Ewen Murray reflects on 20 years of memorable moments at The Players Championship and discusses Rory McIlroys decision to opt out of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The 2016 season is gathering momentum and with the first major of the year behind us, the focus is now on The Players Championship. Like the European Tours BMW PGA Championship, The Players is played at the same venue each year and no doubt Sawgrass will be in fine shape for this years edition.For those who have not had the fortune to play at Ponte Vedra, its a course that has kept pace with modern technology in its 30 odd years, despite the fact its just over 7,000 yards. Craig Perks chipped in twice on his way to a shock victory at Sawgrass in 2002 There have been some amazing finishes down the years. My colleague, Craig Perks victory stands out. The New Zealander required just two putts over the closing three holes en route to victory in 2002. Two years earlier, I can still hear Hal Sutton having struck a six-iron to 18 saying, be the right club today and it was. His playing partner that round, Tiger Woods, gave Hal the thumbs up.There have been many dramatic moments with Sergio Garcia and KJ Choi having to go beyond the 72 holes before celebrating victory. Sergios win took him to No 2 in the world, his highest position so far, while Choi became the first Korean to hold the title. Sergio Garcias Players Championship win took him to second in the world rankings Adam Scott was a young man when he found the water at the last, yet held his nerve to win. Fred Funk was in the autumn of his career when his moment came. Fred had been a Ponte Vedra resident for several years and no doubt, his success was more than popular within the local community.Our own Sandy Lyle won in the eighties, as did Aussie, Steve Elkington, who will be remembered for one of the most sweetly struck long-irons ever seen. A majestic two-iron to the 18th green finished just a few feet from the cup.Yet of all the Players I have attended and I shiver when I say 20, last years edition of the PGA Tours flagship event was the most memorable. Perhaps a rain delay added to the drama as the heavens opened so close to the end. Maybe it was Kevin Kisner trying to make The Players his first win, having come so close on several occasions. But more than likely, it was the truly brilliant play down the stretch from young American star, Rickie Fowler. Rickie Fowler birdied the 17th three times on the final day in his thrilling TPC win last year Great as this game is, there are few moments each season of that quality. It was golf at its best and the way Fowler closed out the 2015 Championship will live long in the memory. Six under for the last six holes, five under for the last four, that had never been done since PGA Tour records began and he birdied the notorious 17th three times on that final Sunday. Any Hollywood script writer would find it hard to come up with these closing lines in the last act.So whos turn will it be this year? Its eyes shut I think with a pin in your fingers! Historically, this tournament has the strongest field, perhaps rivalled by the PGA championship of America, which incidentally, will be played at the end of July this year to accommodate the return of golf to the Olympic Games. Will Jordan Spieth be over his disappointment at Augusta? Will Jason Day add to his recent impressive haul? Will Rory McIlroy find the consistency that has eluded him lately? His final round at Quail Hollow suggest only minor tweaks are necessary. I may add, will Danny Willett go on from where he left off in Georgia? All of course, are more than capable.Never has the game been in better shape. Young players have little fear and plenty of belief. For our young guns, its Ryder Cup year and our captain Darren Clarke will be there to cast his experienced eye over them. What a chance to impress on American soil and in doing so, capture Clarkes attention and join in the bid to retain the Cup in Minnesota. Darren Clarke will be looking for a strong European performance in golfs unofficial This event has been called golfs fifth major. Its not that and never will be, but its just below the four elite events in our sport and to have The Players on your CV is more than desirable.In little more than a week after the conclusion of Sawgrass, the BMW PGA Championship gets under way at Wentworth and many fans will be disappointed to hear the event will go ahead without Rory McIlroy in the field. My Twitter account went red-hot when the news was broken, most saying everyone who is eligible should be at the historic Surrey venue. Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from this months BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Having been a member of the European Tour since its inception in 1971, I believe everyone should play in this iconic event, albeit not the flagship event on our Tour. The fact is, the top players cannot compete every week.Like you, I would like Rory to be there, but lets not forget, he hosts the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and he has forgone the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational so as he can grace the French Open, which celebrates 100 years of playing at the beginning of July. He will also represent his nation in the Rio Olympics and that is the main reason he will not be at Wentworth. In doing what he is doing, I believe he is supporting his home Tour. McIlroy is still supporting the European Tour, hosting the Irish Open and choosing to play in the French Open over a WGC Some of you may not know that the worlds top 50 are exempt for the BMW PGA. So many of our home-grown players have supported The Players Championship in the past. It would be correct if some PGA Tour players made the effort to support BMW who have been superb sponsors both at home and in the USA.If I was the PGA Tour commissioner, I would advocate that his top 50 players play a minimum of two events worldwide on other Tours during the course of a season, rather than them having to gain release clauses to do so. If the Tours work together, the professional game can only get stronger. We have seen that with the European Tour and the Asian Tour and, because of their alliance, both have benefitted. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem should encourage more players to come to Wentworth Perhaps, there are too many tournaments. Greg Norman stated over 20 years ago that we should ease towards a world Tour. I thought he was correct then and nothing has changed for me to believe otherwise. Both the PGA and European Tours would still remain strong, as they have to, to accommodate all members.The four majors, four WGC events and selected others could form a 20-week season which is about as many tournaments the top players play. Many other issues would have to be assessed; world rankings, qualifying systems, promotion and relegation etc. Maybe the task is too big, too hard, too difficult. It is however, food for thought and Im sure you have many opinions on the subject. Rory is hosting the Irish Open at the K Club next week In between Sawgrass and Wentworth, The Irish Open is to be played out at the K Club. The County Kildare course is relatively young, yet has many historical images. Rory has invited 13-year-old Irish starlet, Tom McKibben to partner him in the pre-tournament pro-am. Rory says he is the future and I wish Tom well alongside his idol.Thats your next three weeks on Sky Sports golf, so enjoy it all from the USA, Ireland and England. You will notice I have given no tips. I keep getting invited to the turf accountants cocktail parties as my awful predictions make then fortunes.I hope you make good choices and, along with the rest of the team, we look forward to your company. In the meantime, keep bashing them down the middle. Also See: Strong finish lifts McIlroy TPC preview Wells Fargo: Day 4 highlights Golf live on Sky Sports 4 Cheap Old Skool Wholesale .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Cheap Vans Old Skool For Sale . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. http://www.cheapoldskool.us/ .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Buy Cheap Old Skool . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Vans Old Skool Clearance . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. The balancing act that has to be maintained after a major pay-per-view is challenging, to say the least. Major rivalries often reach their peak or even conclusion, leaving several top stars needing opponents.At the same time, you dont want to throw away all of the hard work, time and effort youve put into the build-up to a show like that, especially if its one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year, like WrestleMania or, in this case, SummerSlam. Sometimes the answers arent so clear-cut.SmackDown Live finds itself in a much different position from Raw in its first show back from SummerSlam. Tuesdays show didnt have to deal with losing a top champion to injury for up to six months the night after introducing a new title, but it did have to take on a few more subtle challenges.An underwhelming world championship at SummerSlam, the time?Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler had to tell a story and a laundry list of other issues left its two competitors heading in different directions. Ambrose came out smelling like a rose, every bit the champion hes asserted to being, and Ziggler was seemingly left to return and languish in some nebulous position between the midcard and the main event.Within the first two minutes of Tuesdays episode of SmackDown Live, it became clear they were going to address some of those issues. The show opened with several superstars aimlessly hanging around the locker room. Enter AJ Styles, the conquering hero (or villain, depending on your perspective) who dispatched John Cena in a 23-minute match that stole the show Sunday night in Brooklyn. As popular as Styles has been since his January debut at the Royal Rumble, and through multiple title matches with Roman Reigns and several other high-profile opponents, nothing quite elevated The Phenomenal One like pinning Cena in the middle of the ring, no strings attached, at one of the biggest WWE shows of the year.Styles wore the Never Give Up headband Cena ceremoniously left behind in the middle of the ring after their epic clash and immediately set about telling anyone who would listen that he was now The Face that Runs the Place, taking up Cenas mantle. Ziggler sat dejectedly in his seat as this went on, but when Styles got in his face, it was all he could take, triggering a brawl between the two that spilled through the next two hours.The pair fought through the end of the presentation of the two new SmackDown-exclusive titles and set up general manager Daniel Bryan to lay down the law; Styles victory was an impressive enough showing that he had earned his way into a WWE world championship match against Ambrose at Backlash, but Ziggler had shown himself worthy enough to have a chance to earn his way in -- and beating Styles would be his ticket.This main event match featured much of what makes a showdown between two dynamic and physically gifted wrestlers great -- high-risk maneuvers, incredible agility and styles that mesh well together. There was also a simple story to follow -- either Ziggler would redeem himself and earn another shot at Ambrose or Styles would notch yet another impressive victory and further confirm his status as clear-cut No. 1 contender with a one-on-one opportunity at the champion.Styles picked up the victory, and it once again came in a straightforward manner without a hint of cheating or nefariousness -- leaving no doubt as to his position. For Ziggler, it seems hes only just begun to experience the downward spiral that almost certainly lies ahead -- and with each loss, the chatter of his inability to win the big one will only grow louder.Introducing the SmackDown womens championship and tag-team championshipsSummerSlams introduction of the Universal championship checked about every box on reactions that are best avoided at all costs. That didnt just apply to the reaction to the bright new red belt -- a clear variant of the existing WWE world championship -- but that vitriol disrupted an otherwise compelling match between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins.SmackDown seemed to avoid that with the introduction of its new womens and tag-team championship titles. First off, they were out on display rather than set up for a big reveal. There was no promise for a particularly crazy design, and therefore they didnt have impossible expectations to meet.Second, and perhaps most importantly, these alterations offered either a lateral move (in the case of the SmackDown womens championship) or a significant upgrade over the originals (the SmackDown tag-team championships) over their Raw counterparts. In the case of the latter, the titles currently held by the New Day, which feature copper plates on a black leather belt, have long been derided as the least visually pleasing among all of the WWE titles.The method by which each championship is to be decided added further excitement to the reveal. The tag-team tournament is a great touch, allowing all of the teams an opportunity to show off, setting up a chance for thhe victor to claim superiority over the entire division.dddddddddddd It also fills the need for some must-see content each week on SmackDown, leading to its first brand-exclusive pay-per-view, Backlash.If you doubt how well a tournament format like this works, just look at the CWC and the impact it has had through its first six weeks.The womens championship six pack challenge makes each woman a legitimate title threat right off the bat, presenting a chance to establish a true hierarchy in the division among the six participants.Hits and missesHeath Slater made an appearance toward the tail end of the ceremony celebrating the reveal of the new titles and staked his claim for a shot. Even as a three-time WWE tag-team champion, Slater was once again forced to jump through hoops for the chance of a contract. This time around, hed have to find a partner and, with that done, win the entire tournament.While there werent nearly as many failed attempts throughout Tuesdays broadcast, it was a well-executed rule of threes as Slater unsuccessfully asked both The Miz and Arn Anderson to be his partner. Finally, Rhyno, who had previously prevented Slater from winning a contract, offered his services as a tag-team partner to lock the pair into a spot in the tournament.Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt is a compelling direction to go in for both men. After Wyatts involvement with Ambrose and Ziggler seemingly fizzled out, at least for now, he was left off the SummerSlam card entirely. Orton had an unfortunate ending to his showdown with Brock Lesnar, and both superstars are angling for a move to bigger and better things. Each has something to prove, and if this works out correctly they should both get the chance.SmackDowns first match (out of just four actual bouts on the show) was a short showdown between Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss. While it seems Bliss still needs some work on moving more smoothly in the ring, she hit a few spots over the course of the match that showed her potential. The match scheduled between Carmella and the returning Nikki Bella never began, as Carmella attacked Nikki from behind to start what increasingly seems like a more sinister turn of character for the Princess of Staten Island. More on that later.Two of the four opening-round matches in the SmackDown tag-team championship tournament took place Tuesday night, with the prohibitive favorites to win the tournament each advancing to the semifinals. It started with The Usos grabbing a victory from The Ascension, which was followed by a somewhat surprisingly compelling match between American Alpha and Breezing. Rather than feeling like a throwaway situation, the seeds for the beginnings of the tag-team division on the blue brand can be tied back to conscious efforts at SummerSlam, even in something as seemingly innocuous and disposable as a 12-man tag-team rematch.EXCLUSIVE: We didnt come here to have great matches, we came here to WIN TITLES! @WWEGable @JasonJordanJJ #SDLive https://t.co/FBmeirMHcU- WWE (@WWE) August 24, 2016The insinuation of a future showdown between Lesnar and Shane McMahon could be among the most compelling possibilities for the future, given the right circumstances.Talking Smack is on fireTalking Smack, the 30-minute post-show for SmackDown Live hosted by Daniel Bryan and Renee Young that airs every week on the WWE Network, has taken significant and worthwhile steps toward completing two noteworthy tasks -- getting fans to head back to the WWE Network to watch new and live original content and blurring the lines between whats real and whats fake.On Tuesday, it began with Nikki Bella casually discussing the severity of her neck injury in great detail until she was blindsided by yet another attack from Carmella. They were followed by the Usos, who discussed a wide variety of topics, including the acknowledgement of how being paired with Roman Reigns has affected their crowd reaction.@WWEDanielBryan says @MikeTheMiz wrestles like a coward. And the IC Champ explodes on #TalkingSmack! #SDLive https://t.co/hgarcKmuj4- WWE Network (@WWENetwork) August 24, 2016It all led up to The Miz and Maryse invading the Talking Smack set. Having not been used for anything on Tuesdays broadcast, other than a quick spot in Slaters comedic search for a tag partner, Miz came out guns blazing demanding an answer as to why that would be the case for the Intercontinental champion. After Bryan took some seemingly cheap shots at Miz, he unleashed a tirade proclaiming his value to the company. In the process, he used the word coward, which was part of Bryans initial comedic response. The Miz cut one of the most memorable promos of his career on Bryan and eventually left him walking off the set.Its exactly the kind of content the WWE craves -- the kind that goes viral and tests the boundaries of real and fake. ' ' '