Island Fever: Catch it at the unique 17th at TPC Sawgrass
 
Apr. 26, 2007
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(Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

"It is like having a 3 o'clock appointment for a root canal. You're thinking about it all morning and you feel bad all day. You kind of know sooner or later you've got to get to it." -- Mark Calcavecchia

It's one of the most famous holes in all of golf: The famed par-3 17th hole at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass Stadium Course, site of THE PLAYERS Championship, May 10-13. he setting appears quite tranquil, with beautiful blue water, surrounding hills, a light breeze blowing, birds singing, manicured grass surrounding tall pines and oaks and a definitive, centerpiece island green.

Have you ever wondered about the history of this famous hole? Wonder no more. Here's everything you ever wanted to know, but were afraid to ask:

1The number of holes-in-one for par made here in 25 years of THE PLAYERS. Fred Couples hit his first shot in the water in the first round of the 1999 tournament, then re-teed and flew a 9-iron into the hole for a par.
2Of the 25 winners of THE PLAYERS here, only two winners have made a bogey on the 17th hole on Sunday, Steve Elkington in 1991 and Fred Funk in 2005. Of these winners, 13 have made par, nine have made birdie and two made bogeys.
2The number of unique manned cameras placed by NBC on the 17th hole. A cameraman is lifted by a crane120 feet into the air above the trees from right of the 16th fairway where his camera has a clear view of 16, 17 and 18. Another cameraman is ferried to the island right of the 17th green where he is marooned for approximately eight hours to get reactions from the 17th tee and operate the super-slow-motion camera.
4Depth, in feet, of water around the island green.
4The number of times per year divers enter the pond to extract golf balls. Divers are hired to enter the water hazards on the course in January, April, July and October, taking two days each time. The TPC Sawgrass pays 7 cents per ball, and the balls are resold.
6The number of holes-in-one made here in 25 years of THE PLAYERS. They include: Brad Fabel, 1986, first round; Brian Claar, 1991, third round; Fred Couples, 1997, fourth round; Joey Sindelar, 1999, first round; Paul Azinger, 2000, third round; and Miguel Angel Jimenez, 2002, first round.
8Including 2007, the number of consecutive years where PGATOUR.com has broadcast LIVE@17 during the first two rounds. In 2007, all four rounds are scheduled to be shown. Every shot by every player is captured, with commentary by a rotating group of broadcasters and former TOUR players. "Everybody on the Internet is watching and they have always got a camera there," Chris DiMarco said. "Whoever does make the big number on that hole is just overplayed on every sports channel all over the world. There's so much that goes with that hole."
10The number of cameras that NBC utilizes on the hole during its telecast, including a microscopic lens imbedded in the lip of the tiny front. NBC uses 42 cameras for the entire tournament.
12The score posted by Bob Tway in the third round of the 2005 PLAYERS, with winds blowing 25-30 mph. Tway's tee shot flew the green, as did his second shot. His third and fourth shots hit on the front of the green and spun back in the water. His fifth attempt found the green, he three-putted and totaled a 12. He went from four strokes out of the lead at 7-under par to 13 behind. Robert Gamez held the record previously, an 11 (four balls in the water) in the third round of the 1990 PLAYERS.
55Square footage of the front bunker, the smallest of 92 bunkers on the course.
66The score posted by Angelo Spagnolo, a 31-year-old grocery store manager from Fayette City, Pa., on June 19, 1985, in "America's Worst Avid Golfer" contest. Spagnolo hit 27 balls in the water from the tee box and drop area. Rules officials finally directed him to putt around the hazard and down the narrow path that leads to the green. Former PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane Beman dubbed the path "Angelo's Alley." Spagnolo shot 257 to "win" the title in the Golf Digest-sponsored event.
75Yardage to the center of the green from the drop area.
101The number of tee shots, among 1,650 attempts (6 percent), that found the green during the Super Bowl XXXIX media party here in February 2005. The closest shot, to a pin set back right, was 2 feet, 2 inches.
121Yardage from the middle of the championship tee to the front of green.
146Yardage from the middle of the championship tee to the back of green.
3,912Square footage of the green. The course average is 4,500 square feet.
50,000Amount of dirt, in cubic yards, that was removed to create the island green during construction of the course in the early 1980s.
120,000Number of balls hit in the water during the course of a year, an average of more than three balls per player based on the average of 40,000 rounds played per year on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course. TPC Sawgrass superintendent Fred Klauk says that number is skewed because some players hit as many as a dozen balls into the water.