The first victims of the 17th hole of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass arrived shortly after noon on Saturday. The first player to hit a tee shot on the par 3 17th, which is either one of the most entertaining or infamous holes in golf, was Scottie Scheffler, who had won in two of his past three starts on the PGA Tour. You can get the app and watch the show here. As he looked at the island green at No. 17 from the tee box, he gauged the wind blowing in his face at 35 mph. The Texan hit a low bullet. His shot was too long. The ball fell into the pond behind the green. Told you 😨 pic.twitter.com/Ge4W4dpgRV https://t.co/ER2hqtc73L The seventh-ranked player in the world and the Olympic gold medalist chose an 8-iron after watching what Scheffler did. His ball fell into the pond on the 16th hole in the final round of the Masters because of the wind. He doubled the 18th hole. The four-time major champ chose to hit an 8-iron. His shot was short and ended up wet. Three of the best players in the world lost their chance of winning the Players Championship when they bogeyed the 17th hole. After making a bogey on the 16th, Schauffele was at 4 under. On the 18th hole, he made a quadruple-bogey 8. Xander went from T9 to T90 in two holes to start his Saturday. pic.twitter.com/64gQaFsfNM There's nothing you can do. I don't think it was harder for anyone else than it was for me and Scottie. I thought it was blowing the hardest when I first teed off. The wind didn't calm down for most people on Saturday. The players who were finishing up the first round and beginning their second were greeted by cooler temperatures and wind gusts that hit as high as 43 mph. The cumulative score for players on the 17th hole was 3 over on Thursday and Friday. There were only four balls hit into the water. The cumulative score was 66 over on Saturday. There were 29 balls hit into the water. The ball was knocked into the drink by five of the first eight players. The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass was especially difficult on a windy Saturday.On Thursday & Friday combined, there were 4 balls in the water and a cumulative score to par of +3. Today, there were 29 balls in the water and a cumulative score to par of +66. pic.twitter.com/7HfjxvwB2A
They had to play the 17th hole twice on Saturday, after finishing their first round on Saturday and then starting the second round on Sunday. The first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament were like that.
The results were better for Schauffele, who hit his tee shot at 53 feet and two-putted for par. The second attempt at 17 was even worse, as he hit a hosel rocket that plopped into the pond about halfway between the green and the old flower barge.
The man who hit this shot has won two of his last three golf tournaments pic.twitter.com/G2Raznkg68
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) March 12, 2022
The tee shot was short and wet. The two players made double bogeys.
Laugh it off, @BKoepka. pic.twitter.com/KfCi7osKrW
— THE PLAYERS (@THEPLAYERSChamp) March 12, 2022
It is one of those things where you try to hit the right shot. It is like anything. You try to hit the right shot, and hope it doesn't die down after you do it.
Since 2015, no one has had worse luck on the 17th than Koepka, who is 20 over on the hole.
Jeff Young has been working the 17th hole for 20 years. He remembers only two players hitting a 7-iron on the par 3 hole: Fred Funk and Loren Roberts. Nine of the first 15 players hit a 7-iron. Matt Kuchar hit a ball.
There was a lot of anxiety between caddies and players. The ball was still in the air when Billy Horschel hit his shot, and he told his caddie, Mark Fulcher: "It's over the green, Fooch." I knew it. I knew it. Fulcher stood and didn't say anything. On the last two holes of the first round, he made a triple-bogey 6 and dropped four shots.
On the par-5 16th hole, the wind was behind him and he hit a 7-iron about 205 yards. His ball went 105 yards on the 17th hole. He normally hits it between 185 and 190 yards, but on the 17th hole he went 123 yards.
17th showing all its teeth today. pic.twitter.com/0Fj7qoODsK
— THE PLAYERS (@THEPLAYERSChamp) March 12, 2022
It is a big target to hit the green, and you are looking at it.
It was not easy for the best iron players in the world. Any shot on the green was considered a victory. Leishman did a fist pump and jiggle after hitting his shot. The next U.S. Ryder Cup captain hit his shot to about 63 feet. He threw up his fist in celebration.
Not everyone struggled. On Saturday, Thomas played the 17th twice and walked away with a pair of pars. Tiger Woods and Fred Couples were teasing Thomas about how difficult the hole would be.
They were giving me a hard time about how hard it would be on Saturday, but I enjoyed that from them. It is a lot more fun when someone tells you a story about how they did it.
After the golfer knocked his ball onto the green, his caddie reached into his bag for a cigarette.
Lord said he was looking forward to this one.
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