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TPC Sawgrass Final Stretch |
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Written by Bryan Spitzer
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Tuesday, 13 May 2008 |
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Long time commissioner and TPC tournament originator Deane Beman may have finally come up with a phrase to aptly describe the last three finishing holes at TPC Sawgrass. As seen on NBC's Saturday broadcast Beman called in to say after all these years of searching he may have a name for this risk/reward stretch of golf, " the gauntlet". An open challenge, which over the years and certainly in the past few years these three holes have become. Many players have seized and squandered the Championship during this stretch where the entire gamut of golfing possibilities awaits.
On Sunday at The Players, while Sergio awaited Paul Goydos try to seal the victory, he sat calmly in the scoring tent hoping and wishing for a playoff and one more chance to silence his critics. The playoff that commenced on the 17th tee, after Goydos failed to get up and down from 40 yards will go down as one the craziest, most nerve-racking events in PGA playoff lore, just like the hole in which the madness ensued, Goydos who battled brilliantly all week and especially on Sunday with tornadic-like winds fell victim to a gimmicky finish on a very exciting Sunday Afternoon.
To have your tournament hopes blown up and into the pond just foot or two short of the playing surface is not reflective of his efforts or Sergio's perseverance. As many in and around golf have eluded to already to The Players Championship should not have been decided by a sudden death playoff, rather a 3+ hole aggregate event that would test the participants mettle, I can personally think of no better test than 16,17,18 where ones true skill and gut will be measured in every yard. The "Gauntlet" would serve as the perfect specimen, requiring the following shots to victory: two pro draws off the tee, (16 & 18), a slightly faded or drawn mid to long iron for the approach shots on the very same holes and one faded baby wedge that lands at 131, but not 129 or 134. The ability to hit, with confidence both slicing and hooking putts.
Down the Back-Stretch:
TPC Sawgrass: Hole 16, 523 yards - Par 5
The tee shot at sixteen can be very daunting if one does not have command of a draw, even bordering on hard hook, depending on wind and course conditions. Should you hit the fairway off the tee, the second into 16 is a shot that must be carried out with precision and a clear game plan, the common bailout is short right...so be certain that you do not try to swing too hard or you will find yourself wet as water blankets the entire right side from 200 yards in. The green complex at 16 breaks toward and run to the water and lurking some 200+ yards away is the 17th, most players while walking to the 16th green will take a peek at the island and swirling wind denoted by the oversize American flag on the TV crane behind the hole on the right bank. Be sure lto eave your second/third or even fourth shot below the hole to make an aggressive run at eagle, birdie, or par. As you finish 16 the game plan tightens and the nerves begin to frazzle.
 
16 tee 16 green
TPC Sawgrass: Hole 17, 137 yards - Par 3
There is no room for error, no bailout except for the bunker and walkway leading up to the green, which in both cases usually spells disaster for the individual visiting either location. This 140 yard hole is one of the most recognizable in the world and uncharacteristically for a Dye par 3 possesses an enormous green, over 3100 sq ft and yet thousands of balls end up in the water on an annual basis, so many that divers come out nearly once a month to clear off the bottom of the four foot deep pond. This tee shot is one that must be struck solidly, loosely and fluidly, any tensing of the body will cause misdirection and poor contact and even at the pro level, it happens.
Additionally, you cannot control every aspect of your shot at 17, the wind may gust, the wind may die, the green complex, especially on top may firm up from the wind having blown on it all day, these are just a few of the reasons this hole should not decide a tournament in a playoff. Too much is left up to the Golf Gods and not in the players head.
 
17 tee 17 green
Should you find yourself on the green, bravo! Cozy your putt near the hole and tap in for par, Three is always a good score on the island.
TPC Sawgrass: Hole 18, 462 yards - Par 4
Making the walk thru the tunnel beneath the 18th tee grandstands, you emerge facing the 18th teebox with water directly in front of you as you turn toward the fairway, more water all the way down the left side even past the green, as well as, undulation in the fairway where the posts emerge only inches above the water at low spots, almost as if the fairway runs right off into the pond.
This tee shot requires yet another draw, and one that is visually and physically more difficult than the 16th hole with no room for error left of the fairway. The only bailout is right and into the gnarly rough surrounded by smaller strategically placed trees, just off the carpet. The approach is a mid to long iron for most and perhaps a rescue club for some, with the natural contour of the hole and land begging you to hit a draw. The smart play is to cut the shot back into the grain and eliminate the possibility of worse than bogey. During last week's Players the 18th, played as the toughest hole on the course yielding only 31 birdies and better than a half stroke over par. The green is severely sloped right to left and contains several collection areas that will catch shots and pull them far away from the flagstick. Once again, par is a very good score.
 
18 tee 18 green
This gauntlet would have provided the perfect finish to this past Sunday and a truer test of who the best player at Sawgrass was last week. Garcia, in the end prevailed as all week his stats,scoring and ball striking showed that he should be the winner , however, if we had been able to see the two of them in a three hole gauntlet, all would have benefited. Not to take a thing away from Sergio Garcia, as he said in his press-conference, "he still had to hit the shot" after Goydos knocked one in the water, and hit it he did, leaving just over three feet and three putts to win.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 May 2008 )
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