This Year Again, 47 'Ppongdang'... One Hole-in-One Too

Analysis of The Players Championship 17th Hole Results
Fox's 1st Round Hole-in-One Marks 14th Historic Record
79 Birdies, Laird's Quadruple Bogey 'Sacrifice'

This year, 47 balls were lost again.

Aaron Ray is teeing off on the 17th hole during the third round of The Players Championship. [Ponte Vedra Beach, USA = Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News]

On the 17th (local time) at TPC Sawgrass (par 72, 7,275 yards) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA, the story of the 17th hole (par 3) of the PGA Tour's "fifth major," The Players Championship (total prize money $25 million), came to an end. This hole is called the "Devil's Hole." Although the hole is short enough to reach the green with a pitching wedge, the island green is notorious for sudden changes in wind direction and strength, causing major accidents. Every year, more than 50 balls are lost here, earning it the infamous nickname "Death Hole." Bob Tway (USA) scored 12 strokes, 9 over par, on this hole in 2005. He is the protagonist of one of the worst disasters in history.

This year, quite a few golf balls went into the water. There were 10 in the first round, 13 in the second round, 6 in the third round, and 18 in the fourth round, totaling 47. Considering that 58 balls were lost over four days last year, this is 11 fewer. The total number of balls lost so far is 973. Martin Laird (Scotland) suffered a nightmare on the final day at the 17th hole (136 yards). He sent his tee shot into the water twice and took 7 strokes to hole out. This was a quadruple bogey, 4 strokes over par. Laird collapsed on this hole and fell to a tie for 54th place.

It was not all tears. Cheers also erupted. Ryan Fox (New Zealand) made a hole-in-one on the 17th hole (124 yards) in the first round. This was the 14th hole-in-one ever recorded on the 17th hole. Fox's tee shot flew over the pond, landed behind the green, then spun backward and rolled into the hole. He also made an eagle on the previous 16th hole (par 5), becoming the first player since 1983 to record back-to-back eagles in this tournament. There were 79 birdies made in this tournament.