Players 2026: PGA Tour stars hide out in long-time volunteer’s van during rain delay leading to all-time photo

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A 21-minute rain delay is just enough time to throw you off. It’s not really worth it to head back to the clubhouse, especially if you’re being held “in position.” And you certainly don’t want to get caught snacking, nearly missing the restart. So, what else is there to do but find nearby shelter and ride it out?

That’s exactly what the pairing of Akshay Bhatia, Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau did on Thursday at the Players Championship … except they ended up spending their time in a long-time volunteer’s van. That’s 18 PGA Tour wins, including five majors (all from Brooks Koepka), packed into one man’s vehicle. And yes, they made room for their caddies, as well.

https://twitter.com/EmersonLotzia/status/2032167820725809660?s=20

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“My buddy Chris just sent me this,” posted Emerson Lotzia, Jr. of DraftKings. “His dad Richard has been volunteering at #THEPLAYERS for more than a decade and is camped out on the 4th hole this year. During the rain delay, @akshaybhatia_1 , @BKoepka , @tonyfinaugolf and their caddies all piled into his van 😂 what a memory!”

The poster went on to text his friend, “Dude, your dad is the hottest name in golf right now.” And we can’t really argue with him.

Did the group discuss the ins and outs of TPC Sawgrass? Did they get into an anchoring debate? Did they throw on an episode of 30 Rock to relax before teeing off again? That’s ultimately between these PGA Tour winners, their caddies and Richard the volunteer.

The Internet obviously had a field day with this, especially with the above selfie, asking for a Carpool Karaoke, and even comparing the photo to the uber-viral 2014 Oscars selfie.

Perhaps the only losers in this whole thing are Richard’s friends, who are about to hear this story over beers once a week for the rest of their lives. Someone’s going to be discussing putting a new deck in, and the next thing you know, Richard’s going to be reminiscing on the time a five-time major champ hung out in his van.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com