A look at the iconic trophy of THE PLAYERS Championship
By PGA TOUR Staff
The characteristics of a champion are well defined within the world of sports – unwavering grit, balanced focus and swift adaptability – all critical in creating a win. Fittingly, THE PLAYERS Championship honors its annual victor with a uniquely crafted award: a crystal trophy fashioned specifically for the PGA TOUR’s signature tournament.
The iconic design — pure crystal with a wider base that slims into a sleek finish — has served as the face of THE PLAYERS since 1982, the same year the tournament relocated to its current home, the unparalleled challenge of TPC Sawgrass. Appropriately, the same internationally renowned designer — Waterford Crystal — has been the tournament’s point-of-contact from 1982 on, ensuring the distinguished look and incomparable quality of the award remain intact.
Unlike championships in other sports, each winner of THE PLAYERS receives his own individually crafted trophy, handmade within the House of Waterford Crystal in Waterford City, Ireland. For THE PLAYERS crystal trophy, the highly trained and skilled craftsmen take upwards of 40 hours to create the award, utilizing copper-wheel engraving for the intricate detail of the portrayed golf scene.
For more than 230 years, Waterford Crystal has manufactured a complex series of distinctive products, ranging from simple lifestyle items to the Times Square crystal ball, lowered every New Year’s Eve in front of a global audience. And though Waterford may be well-known, the iconic Irish company has yet to compromise on quality.
While the 2018 champion has yet to be crowned, the unmatched design and unique look of the crystal trophy already call to the game’s top professional golfers who travel to TPC Sawgrass for a single purpose — bring home the crystal.
