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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Have you ever spilled red wine on your white shirt at the beginning of a party that you had been looking forward to for months?

The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass claimed more than 70 balls in the first two rounds of THE PLAYERS. (WireImage)

You spend the rest of the night feeling exposed and a little stupid.

Do you know the fear of falling? There is the interminable anticipation of inevitable impact while you are suspended by the fates, begging for mercy.

How about the relief of a soft landing when doom seemed eminent?

Exposure, intimidation, anticipation and fear reign at the famed 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass. This is simply the greatest theater in golf for the golf fan. For the players, it is a different story.

The task is relatively simple. Hit a short iron on a relatively large green. They have all done it a countless times. However, the anticipation begins long before a player reaches the small tee. It is always there, like a low hum in your ear, needling your psyche.

When a player reaches the tee on No. 15, the hum becomes something far more tangible. He can hear the roars -- and the moans -- of the fans who make camp at the daunting par-3 two holes ahead. Players need only listen to the gallery to know the result of those currently playing the 17th.

The island comes into view as you approach the green on the par-5 16th hole. You walk into the amphitheater about 100 yards short of the green.

The spectator mounding starts short and left, then loops behind the green at No. 16 and runs completely around the pond and the 17th. Hospitality suites are stacked on top of the spectator hill that runs the length of the par-3.

After completing the 16th hole, players and caddies walk around the lake on a narrow path that winds at water's edge up to the tee of the most feared hole in golf. The gallery is packed along the ropes just a few feet to the player's left.

Once on the tee, the deliberations begin. There isn't any light-hearted conversation. If play is backed up, you will often see players stop on the path so that they don't have to spend a single moment longer than necessary on the tee.

The wind down in the bowl is all guesswork. Players who work the ball tend to have an advantage. If you are right-handed and like to play a draw, the ideal shot is to start the ball at the tiny pot bunker on the front right portion of the island and let it move left.

The difficult thing is to allow yourself to release the club at the bottom of your swing.

To make a fluid golf swing under pressure is one of the hurdles that every PGA TOUR player has cleared on numerous occasions. That knowledge does not soothe the soul when you are standing on that 17th tee.

Most players have a "go-to shot" that they can execute under pressure. The problem with No. 17 is that if you try to hit a full shot, you are likely to float it up in the wind and risk coming up short. So you have to knock a short-iron down which brings the water behind the green into play.

The relief in a properly executed shot that finds dry land is not joyous. It is simply relief. The exposure and pain of a poorly played shot is immediate. You know the instant of impact if you came out of the shot or overcooked it into the drink.

From there the fun is only getting started. We have seen tournament hopes derailed by mistakes compounded by multiple drowned balls.

The beauty of the hole, though, is that no lead is safe on championship Sunday. When you stand on that tee, you have mustard on your good shirt and your hand in the cookie jar as mom walks into the kitchen.

But just wait till dad gets home. The 18th is no picnic, either.