Players Championship delays opening gates after fatal shooting nearby
Fans were kept from entering The Players Championship early Saturday morning after a shooting at a local drug store left two people dead.
The gates were originally scheduled to open at 7:30 a.m., but as a precautionary measure instead opened at 9 a.m., with the opening of hospitality areas delayed until 11 a.m. Third-round play at TPC Sawgrass went on as scheduled.
The shooting occurred in the parking lot of Walgreens on Friday at about 10:30 p.m. The store is just across the street from the PGA Tour Global Home office, which abuts the course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
According to media reports, the suspect ran onto the TPC Sawgrass course and encountered employees there before he fled the area. He allegedly later stole a BMW and headed north before being captured around 8 a.m. near the Florida- Georgia border in Nassau County, about an hour north of TPC Sawgrass.
The suspect was identified by St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick as Christian Joseph Barrios, 32. The victims, who authorities said were shot multiple times, were pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The shooting was described by law enforcement as domestic, with the suspect and the victims known to each other.
Published on Mar 14, 2026