Reactions at Sawgrass's 17th

No one has a better seat for watching the magnificent 17th hole at Sawgrass than me. I've got my cushy Lazyboy reclined into the perfect three-quarter position with my favorite refreshing beverage close at hand. The big hi-definition image is fabulous and my family understands that any effort to move me is futile. So in this potato-state I relish The Players Championship as if I was there.

One my favorite holes to watch in professional golf is the 17th at Sawgrass. And I'm not alone. The attending fans swarm the 17th and rally around their favorite pro as he walks onto this infamous tee box. It's a real treat for the fans!

And as we watch each contestant step up, those clever programming pros at NBC split the screen with the standard trajectory shot and a static shot of the players reaction. And for one brief slice of time you get a real-time window into the heart and soul of some of these incredible athletes. And somehow I find a way to momentarily relate to some of these big strikers, even if it is with the unfortunate shots that find the drink.

I dig that story of Fred Couple's famous shot into the water followed by the hole-in-one. You know he was completely aligned with the universe when he penned that par on his scorecard.

Maybe you could give up a few of your own all-time favorite Sawgrass stories. Time to share...

Posted on 05/10 by

noisemaker in Pro golf |

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Reader Comments (2)

I can relate to this. My husband and I have decided at this point in our lives (read: middle-aged) that we would rather watch a rock concert from the comfort of our living room than the actual dank, smoky concert venue. Same with sporting events. We have had occasion to go to the stadium to watch a football game--left at half-time. Rather watch it on the couch. It's kind of a sad comment on the state of us, I suppose.

Thanks for the comment on our blog.

Sharon

05/21 |

Secret Leaves

It is undoubtedly one of the most challenging holes in all of golf. We must thank Pete Dye’s wife who gave the wonderful suggestion to her husband to make it an island green. I think one of my best memories of the 17th has to be that incredible Tiger Woods putt that broke both ways en route to nestling itself at the bottom of the cup. The best part was that the analysts expected Tiger to do something totally different and were left appreciating the sheer brilliance of the man.

What an amazing putt that was and the reaction of the crowd after he nailed that putt, unbelievable! Have not seen the Fred Couples par but I am guessing it must rate as one of the most incredible par saves.

I read a Golf Digest story where in their quest to find the Worst Golfer they found a guy who shot a 66 on the 17th and that was also after some assistance from the rules official. Apparently he hit 27 balls into the water before the rules official allowed him to take that narrow alley leading on to the green.

I wonder how many people actually manage to find that narrow bunker. That is what you call a real lucky break.

06/2 |

Andy Brown

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