"The '5th Major Battleground' Sogras TPC 'Death's 17th Hole'... What Will Happen This Year?"

The Players Championship Final Stretch Key Battle "An Average of 50 Shots Each Year," Wind Becomes a Factor on Ireland Green

'The 5th Major' The Players Championship battleground Sawgrass TPC 'The Death 17th Hole'.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "What’s going on this year?"

The biggest battleground of the PGA Tour’s ‘Fifth Major,’ The Players Championship (total prize money $20 million), held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (par 72, 7,256 yards), is undoubtedly the 17th hole (par 3). It is interesting that the hole is only 137 yards long. Players can easily reach the green with a pitching wedge, but the island green’s constantly changing wind direction and strength pose a serious challenge. Every year, more than 50 balls end up in the water, earning it the notorious nickname ‘the death hole.’

Bob Tway is the protagonist of the ‘all-time disaster.’ On the third day in 2005, his ball went into the water four times, resulting in a staggering 9-over-par 12 strokes on the par-3 hole. Sean O’Hair took the lead by one stroke on the final day in 2007 but was stopped by a quadruple bogey, handing the trophy to Phil Mickelson. Paul Goydos (both from the U.S.) lost in a playoff to Sergio Garcia (Spain) in 2008 due to a tee shot error. Garcia himself collapsed with a quadruple bogey in the final round in 2013, losing to Tiger Woods (U.S.).

Woods made a double bogey on the second day in 2019. His sand wedge shot was short, and although he barely got the ball onto the green from the ‘drop zone,’ he missed a 3-meter bogey putt. He sighed, saying, "Suddenly, the wind direction changed." An Byeong-hun (31) suffered the nightmare of the second-highest number of strokes after Tway last year, scoring 11 on the first day. He confessed, "It was really terrible." Lee Westwood (England) also missed out on a playoff with a bogey on the final day.

The final 18th hole at SoGraz TPC, the battleground of 'The 5th Major' The Players Championship.

Since the PGA Tour introduced a three-hole aggregate playoff (holes 16-18) in 2014, the sudden death has been decided on the 17th hole (par 3) instead of the final 18th hole (par 4). Centering on the 17th hole, the relatively easier 16th hole (par 5, 523 yards), where players can attempt a ‘2-on’ strategy, is placed in front, and the difficult dogleg 18th hole (462 yards), which bends left, is placed behind, creating a scenario where the champion is decided over the last three holes. A birdie on the 16th hole and pars on the 17th and 18th holes are ideal.

Ricky Fowler (U.S.) drew the spotlight in 2015 during a three-man playoff by making three birdies on the 17th hole alone. He birdied all four rounds and the sudden death playoff. ‘Tank’ K.J. Choi (52, SK Telecom) smartly targeted the center of the green on the first playoff hole against David Toms (U.S.) in 2011 and managed to secure the ‘winning par.’ He explained, "The area around the green was all water, so it was very stressful."

The 12th hole (par 4) is another ‘signature hole.’ At 369 yards, long hitters can reach the green in one shot. Naturally, there is a large rectangular bunker on the left side of the fairway, and a lake closely borders the left side of the green, making it a trap where even a slightly curved shot can result in a bogey or double bogey instead of a birdie. All 18 holes are sown with ultra-dwarf Bermuda grass. The ‘glass-like greens’ surpass even Augusta National Golf Club, the host of the Masters, making it the final variable.