TPC Sawgrass: The 17th hole in numbers ahead of The Players Championship
Wednesday 9 May 2018 20:22, UK
The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is one of the most famous holes in golf with its island green.
The Florida course's signature hole is a short par-three with a wide green that narrows to the right-hand side, where it is protected by a small bunker.
The Players Championship can be won or lost at this hole, where the tricky winds can lead to a watery grave for any wayward tee shots.
Here is a look at some of the key numbers for the iconic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass:
1 - Ball stolen by a seagull. This happened to Brad Fabel in 1998 when a seagull picked his ball up from the green and flew off with it before dropping it in the water. He was allowed to replace the ball at the spot where it had come to rest.
2 - Two players have birdied the 17th during all four rounds of a single Players Championship - Paul Azinger in 1987 and Kyle Stanley in 2017.
3 - Fred Couples had a hole-in-three at the 17th in 1999 when he found the water with his first shot and then knocked his third shot straight into the hole.
4 - Sergio Garcia hit his tee shot to four feet at the 17th as he beat Paul Goydos in a play-off to win in 2008.
5 - Rickie Fowler birdied the 17th five times on his way to victory in 2015, including three times during a dramatic final round as he won after a play-off.
6 - Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, who reportedly has a handicap of six, has built a replica of Sawgrass' 17th hole at his Welsh home.
7 - American 'hacker' Angelo Spagnolo landed on the green seven times before finding the water on his way to shooting a 63 at the 17th in 1986 during a contest to reveal America's worst avid golfer.
8 - The number of holes-in-one at the 17th, including one from Sergio Garcia last year.
9 - The 17th is the ninth toughest hole at TPC Sawgrass since 1982.
10 - The third highest score at the 17th is a 10 by Phil Blackmar in 1990.
11 - The second highest score is an 11 by Robert Gamez, also in 1990.
12 - Bob Tway carded the highest score at the 17th, a 12 in the third round in 2005 after finding the water four times and then three-putting.
13 - Australian Aaron Baddeley has hit 13 balls in the water at the 17th during his career.
24 - Bernhard Langer has made a record 24 career birdies on the 17th.
28 - The lowest number of balls hit into the water at the 17th during the TPC is 28 in 2014.
50 - The record number of balls into the water in one round at the 17th is 50, in the first round in 2007.
59.9 - The longest putt made at 17 (during the ShotLink era) was one of 59 feet and nine inches by Bernhard Langer in 2008.
60 - Tiger Woods holed a 60-foot putt at the 17th during his third round in 2001 when he went on to win the tournament for the first time.
78 - The length of the 17th green in feet.
137 - Yards from tee to green at the 17th - requiring only a pitching wedge for most professionals.
212 - Since 2003, 212 balls have been hit into the water at the 17th during the first round, 160 in the second, 96 in the third and 130 in the final round.
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598 - That adds up to a total of 598 balls in the water at the 17th in total since 2003.
120,000 - The four-foot deep water surrounding the island green claims approximately 120,000 balls each year in total.
