The Players Championship At Sawgrass
posted in My Golf Stories |This week most of the best players in the world will be in Sawgrass playing The Players Championship. The players feel that this tournament is a fifth major. The course is one of the toughest played all year and the field is as good as it gets for any major.
The last three holes on Sunday can give the leaders a real lump in their throats and the pursurers know that they still have a chance. Number seventeen is one of the most feared holes on a Sunday afternoon. All of the players know that seventeen can make or break the day. Len Mattice had his problems on Sunday at this hole a few years back. He hit three balls in the water and fell off the leader board. And Jeff Sluman had an unfortunate situation on this hole one Sunday when he was in contention for the win. As Jeff got ready to putt, a spectator on a dare dove into the water that surrounds the island green. After several minutes to remove the over jealous fan, Jeff proceeded to miss his putt.
Number sixteen is a reachable par five and can offer the player in need of a birdie or eagle an opportunity to gain some valuable ground on the leaders. The number eithteen is one of the toughest par fours the players will play all year. The left side is protected by water down the left side the entire length of the hole. Unfortunately the players do not have a bail out to the right because of the trees and rough. A shot to the right will require a lay up and the player is forced to rely on his short game to scramble for par.
The TPC at Sawgrass has some birdie holes, but most of the holes have some big numbers waiting for the errant shot. The golf course is tree lined and water comes into play on many of the holes. Pete Dye made this an extremely tough test, as it should be for The Players Championship. Phil Mickelson is the defending champion this week. Tiger Woods will not be in the field, still recovering from his knee surgery.
Dean Beman is the man that was instrumental in the creation of the TPC course. At the time Dean was the commissioner of the tour and he invisioned the creation of the TPC out of the swamps where the course is located today. The course has been been through many updates and rebuilds.