The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is amongst the most famous holes in the world.
This 137 yard par three has caused large leads to slip away in a matter of moments, has cost players hundreds of thousands of dollars and has crushed the dreams of many players with aspirations of winning the Players Championship.
The 17th is an island hole—the green is slightly smaller than the average green size on tour and the hot Jacksonville sun has a tendency to dry out the green, making it extremely hard.
The 17th is a difficult hole, but the physical difficulty of the hole should not equate to the immense havoc it has caused players over the past 34 years.
What makes the 17th hole so difficult has more to do with the aura and myth surrounding the hole than the physical difficulty of the hole.
It is not often that you see one tour professional after another miss a green that is sitting a mere 137 yards away. Yet on the 17th at Sawgrass you see one golf ball after another rolling into the water or altogether missing the green.
The difficulty of the 17th has as much to do with the mental difficulty as the physical.
There is not a player who steps up to the 17th tee without all sorts of horrific scenarios running through their mind.
Will this hole ruin my round?
Will I make a 12 as Bob Tway did in 2005 while he was sitting at seven under-par?
Will this hole cost me $747,000 is it did for Sean O’Hair in 2007?
These questions running through the minds of the players as they step up to the 17th tee are what makes this par three more difficult than most.
After round one of the Players Championship, the average score on the 17th was 3.86. That is an astounding number for a 137 yard par three.
Fear tends to originate as much from the mind as it does from the actuality of the situation.
The 17th at TPC Sawgrass is no different.
One interesting fact to take note of as you watch the water surrounding the 17th green swallow one golf ball after another is that in the history of the Players Championship, only two winners—Steve Elkington and Fred Funk—have scored higher than a par at the 17th on Sunday and gone on to win the tournament.
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about 1 month ago
Hi Martin: A summary of perfection covering what certainly must rate a one on the world's horror holes. Not very good for those with high cholesterol or angina should they be in the lead in the final round. Keep a close eye on "The Big Easy", now that he has qualified. Ernie may be "laid back" but he has put on record what he would like to do with the 17th.
about 1 month ago
Having been there in person a few times, I must admit that the scale of the 17th really isn't understood on the TV screen. You really have to be there to understand how magnificent of a golf hole that it is. The entire course is magnificent, for that matter. Having thousands of fans on Sunday surrounding the hole also adds to the mystique. The stadium effect makes it almost like being at a football game. The funny thing about 17 is that if there was no water surrounding the green, and if it were just a small green surrounded by land, it wouldn't be feared so much. Players would also play the hole under par much more often, obviously due to the lack of penalty for water but also because you would have less of a distraction by the water. But the fact that the hole is surrounded by water just forces the players to focus on the water. Once you are on the tee, you can't block it out. In the back of your mind, no matter your skill level, you know that there is a possibility that you will hit it in the water. That is what makes this hole so special and so different from the average par 3. It's one of the most mentally draining experiences of a golfer's life and also the most rewarding if you knock it on.
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