Like many others, watching PGA professionals play the sport I love sparks awe in me similar to that of a three-toed sloth watching a NASCAR race. The ease in which they manage their rounds, the touch of their putts, and of course, the accuracy of their wedge play. However, a once a year, we golf fans get a treat. The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.
Think about it for a moment. We all have a hole—or two or three—at our favorite course that mercilessly dominates us every time we play it. And come to think of it, it’s almost never the hardest hole on the course. It’s usually a short par-four that promises dreams of tiny flying animals, yet instead delivers a rousing chorus of “Frosty the Snowman” at its conclusion. You begin to think of the hole as a living, breathing, ill-tempered old man. I used to refer to the 2nd hole at my home course in high school as “Mr. Larson”. Mr. Larson lived down the street from me and every Halloween I would convince myself that this year, Mr. Larson would come through with a Reese’s or Snickers instead of the traditional small bag of inedible stickers he offered as his “treat”. Alas, I digress. What I really mean to say is the 17th at TPC Sawgrass is a wonderful hole. The coveted box of Nerds in a bag of apples. It is exciting, unpredictable, and causes someone whose nickname is “The Big Easy”, in part due to his relaxed demeanor, to suggest it should be torpedoed until nothing remains.
The Island Green. The term itself has such mythical allure that golfers far and wide shutter collectively to think of the punishment it must inflict. This weekend, you can guarantee many a titan of the sport will fall victim to this ingenious trap. You can also guarantee that most of us hackers will be sprawled on our couches, watching in glee as we imagine for a moment that we would have just as much a chance as professionals to make par.
It is this bond of frustration that makes the Players Championship such a wonderful and popular tournament. We all know that we aren’t going to make par at Pebble Beach, Augusta National, or even Bethpage Black, but when it comes to the 17th at Sawgrass, at least we’d have a puncher’s chance. And after all, isn’t that what golf is all about?
