PGA Tour: the Aura Surrounding the 17th at TPC Sawgrass

The 17^th 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 17^th 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 17^th 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 17^th 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 17^th at Sawgrass you see one golf ball after another rolling into the water or altogether missing the green.

The difficulty of the 17^th has as much to do with the mental difficulty as the physical.

There is not a player who steps up to the 17^th 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 17^th tee are what makes this par three more difficult than most.

After round one of the Players Championship, the average score on the 17^th 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 17^th at TPC Sawgrass is no different.

One interesting fact to take note of as you watch the water surrounding the 17^th 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.