Sawgrass’ 17th is no one’s paradise
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Technically, the 17th hole on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, one of the most photographed and cursed short holes in all of golf, is a peninsula.
But there is no question the daily clash with the gentle yet terrifying hole can leave even the most elite golfers in the world feeling like they’re lost on an island, marooned in their thoughts of misery and ruin.
During The Players Championship, the PGA Tour’s flagship event, the 17th hole lives in the minds of the players. Just 137 yards on the scorecard — a simple shot requiring a pitching wedge or 9-iron for most — the hole still gets the ticker thumping and the mind racing.
Situated in an amphitheater of fans and trees but exposed to winds that can whip up at the worst moments, the hole that is nearly surrounded by H2O is where some scorecards go to die.
In simple terms, there is no bailout, nowhere to hide.
In the last 15 years, the field is a combined 762 over par on the 17th. Since 2003, 703 balls have wound up in the water, including the four Bob Tway hit in during the wind-swept third round in 2005 en route to making a 12, the highest score on the hole in its history.
Some players say they start thinking about the 17th before they arrive to the course. Others put a few extra balls in the bag.
A few players refuse to look at the hole during the 100-yard walk from the 16th green to the 17th tee.
But at least the players aren’t alone in their worry. Their caddie is along for the ride, and it’s not exactly a walk in the park for them either. While all try not to do anything out of the ordinary — they check the flags, trees and water to gauge the wind, just like they always do — it’s not the same.
Adam Scott’s caddie, David Clarke, said only two par-3s force him to caddie just a bit differently — the Rae’s Creekprotected 12th at Augusta National Golf Club and the 17th at TPC Sawgrass. “It’s make or break on those two holes,” Clarke said. “With other par-3s, there is more room for safety, more room to miss. On those two holes, you always have to hit to a number.”
That’s because of all the water, and the potential embarrassment if things get out of hand and the drop zone comes into play.
“The water just visually attracts you. It’s hard not to see it. And it does things to your head,” said sports psychologist Mo Pickens, who works with several PGA Tour players and is basically another caddie during practice rounds. “If all that water was grass, no one would miss the green. But all that water just makes it a little different because you know where you’re supposed to look, but if we could track a player’s visual patterns, some of them would be looking at the water just before they hit. You should have one simple thought and keep your eyes focused on where you need to hit it. It’s a lot easier said than done.”
Rickie Fowler’s caddie, Joe Skovron, said caddies are always on alert on the 17th.
“But we’re a lot calmer about it than they are because we don’t have to hit the shot. If you’re more worked up than they are, that’s not good,” said Skovron, who was on the bag when Fowler made five birdies on the 17th, including two in a playoff, in winning the 2015 Players.
Skovron said a player’s level of angst depends on the shot they want to hit. If a player takes dead aim at the center of the green, where a ridge greets approaching golf balls, the margin for error is slightly smaller.
When you start going after certain pins, such as those on the back shelf, especially those on the right that rest in a bowl but are precariously close to the edge of the green, then the margin for error escalates. The front pins are no bargain either, as players can come up short in the water or spin their balls back into the water.
“I don’t do anything differently on that par-3,” Skovron said. “But I do remind Rickie what the conservative line to take is.”
And Skovron and other caddies will tell you they are forbidden from getting the yardage from the drop zone, which is about 80 yards from the green. “You never, ever want your guy seeing you get yardage from the drop zone,” Skovron said. “It’s bad mojo.”
Ted Scott, the longtime sidekick for Bubba Watson, said the big-hitting lefty sailed the green using a lob wedge the first time he played The Players. From there on, Scott said experience mounted, which plays a big part in whether a player is successful or not on the 17th.
“You basically have to start selling your man to commit to a number and a shot,” he said.
“If he gets on the tee and immediately gets a club and is ready to go, I get out of the way. If he hesitates and starts looking around, then I need to step in and we start our process.
“A little bit of fear can creep in, then there’s adrenaline to deal with. You feel like the hole can ruin you. So every time we get to that tee box, I just remind Bubba that he’s really good at this game.”