[jwplayer 95tUs7b3-9JtFt04J]
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – It’s not a walk in the park. It’s certainly not a cakewalk. And many times, it becomes a good walk spoiled.
For four days of the year, during the Players Championship, the flagship event for the PGA Tour which carries a $15 million purse, the stroll from the green of the par-5 16th hole to the tee of the par-3 17th can be on the intimidating side even for the best players in the world.
“That walk,” defending champion and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy said, “is something else because you know what’s ahead of you.”
That would be one of the most nerve-racking, nail-biting holes on Pete Dye’s perilous TPC Sawgrass course – the 17th where an island green awaits. It is here that more than 150,000 golf balls per year find a watery grave, hit by pros and amateurs alike, including PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, a polished player. He’s made the walk about 40 times, usually accompanied by partners of the Tour, which increases the pressure.
“It’s horrifying,” Monahan said of the walk and the tee shot on 17. “I’m talking about what our players say about the 17th hole and the walk to get there. When I’m playing, I’m reminded of all the horrible things that have happened at 17.”
As for the professionals, major champion Bob Tway made a 12 there in 2005. In the last three Players, 168 balls found the water. In 2007, a record 93 balls got wet.
Being on the tee, especially when the winds are whipping, can be frightening. Getting there can be daunting. From the tip of the 16th green to the tee of the 17th hole is approximately 135 yards – about the same length as the shot to the 17th green. Some players aren’t sure which is easier to handle.
The walk is a 5-yard wide tightrope – the narrow width of the path that separates thousands of fans on the left and water on the right. In a TV spot promoting this year’s event, McIlroy said the walk is “50 to 100 yards too long.”
“You don’t want to think about the worst things that can happen on 17,” McIlroy said. “But it’s not your run-of-the-mill, 130-, 140-yard 9-iron or wedge you’re hitting into 17. There’s a bit more in play with that shot.
“And the walk gets your attention. You take a few glances at the green, but you’re trying to balance keeping your focus and not thinking about what disaster could happen. And you’re fist-bumping the crowd so that helps. You’re trying to get into a mindset where you don’t think of the negative but concentrate on the positive.
“You get into bubble. And hopefully you’re coming off 16 making a 3 or a 4.”
Few people in this year’s field have played the 17th hole more than Billy Horschel, a local resident for 10 years. He’s played 17 about 150 times.
“I know some players may not enjoy the walk, but I do,” he said. “For me, you can interact with the fans and somehow take your mind off the shot that is about to happen. I start thinking about 17 when I get the pin sheet. The sooner I can address it, the sooner I can move on to playing the other 16 holes before I get to 17.
“Anticipation wears on you, so that’s why I address it beforehand.”
No one has ever played the 17th better than Rickie Fowler did when he won in 2015. He made five birdies on the hole that week, with three coming on the final day – the first in regulation and two in his playoff triumph against Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia.
“The walk over to the 17th tee can usually can get loud and rowdy back there,” said Fowler, who also aced 17 in a practice round in 2017. “The walk, the shot, they definitely get your heart rate going. For me, it’s a fun walk because it’s a cool atmosphere. Under regular conditions, you can go and throw a ball down and there’s no flag on the green, it’s pretty simple. It’s basically a wedge.
“But then you put thousands of people around, the tournament is on the line, the potential for embarrassment is there. It’s something you try and control and keep down until after you hit the shot. If you do hit a good shot, you get a shot of adrenaline.”
Sergio Garcia, who won the Players in 2008, has had mixed results on the 17th. He made an ace there in 2017. He’d like to forget 2013, when he was tied with Tiger Woods with two holes to play but dumped two balls into the water on 17 and made a quadruple-bogey 7. Woods won, Garcia dropped to a tie for eighth.
But Garcia always takes the same approach to the hole.
“You just breathe as much as possible, take a lot of deep breaths,” he said. “You try to calm yourself down as much as possible. It’s a long walk so it gives you a little bit of time to calm yourself down as much as possible and get into a good frame of mind. And then when you get to the tee, you figure out what’s going on, what you want to do and trust with whatever you go with.
“I think it’s a great hole. It shows you that you can have a hole that is 130 yards and the best players sweat over it.”
Webb Simpson, the Players champion in 2018, had a six-shot lead in the final round heading to the 17th hole. And he still wasn’t completely comfortable.
“You’re not really thinking bad thoughts, but you’re thinking you’ve seen history, you’ve seen guys hit it in the water there on 17 and make a mess out of it,” he said.
But he’s come to enjoy the walk from the 16th green and then playing the 17th hole, saying it reminds him of walking through a tunnel to the tee of the raucous 16th hole in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
“The more times I’ve played these certain holes, I really try to enjoy it,” Simpson said. “I used to try and block it out. Now I look around and enjoy it. It’s helped me to take it in. It’s awesome.
“I like the walk from 16. I love 17. I think it’s the perfect hole. They don’t need to do anything to it forever.”
[lawrence-related id=778030749,778030744,778030735]