The 17th hole is a mere 137 yards, but it's enough to strike fear in the heart of even experienced veterans.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Jeff Klauk estimates that he's played TPC Sawgrass over 1,000 times in his life. When your dad is Fred Klauk, the man who served as TPC Sawgrass' course superintendent for over 25 years, there are countless opportunities to tee it up on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course.
No. 17 is one of the most famous holes on TOUR.
Let's do the math. A thousand rounds multiplied by, on average, 72 shots per round means that Klauk has at least 72,000 Sawgrass moments to draw from in his past. But there's just one shot and one hole that stick out in his mind from 21 years -- Klauk was 10 when he first played the course -- of memories.
"I remember the first time I played 17 and I knocked it in the water. My brother hit it on the green and made a par, and I hit a couple balls in the water. I can't remember how many I hit in the water, but I remember my brother John made a par," Klauk said. "I can't really remember the first round. I just remember that."
The first time at No. 17 stayed with him. And that wasn't even during tournament conditions, with thousands of rowdy fans and TV cameras in every direction around the island green. There are 19 players, including Klauk, who are first-time participants in THE PLAYERS this week. On Thursday, those 19 players will arrive at the famous 17th hole with its island green that looks like a postage stamp and...gulp? Cringe? Grin?
We caught up with 11 of the first-timers to ask them about architect Pete Dye's most well-known hole. What were their first impressions of No. 17 after playing a practice round this week? How do they expect to handle the pressure when they arrive at the tee box? Does it look the same in person as it does on TV?
Some are a little worried. Some claim that it's not a scary hole at all (we'll see if they change their minds on Sunday). But all had one thing in common -- they had plenty to say about the par-3, 137-yard 17th hole.
| First impressions of No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass |
| | Rory McIlroy |
| "It was playing pretty easy the first couple of practice rounds. I hit wedge both days because it was downwind. With a wedge in your hand, you're never going to miss the green. Well, you'd like to think you're never going to miss that green. It's not (intimidating) in a practice round, but I'm sure with 5,000 or 10,000 people around the tee box, it will be pretty intimidating. By the time I step on to that tee (Thursday) afternoon, it will be a little more daunting than it was the first three practice rounds." |
| | Martin Laird |
| "Playing No. 17 for the first time was kind of weird for me. I've seen it on TV but I'd never played it, so I think it was one of those things where it gets built up and when you get there -- even in the practice round -- you can tell everyone is a little nervous. You don't want to hit it in the water. It's a fun little hole, but (on Tuesday) we saw how tough it was because the wind was swirling. We hit four or five balls and a couple of them were very close from the water." |
| | Chez Reavie |
| "It's one of the most recognizable holes in golf. I've seen it so often that it's fun to finally get out there and play. I've never been here, obviously, but it's a great golf hole. It shows that par 3s can still be great par 3s even if they're short. You don't have to have 230 yards to make it tough." |
| | Parker McLachlin |
| "I haven't played 17 yet this year, but I played it last year in a practice round (not during the tournament). I think it's one of the shortest, most daunting holes that we have. Last week (at the Quail Hollow Championship), No. 17 was one of the longest, most difficult holes on TOUR. This is going to be one of the shortest, most difficult holes on TOUR. I'm excited. I think it will have the same type of feel as No. 16 at FBR -- a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. A lot can happen with the pin placements -- you can either make a hole-in-one or make a 9, so it's one of those high drama holes. It's going to be fun to be a part of." |
| | Kevin Streelman |
| "My first impression was that the green is actually bigger than I thought it was. They don't have flags above the grandstands like they do on every other hole (at TPC Sawgrass), and I think they did that on purpose so you aren't able to judge the wind, which is what really makes the hole tough. A 135- or 140-yard shot shouldn't be overly difficult to a decent-sized green, but when you get a gust of wind in any direction, then it becomes difficult as we've seen. They will put the pin right on Sunday, then the other three days are going to be one short and two in the back (of the green). You just want to hit the middle of the green every day and get out of there. You can give yourself a 20-footer for birdie, but if you get out of there with par, that's fine." |
| | Matt Bettencourt |
| "It's an exciting hole. It's fantastic. It's intimidating, but we've hit a million shots in our lives from 135 to 140 yards, it's just a 9-iron or wedge. You just try to hit the green and go on, but so much excitement can happen. A lot of people don't realize it's the largest green on the golf course. So if you think about it in that perspective, it kind of softens it up a little bit." |
| | Marc Turnesa |
| "I think it's a great hole. It's an exciting hole for the fans. It's fun for the players, too. Without much wind there, it's not a very difficult hole but if that wind starts blowing a little bit, it can be challenging. I played it (on Tuesday) in a practice round and hit two shots, one to about 20 feet, one to 25 feet. I'm not nervous about it -- I'll worry about it when I get there." |
| | Brad Adamonis |
| "When I was a kid, you always think, '140 yards, it's an easy hole, right?' Then you watch all of these guys hit it in the water. The first time I came here four years ago (not during the tournament), I played in a 30 mile-per-hour wind and sure enough, I dumped it in the water. That kind of changed my impression of the hole. You have to hit a pretty good shot. If you try to get too cute, you can dump it in the water. If you hit a conservative shot, then you'll have a pretty difficult putt. It's a great hole. Try not to be nervous, just look at it as a regular hole and hopefully hit a couple of good shots." |
| | Oliver Wilson |
| "It's probably a little shorter than I imagined. It was pretty easy on Monday, but I think it will be a little trickier during the tournament. It's a great hole. I think par 3s shouldn't be 220 or 230 yards, they should be shorter and tougher like that. It's one of the best holes in golf. It provides a lot of entertainment and there's a lot of history with it, so I'm looking forward to getting into it. I was watching the highlights of Sergio (Garcia) last year in the playoff, you get a hole like that in a playoff and everything's riding on that one shot -- it's a daunting shot. On other holes, you hit a bad shot and you're in the rough or the trees and you can do something about it. You hit a bad one there, it's all over. The green is obviously very firm and fast, but I guess that's what makes it a great hole." |
| | Y.E. Yang |
| "It's a hole that I've watched on TV many, many times, and it felt great standing out there (on the tee). When I stood there for the first time it was during an off week, just a casual practice day, so I didn't really feel any pressure at all. (On Thursday), if there's wind blowing, I'm sure that I'll feel a little pressure." |
| | Scott Piercy |
| "My first impression? There are some pretty flowers by the tree in the middle of the lake (laughing). No, I like it. It's just a par 3, that's how you have to think about it or else you are going to be intimidated. You try not to think about it a whole lot until you actually have to hit or else you will get over the ball and have a tough time. It's a pretty big green -- it looks big from the tee, but it looks smaller once you get on it. You are only hitting a 9-iron or a wedge. I played it twice and hit it right on the green to 10 or 15 feet." |
|
PGATOUR.com is part of Turner Sports Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network 