It was an odd Sunday at the Players Championship, one in which the final-round focus was bookended by men responsible for the most groans and grins.

The winner by a smile was Matt Kuchar, whose two-stroke victory at the TPC Sawgrass buttressed the notion that he is a major champion in training.

Kuchar, 33, has become an assembly line mass producing top 10s -- 20 in the previous two seasons (which would explain his grinning year to year) and five already this year. More importantly for the months ahead, four have come in the most important tournaments with the strongest fields to date: the Players (first), the Masters (a tie for third), the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (T-5) and the WGC-Cadillac Championship (T-8).

A month from now, Kuchar will be returning to U.S. Open at the Olympic Club outside San Francisco, where as an amateur in 1998 he tied for 14th and was tied for fourth through 36 holes. It doesn't make him a favorite, but he isn't a long shot, either.

Kuchar's happy nature, even on a TPC course capable of inflicting so much misery, gave the Players a happy ending that wasn't inevitable in the wake of the negative reaction to the man everyone was lamenting.

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Kevin Na dominated the weekend conversation at the showcase event of a tour that steadfastly declines to address the issue of slow play, as do many of the players responsible. Na, for instance, was graciously apologetic on Saturday for the pre-shot twitches that Johnny Miller described as "the heebie jeebies," and insisted he's working on correcting it. Is he? Six months ago, Na posted this on Twitter: "Trying my best to speed up. Working on a new pre shot routine. I am not playing so on purpose. Hope the viewers understand." It's a slow process, apparently.

Na, the 54-hole leader, attempted to quell the criticism by picking up the pace on Sunday, which might have contributed to a final-round 76 that left him in a tie for seventh.

A year after one of the toughest losses of his life, David Toms hoped returning to TPC Sawgrass would help jump start his 2012 season and it did. It just took 59 holes to get going.

At one-over par through five holes of his final round at the Players, Toms holed a wedge for eagle from 123 yards on the par-4 sixth. A couple hours later, he'd made the biggest move up the leader board on Sunday, closing with a 65 to jump into the top five at the time of signing his card.

"I was so far back, and I was just trying to have a decent finish," Toms said. "So, you know, no reason why I shouldn't shoot at a flag. What's the difference in 44th and 34th? That's the way I was playing out there, and I just happened to play a great round of golf."

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Playing alongside Rickie Fowler and among a gallery that will surely be a sea of orange, Ben Curtis will probably feel like an invisible man during the final round of the Players. But for a guy who has played most of the past six years in obscurity, that shouldn't be a problem.

After nearly six years without a victory, Curtis came out of nowhere to win the Valero Texas Open last month. He's proving that performance was no fluke.

Since then, the 2003 British Open champion has been on the best stretch of his career with a T-13 in New Orleans, a T-5 at the Wells Fargo and now this effort at the Players, where he'll play in the penultimate pairing.

On Saturday, Curtis fired one of two bogey-free rounds (Kevin Na had the other) in the field despite gusty conditions at TPC Sawgrass. He missed a bunch of birdie opportunities, including two from within 10 feet on his final two holes.

Seven notable third-round Players Championship stats from Golf World contributing writer Brett Avery, who compiles the Rank and File statistical sections for the magazine's coverage of the major championships and other significant events:

1. Two men who traditionally play their best in the third round, Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler, excelled Saturday and put themselves in position to win the Players Championship. Kuchar's three-under-par 69 bore everything from a 2 to a 6 and only a bogey at the 17th, where his tee ball splashed short of the island green, cost him a share of the lead at 12-under-par 204 with Kevin Na. Kuchar has posted his best scoring average in the third round in nine of his 11 PGA Tour seasons. Fowler posted his third consecutive sub-70 third round, a day's-best 66. It followed his 69 at New Orleans (finished T10) and a 67 last week at Wells Fargo (won). It was the first time Fowler's shot in the 60s in the third round of three consecutive official tour starts since May and June in 2010 (Colonial, 64, T-38; Memorial, 69, second; Travelers, 69, T-13). If their 2012 form holds for Kuchar and Fowler, they may struggle in the fourth round, their worst scoring day this season. Kuchar came into this week ranked 23rd on Sunday (70.25) while Fowler stands 63rd (71.11). Leader Na? The last round is statistically his strongest, although he ranks 47th at 70.78.

2. Kuchar and Na remain the only players eligible to end one of the longest-standing droughts in Players history: No player has posted four rounds in the 60s since Steve Elkington won in 1997 (66-69-68-69). Kuchar (68-68-69) has made five cuts in eight starts at Sawgrass but Saturday was only his second weekend score in the 60s (68, fourth round in '09). Na (67-69-67) put up his first weekend sub-70 in five tries. Elkington is joined in the all-sub-60s club at Sawgrass by the three top finishers in 1994: Greg Norman (63-67-67-67), Fuzzy Zoeller (65-67-68-67) and Jeff Maggert (65-69-69-68).

3. There's an outside chance the tournament record at TPC Sawgrass for most birdies could be tied or broken. It was set by Fuzzy Zoeller, who made 26 in 1994 while finishing four strokes behind Greg Norman. Na (20), Fowler (19) and Kuchar (18) have an outside chance -- although what's most interesting is that they are among the less-likely candidates in a field of 144 of the world's best. Na went into the week tied for 34th among PGA Tour players this year in total birdies (151), while Fowler stands T-39 (149) and Kuchar T-93 (122). Season leader Cameron Tringale (180) has made only a dozen at the Stadium Course, which gives him a share of 21st for the week.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- As the world continues to monitor Tiger Woods' widely talked about "process," perhaps this is one tournament to omit from the discussion. The 14-time major champion certainly hasn't played great at TPC Sawgrass this week, but then again, that's not saying much.

Since his lone win at the Players in 2001, Woods has just one top-10 finish in the event, a solo eighth in 2009. Barring something spectacular on Sunday, he won't add to that total after a Saturday 72 kept him in the middle of the pack of those playing the weekend.

But as he points out, he's not alone in not being able to master TPC Sawgrass. In fact, 19 different winners have won here the past 19 years, making it tough to use a litmus test for how anyone is playing.

"I think if you look at it as a whole, everyone who has played here, they have never been really consistent here," he said. "I mean, everyone, going from the time Jerry Pate won, no one has really contended here or been in contention 70, 80 percent of the time. Like some golf courses you get certain guys playing well there no matter what."

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How much of a struggle has it been for Woods at TPC Sawgrass? His Friday 68 was just the fourth time he's broken 70 at the Pete Dye course in his last 23 attempts. But as he has all week -- and all year for that matter -- Woods stayed upbeat about what he's been working on with swing coach Sean Foley.

"It's feeling a lot more comfortable out there," he said. "I'm hitting the shots, I'm shaping the ball again, and it's just trying to get the timing of the wind out there right now."

Woods' third round was relatively uneventful. With bogeys on No. 7 and No. 10, he fell back to even par before getting his first birdie on No. 11. He added a birdie at the difficult 13 and then parred in, barely missing birdie attempts on the final three holes.

"I played well today and didn't get anything out of that round," Woods said. "It was probably the most solid I've hit the golf ball all year actually."

That comment seemed to raise a few eyebrows, but a 72 under very breezy conditions and with a high number of difficult hole locations certainly isn't reason to panic.

"It was a great test," he said.

Woods' next test will be completing this event for the first time in three years. After that, he'll probably play next at the Memorial, a place where he's won four times. There, we should get a better feel about the status of his game, which has swayed from ordinary to start the year, to spectacular at his win in Bay Hill, to shaky at his last two starts.

Actually, about the only thing that has really been learned about Woods this week is that he's gone back to metal spikes in his shoes -- a change he made last week at Quail Hollow -- since his knee is "finally healthy enough." Then again, we've heard that one before too.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Sergio Garcia had just posted what will surely be one of Saturday's lowest rounds. After an early double bogey dropped him to two-over par, he rallied with eight birdies at a wind-swept TPC Sawgrass to pull within four shots of the leaders who were still an hour and a half away from teeing off.

The only problem? Despite obviously playing well in difficult conditions, Garcia seemed almost surprised by his 68, which included a 31 on the back nine.

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"I don't know," he answered when asked what caused the turnaround. "Probably just got a little lucky."

"It's just one of those things," he responded unenthusiastically when asked a couple minutes later about his brilliant back nine.

And that, in a nutshell, seems to be the problem with Garcia these days. Despite the talents that made him a winner at the Players in 2008 and the No. 2-ranked golfer in the world, the Spaniard is still wanting for confidence.

Seven notable second-round Players Championship stats from Golf World contributing writer Brett Avery, who compiles the Rank and File statistical sections for the magazine's coverage of the major championships and other significant events.

1. A large percentage of the top 10 and ties -- 14 players at five-under-par 139 or better -- have precious little experience being in contention on the PGA Tour, let alone on a stage as big as the Players. Only two contenders have won major championships (Zach Johnson,'07 Masters; Ben Curtis, '03 Open Championship) and one landed the Players trophy (Adam Scott, '04). At the other end of the spectrum, Harris English (-7) and Blake Adams (-5) have never competed in a major or the Players; Martin Laird (-6) and Kevin Stadler (-5) have never finished top 10 in either; and there are 10 or fewer major starts on the career summaries of Charlie Wi (five majors, -6) and Michael Thompson (two, -5).

2. Only five of the top 10 players in the Official World Ranking survived to the weekend: No. 2 Luke Donald (-3), No. 3 Lee Westwood (-3), No. 7 Tiger Woods (-2), No. 8 Martin Kaymer (-2) and No. 10 Phil Mickelson (-2). That said, the Players does not have a recent record of rewarding the top 10. Only two winners since 2004 were ranked that high (Mickelson, third in '07; Henrik Stenson, ninth in '09). Meanwhile, in the same eight-year stretch, four players outside the top 30 were victorious (Fred Funk, 59th in '05; Stephen Ames, 64th in '06; Tim Clark, 40th in '10; K.J. Choi, 34th in '11).

3. History indicates that any of the 26 contenders within five shots of the tri-leaders has a chance to win. Since the event moved to the Stadium Couse at TPC Sawgrass in 1982, six players have erased at least a five-shot deficit through 36 holes and won:
--Jerry Pate (T22 after 36 holes in '82, trailed by five shots)
--Hal Sutton (T11 in '83, five)
--John Mahaffey (T12 in '86, five)
--Sandy Lyle (T11 in '87, five)
--Fred Couples (T11 in '96, five)
--Tim Clark (T23 in '10, seven)
In addition, Justin Leonard was tied for 13th midway through the '98 edition and made up four shots on the weekend while K.J. Choi made up the same number of strokes last year from T11.

Charlie Wi will never be as famous as his childhood rival Tiger Woods. Heck, he's not even close to being the most well-known "Wi" in golf, with that honor going to the LPGA's Michelle Wie.

Still, the 40-year old has carved out a solid career on the PGA Tour, already topping the $1 million mark in earnings this season for a sixth-straight year. And things could only get a lot better this week.

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After a Friday 67 at TPC Sawgrass, Wi finds himself just two shots off Zach Johnson's lead heading into the weekend. Unfortunately, it's been the weekend where the native of South Korea hasn't always been at his best. But Wi is confident that's about to change.

McIlroy has never made the cut at the Players, but he remains determined to play better there. Photo by Getty Images

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