NEWBURGH, Ind. – At nearly 7,300 yards, Victoria National Golf Club stands as the final stronghold between Korn Ferry Tour players and their shot at fulfilling PGA TOUR dreams.

Located in southern Indiana, the Tom Fazio design has hosted a Korn Ferry Tour event annually since 2012 and this week hosts the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance for the fifth consecutive year.

Thirty TOUR cards will be awarded at the conclusion of the event. Some players, such as Korn Ferry Tour Points Leader Ben Kohles, have already locked up their #TOURBound status – assured that they will be moving on, no matter what the outcome this week. Others – such as first-round leader Mason Andersen, who entered the week at No. 42 – need a big week to propel them over the finish line.

While infinite number-crunching and scenarios stand between today and Sunday, one thing is certain for players on the verge of clinching their TOUR card: They will need to conquer the trio of hazardous finishing holes.

The signature 16th hole, playing at 186 yards, presents players with their first test. The green, almost completely flanked by water and framed by thick rough, showcases a bunker to the right and seemingly shrinks in size with each subsequent glance from an elevated tee box.

In short, there's no bail out. Hit the green or be faced with a likely bogey – or worse.

The hole saw its fair share of carnage in Round 1, with 13 bogeys and six double bogeys carded in contrast to 11 birdies. Only 46 of 73 players hit the green and of those who missed, 10 of 27 converted up-and-downs.

The par-4 17th hole collected even more victims on Thursday, with 22 bogeys and one double bogey to just three birdies. This 454-yard dogleg right (which played to 400 yards on Thursday) features a multi-tiered green with false fronts that punishes loose approaches. The closing, 432-yard par-4 18th runs adjacent to a huge lake to the right, all the way down to the green. The left rough provides a collection area for many tee shots, but players must navigate bunkers on the left and water right on the approach.

All three holes played over par in Round 1, and the 17th and 18th were two of the three highest scoring holes on the day (4.288 and 4.301, respectively).

Recent Korn Ferry Tour winner Norman Xiong entered the 16th hole leading at 6 under on Thursday, but he proceeded to bogey the 16th and 17th and then double bogey the 18th to finish at 2 under – potentially foreshadowing Sunday struggles across the field as the bubble tension heightens.

On the flip side, there could be fortune to gain from taking the bull by its horns. First-round leader Mason Andersen went birdie-par-birdie on the three-hole stretch, even scaring the hole with his approach on the 16th, on his road to a 64.

"I was trying to hit it in the center of the green. I pulled it a little bit and thought 'Oh crap, this might be pretty good.’ I was shocked at how close it was, I was not trying to hit it that close," said Andersen after his round.

Destiny or disaster lurks.