TPC Sawgrass No. 17: Golf fans identify with nerve-wracking tee shot

(Editor’s note: With the Players Championship just days from starting, we’re taking a look at the famous 17th hole in a series of posts from longtime Florida Times-Union golf writer Garry Smits. This is the fourth. Here’s the first about how Alice Dye inspired the island, and another on its merchandise line, and another about changes.)

Former PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman, who had the final say in where the Island Green was in the TPC Sawgrass course rotation, said the hole resonates with golf fans when they see the professionals botch a simple wedge or short iron under pressure.

“It clearly identifies a challenge for every golfer who’s ever played,” he said. “It’s a shot that almost anybody can make and because it’s a resort course, anyone can play it. But at its place on the course, in competition at The Players, it presents a significant challenge to the best players in the world. It’s an easy shot but a perfect mental test.”

Wyndham Clark drops his club in frustration after hitting the water on hole 17 during the third round of The Players Championship PGA golf tournament Saturday, March 16, 2024 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Xander Schauffele finished atop the leader board at 17 under par and Wyndham Clark in second at 16 under par. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Here’s one scary thought: Beman had to push back on Dye’s original plan to make the tee as far as 165 yards from the center of the green.

“I was completely opposed to that,” Beman said.

More: How many golf balls have gone in the water at the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass over the years?

Furyk said fans might tell themselves they can hit a 140-yard shot. But the week of the tournament, under PGA Tour conditions, presents a different test than the one resort guests get.

“If you play No. 17 every day, that green looks massive,” Furyk said. “If you play it on tournament days when the greens are firm, it shrinks significantly. A lot of the balls that land on top kick off.”

At this stage of the tournament’s history, there’s no walking back on the fame that the 17th hole has brought the tournament. Critics still harp on the hole (Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said as recently as last month that he still thinks No. 17 “is a terrible hole,” even though he touted the Players as a major), but many an entertainment figure’s agent has reminded them that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

J.J. Spaun reacts to going into the water after his tee shot off on the 17th hole. Spaun make a double bogey on the hole. Rory McIlroy defeated J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass Monday March 17, 2025 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. McIlroy shot a +1 while Spaun shot a +3. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

People will talk about the 17th hole. They will watch, albeit some with morbid fascination. They will buy a hat with the green and the words “Island Time” on it.

And it will remain a star.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: TPC Sawgrass No. 17: Golf fans identify with nerve-wracking tee shot

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