17th hole snares Tiger
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The 17th hole island green at TPC Sawgrass claimed another victim Friday during the second round of The Players Championship.
This time, it snared the biggest catch of all: Tiger Woods.
Woods made a mess of TPC’s signature hole to go from in contention to flirting with the cut line.
A day after he scratched out a 2-under par 70, Woods arrived at the 17th hole 3-under par on his round and
5-under overall — two shots behind the leaders.
Playing first in his group, Woods took dead aim at the back right pin
146 yards away and tugged his tee shot left. After the ball landed, it rolled off the back of the green complex into the water, leading Woods to let loose with an expletive as he reached caddie Joe LaCava standing next to his player’s bag.
Woods’ next shot from the drop area 91 yards from the hole traveled over the flagstick and did not stop once the ball landed — despite the spin Woods’ put on it — to end up in the drink once again.
A missed putt just outside 20 feet for triple-bogey left Woods with a career-worst 7 on a hole that has proved the undoing of many golfers at The Players.
The worst score by a Players winner at the 17th was a triple-bogey 6 in 2000 by Hal Sutton, who beat Woods by a shot.
Woods certainly has benefitted from the struggles of his competitors at the hole. In 2013, Sergio Garcia was tied with Woods for the lead when he arrived to the 17th hole. Garcia hit two balls into the water while Woods — a group ahead — parred the 18th hole to win the tournament.