Which golfer won the first Players Championship in 1974?

Jack Nicklaus won the first Players Championship in 1974. He finished at 272, 16 under par, two strokes ahead of J.C. Snead at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia.

The inaugural event ran from August 29 to September 2 and was then called the Tournament Players Championship. Nicklaus began the final round three strokes behind Snead, the 54-hole leader, but shot a closing 67 to take control. Snead’s final-round 72 left him at 274.

Weather interrupted the final round, and 12 players completed their rounds on Monday morning. Nicklaus’s victory ended a winless stretch and began his association with the event: he ultimately won the championship three times, also taking the title in 1976 and 1978.

The tournament moved to Texas in 1975 and Florida in 1976. It later became known simply as The Players Championship and developed into one of the PGA Tour’s signature events, though it is not officially one of golf’s four major championships.