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The walk from 16 to 17: Scary and intense

Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

All kinds of thoughts run through your head as you walk toward the 17th tee box at TPC Sawgrass.

May. 9, 2011
By PGATOUR.COM Staff

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The walk from the 16th green to the 17th tee at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is not a quick one. You have to navigate the path around the edge of the water hazard, golf fans to your left, water to your right, the tee box more than 100 yards away.

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Making the walk longer, of course, is the thing that awaits -- the infamous island green, one of the most iconic and daunting holes in all of golf. You hit a wayward shot there, and you're digging in your bag for another ball.

As we get ready for THE PLAYERS Championship this week at TPC Sawgrass, PGATOUR.COM asked a variety of players and ex-players who have made that trek from the 16th green to the 17th tee just what goes through their minds, knowing there's a better-than-usual chance that their tee shots will end up in a watery grave.

JIM FURYK, 2010 FedExCup champ and Ponte Vedra Beach resident: "I'm looking at the crowd saying, 'Look at all the people that came to watch the car wreck.' You just get to feel the buzz and the people and they're having a cocktail and they're waiting to see you hit it in the water. I'm focused on where is the pin, where do I want to land the ball, what number am I going to hit it, and trying to take the periphery out of play and just hit a good, solid golf shot. But that walk kind of just makes me chuckle, because you can hear it. You can hear the buzz and you know what they're looking for."

BRANDT SNEDEKER, 2011 Heritage champion: "I wish it was a lot shorter. It's very nerve-wracking. You're thinking about the shot the whole time. It's a very daunting shot. It looks easy on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it's hard on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There's no way to fake it in there."

MARK WILSON, two-time winner in 2011: "I think it starts before that. I try to, as you come around the corner, after you hit the second shot on 16, you can watch players on 17 green. And I want to see as many shots as I can beforehand and even putts or whatever. I'm always watching what's going on. If you see a pattern, two guys hit over the green in the water, you say 'Oh, maybe the wind is tricky.' I'm always paying attention to what's going on in front of me. It's a long walk. It's a neat walk. The fans are there. They've created a really cool stadium atmosphere there."

Goydos on the walk

PGA TOUR pro Paul Goydos, who found the water at the 17th in a playoff to Sergio Garcia at the 2008 PLAYERS, wrote this for Sports Illustrated's tournament preview:

"It's all about the walk around the water hazard from the 16th green to the 17th tee. It's like walking a gantlet. You have way too much time to think. The reality is that the 17th is only an 8- or 9-iron shot to a decent-sized target. It's not that hard. But because of that trek, your anxiety has time to build to DEFCON One. It's one of the great walks in golf."

TIM CLARK, 2010 PLAYERS champion who parred the hole in all four rounds: "You're just trying to calm yourself down. You are just trying to let yourself know that it's really just another shot coming up. I think the thing I did really well on 17 is, you know, we got a number and I committed to the club that I hit. I think a lot of trouble, guys get in there, and they are not sure of the club and you're either trying to hit a half-shot or trying to do something different. Luckily for me, it turned out just to be a good, full 9-iron, and I think that allowed me to go ahead and just trust my swing and go with it. But I think the biggest thing would be indecision on that hole. So I guess I was fortunate to get a good number and really feel comfortable with the club that I was hitting."

FRED FUNK, 2005 PLAYERS champion and Ponte Vedra Beach resident: "It's one of the best walks, probably, in all of golf -- especially when you're in the hunt. The year I won was very special because everyone was pulling for me so much. It's such a great amphitheater. I think it rivals the 16th at Phoenix. It's not as big but it's more of a natural amphitheater."

HENRIK STENSON, 2009 PLAYERS champion: "I just try and get a sneak preview of what the guys are doing ahead. You can kind of read something if everybody comes up long or comes up short. If you're standing there waiting for your putt on 16, I kind of look over. It's normally the wind that's the tricky part, if it is a little bit helping, if it's a little bit into."

GARY KOCH, former TOUR pro and current NBC announcer who calls the action at 17: "If there's another group playing into the green, they'll often pay attention to where the ball's landing, how it's reacting when it lands on the green. It's a good way to get a real accurate read on the wind, walking on 16. Sometimes when you get around to 17, and you're on the tee with all the corporate stuff lining the left side of the hole, if the wind's coming from that direction, it tends to get a little blocked by all the structures that are there. The danger with that is sometimes you're watching when somebody knocks it in the water (laughs), and that's not exactly the ideal picture you'd like to have in your mind when you're standing on that tee."

STEWART CINK, six-time winner on the PGA TOUR: "It's definitely in your mind, where the tee is, what the wind is doing. Everybody has already looked over there. There's definitely a little apprehension walking over there."

MATT KUCHAR: three-time winner on TOUR: "I don't get real carried away in the anticipation, I really don't start thinking about the shot I'm going to hit until I'm on the tee discussing the yardage. I do tend to find myself watching guys from 16 green putt on 17 and just seeing kind of their reaction, seeing a little bit of the break. But as far as preparing for the shot, I don't think about the shot until I'm opening the yardage book to find the yardage."

And the other walk?

So, what about the walk from the 17th tee to the 17th green? Obviously, your mood depends on where your tee shot ends up. Here's a sampling of responses:

GARY KOCH: "It's tremendous. I always am fascinated by the reaction of the players as they make that walk, and the differences between some. Mickelson, invariably, whole walk looking at the gallery, they're yelling his name, he's waving back. Other guys will, head down, just march all the way around there. Some are in between. It's always kind of fun. The other part that's tremendous is the reactions after the tee shots land. Water, good shot, or the ball hanging up on the island somewhere. It's good drama, it's good theatre. I'm not sure it's the best hole in the world, but for television it's great theatre."

HENRIK STENSON: "It feels a whole lot better if you stiffed it close on the tee. It could be a walk of pleasure or a walk of pain, I guess it could be either way. It's a great atmosphere, lots of fans on the banks here the last couple of holes."

FRED FUNK: "Once you get safely on the green, it's a fun walk, too. All the kids want to slap five. If you hit it in the water, you walk up all depressed to the drop area. That's a terrible walk."

BILL KRATZERT, former pro and PGA TOUR Network analyst: "On a good shot, fabulous; if you're going to the drop zone, you can't get out of there quick enough."

Splash landings

Number of balls that have landed in the water at the 17th since 2003