15, Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

Purse: $25 million ($4.5 million and 750 FedEx Cup points to the winner).

Defending champion: Rory McIlroy

TV: Golf Channel (March 12-13, 1-7 p.m.); NBC (March 14, 2-7 p.m.; March 15, 1-6 p.m.).

Area players: Ludvig Aberg, Michael Brennan, Bud Cauley, Nico Echavarria, Steve Fisk, Harris English, Brian Harman, Andrew Novak, J.T. Poston, Davis Thompson, Karl Vilips, Danny Walker.