Tag: Water balls

Beau Hossler now owns a piece of (unfortunate) Players Championship history at 17th hole

The hole claimed another victim but this one goes in the record books.

Beau Hossler was not the first, and he will definitely not be the last.

During the second round of the 2024 Players Championship, Hossler etched his name in the record books at TPC Sawgrass, but not in the way he would want it.

He hit the 1,000th ball in the water at the par-3 17th hole since 2003, when ShotLink began tracking shots at the hole.

While Ryan Fox made the 14th ace on the 17th in the first round Thursday, Hossler’s shot hit the back of the green before hopping into the water long on Friday.

It’s important to note, since ShotLink didn’t begin tracking data on the hole until 2003, there have been plenty of golf balls to find the drink over the years that aren’t “on record.” That’s why Hossler’s name is attached to the record.

The good news, Hossler, who turns 29 on Saturday, was able to get up and in for bogey, keeping him just below the projected cutline with nine holes to play.

But a double-bogey 6 on the fourth hole, his 13th of the day after starting on the back nine, led to a 1 over total, putting Hossler two shots off the projected cutline of 1 under.

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Which PGA Tour course has the most golf balls in the water? It’s a staggering amount

Tour pros are very good at avoiding water, but a handful of courses can eat even their lunch.

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What’s the secret to winning this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first leg of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs? Players might start by keeping their golf balls out of the water.

Sounds simple, right? PGA Tour players are immensely skilled at avoiding the double and triple bogeys that often follow any splashdowns. But TPC Southwind in Memphis is a different animal than most Tour courses, with water directly in play on 10 holes for top-quality players.

Since 2023, TPC Southwind leads all Tour courses with most balls in the water. Players have deposited 6,166 balls into the wet stuff in that period, more than a thousand more than at any other Tour course.

If lined up, that would be 287.75 yards worth of golf balls.

A golf ball weighs 45.93 grams – actually, they can’t weigh more than that, but manufacturers do try to max out their density. So altogether those wet golf balls would tip the scales at just more than 624 pounds. And you thought your carry bag was heavy with those open-in-case-of-emergency 18-packs.

Keep scrolling for the top three Tour courses of the past 20 years to see the most balls in the water.