Agronomy crew sees incredible support at The Players Championship

By |  March 10, 2026 0 Comments

The best golfers in the world are in Ponte Vedra, Fla., this week to take on TPC Sawgrass and try to win the coveted Players Championship. 

Similarly, some of the best in the golf maintenance world are here to make the course shine. Led by TPC Sawgrass Director of Golf Course Maintenance Operations Lucas Andrews, a crew of 220, full-time staff and volunteers, are hard at work. 

The agronomy team is supported by many industry vendors, including premier partners Quali-Pro, John Deere and work boot company XTRAtuf. Catered meals, a swag bag, guest speakers and a golf simulator are all available to the crew in an effort to make a week of intense work more manageable and memorable.

Photo: Golfdom staff
Players Championship Gold Level agronomy sponsors (Photo: Golfdom staff)

Ryan Karapas, marketing director, Quali-Pro, said supporting the crew at TPC Sawgrass is part of an effort to get superintendents to know the company better.

“It’s been a big push for us to shift the perception of who we are in the industry,” Karapas told Golfdom. “The whole ‘Trusted for Championships’ campaign is all about getting involved and showing Quali-Pro is trusted for these tournaments, these events. Making sure we’re represented and have a physical presence is important.”

Ryan Karapas with Lucas Andrews and Seth Jones (Photo: Golfdom staff)
Ryan Karapas with Lucas Andrews and Seth Jones (Photo: Golfdom staff)
Agronomy Volunteer's swag bag and XTRATurf boots (Photo: Golfdom staff)
Agronomy Volunteer’s swag bag and XTRATuf boots (Photo: Golfdom staff)

“It’s incredible to see so many people from around the world working together with a common goal,” said Chase Tew, production systems and business unit manager, John Deere. “I had the opportunity to shadow the crew last night and drove the course with Paul (Vermeulen, vp, competitions agronomy, PGA Tour.) We saw all the decision-making it takes to execute their plan. We saw the crew walking with buckets, filling every divot. It’s amazing to see the amount of work that goes into this behind-the-scenes.”

The forecast for later this week could be a challenge. Cooler weather and rain are expected on Thursday.

But both the players and the crew are ready to show off their stuff, no matter what Mother Nature delivers.

All of our coverage from the Players Championship is being brought to you by Quali-Pro!

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About the Author: Seth Jones

Seth Jones, a 25-year veteran of the golf industry media, is Editor-in-Chief of Golfdom magazine and Athletic Turf. A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Jones began working for Golf Course Management in 1999 as an intern. In his professional career he has won numerous awards, including a Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) first place general feature writing award for his profile of World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman and a TOCA first place photography award for his work covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In his career, Jones has accumulated an impressive list of interviews, including such names as George H.W. Bush, Samuel L. Jackson, Lance Armstrong and Charles Barkley. Jones has also done in-depth interviews with such golfing luminaries as Norman, Gary Player, Nick Price and Lorena Ochoa, to name only a few. Jones is a member of both the Golf Writers Association of America and the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association. Jones can be reached at sjones@northcoastmedia.net.


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