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Facts, figures, memorable moments on the par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass

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Facts, figures, memorable moments on the par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass
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The par-3 17th on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is arguably golf’s most famous hole. Or, perhaps, its most infamous.

It’s certainly created a lot of drama since the Pete Dye-designed course initially hosted The Players Championship in 1982.

Here’s a look at some facts, figures and memorable moments on the “island green” hole, per the Golf Channel research department:

Dimensions:

  • On the card, it measures 137 yards;
  • It’s 68 feet from front to back and 81 feet from side to side;
  • The small bunker that fronts the green is 55 square feet.

How it played last year:

  • Average scoring for the week was 3.130 (sixth hardest hole on the course);
  • There were three holes-in-one: Hayden Buckley (Round 1), Aaron Rai (Round 3) and Alex Smalley (final round);
  • There were 79 birdies, 45 bogeys, 29 double bogeys and 10 triple bogeys or worse (Tyson Alexander and Lucas Herbert both made 8’s);
  • There were 58 balls in the water (compared to 64 in 2022).

Speaking of water balls …:

  • There have been 990 balls hit into the water since 2003;
  • The most in one year during that span: 93 in 2007.

Notable numbers (since 2003):

  • Longest putt made: 69 feet, 7 inches, by Jhonattan Vegas in the first round in 2019;
  • Highest score: 12, by Bob Tway in the third round in 2005;
  • Holes-in-one: 13, by Brad Fabel, 1986, first round; Brian Claar, 1991, third round; Fred Couples, 1997, final round; Joey Sindelar, 1999, first round; Paul Azinger, 2000, third round; Miguel Angel Jimenez, 2002, first round; Willy Wilcox, 2016, second round; Sergio Garcia, 2017, first round; Ryan Moore, 2019, first round; Shane Lowry, 2022, third round; Hayden Buckley, 2023, first round, Aaron Rai, 2023, third round; Alex Smalley, 2023, final round.

Memorable moments:
Three playoffs have come to an end on this hole:

  • 2008: Sergio Garcia defeated Paul Goydos in sudden death after Goydos went into the water and Garcia hit his to a few feet;
  • 2011: K.J. Choi defeated David Toms with a par
  • 2015: After the event went to a three-hole aggregate playoff (Nos. 16-17-18) in 2014, Rickie Fowler defeated Kevin Kisner and Garcia. Fowler birdied the 17th hole five times in six tries that week, including in regulation on Sunday, in the aggregate playoff and then when the playoff went to sudden death after Fowler and Kisner were tied. Fowler’s final birdie won him the title.

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The fan flop

  • On the second playoff hole in 1987, a fan jumped into the water as Jeff Sluman was attempting a 6-foot putt to win. Sluman stepped away and then missed the putt. He lost on the next hole to Sandy Lyle.

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The seagull

  • Brad Fabel’s tee shot landed on the green but was picked up by a seagull. The bird began to fly away with the ball before dropping it in the water. Fabel was allowed to replace his (new) ball at the spot where it originally finished.

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Mattiace’s heartbreak

  • With his mother ailing and in attendance, Len Mattiace held a one-shot lead when playing the 71st hole of the tournament. He hit his tee shot into the water, his third (after the penalty stroke) into the bunker and his fourth over the green and again in the water. He made quintuple bogey to finish T-5.

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Hole-in-three

  • Fred Couples hit his tee shot into the water in the first round in 1999 and then played his third (after the penalty stroke) from the tee box. He slam-dunked that shot into the hole for a par.

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“Better than most!”

  • Tiger Woods’ famous putt — with NBC’s Gary Koch’s famous call — occurred in Round 3 in 2001. Woods holed the birdie putt from nearly 60 feet and eventually won the tournament.





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