PGA Preview: 2014 Players Championship

This week is the very entertaining Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass Stadium course. This enjoyable tournament is considered by many as the “5th major championship.” The TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course is the product of perhaps the most famous golf architect in history, now 88-year-old Pete Dye. The course was built by Dye and the PGA Tour specifically for this championship, and to provide “stadium” viewing for it. That’s where the word stadium comes from in the name. The course is a big course which usually favors good ball strikers more than good putters or drivers of the ball. A look at some of the past winners tells the story, though sometimes non-ball strikers break through on a good week. Key holes, and the most famous, are the final three. The 16th is a reachable par-5, the one Davis Love III reached from the left trees enroute to his Players Championship victory. Though it is reachable, there are hazards right and behind the green. Accuracy on the 2nd shot is a must. The par-3 17th “island green” is the most famous of all on the course. This short par-3 is often said to be one of the best par-3’s in the world, but the 12th at Augusta National might argue that point. There is not bailout area. Nowhere to miss. Amateur golfers pump over 180,000 balls into the water on the 17th every year. The final hole is very tough. This long par-4 features water which runs down the left site all the way from the tee to the green. The hole moves from right to left, promoting a draw off the tee. Players who overcook their draws find a watery grave. The approach is long and requires high accuracy. Once again, shots left of the green will end up wet, if they don’t catch the greenside bunker. The setup/course at The Players Championship is built to produce exciting golf for the galleries and a worthy champion. Pete Dye succeeded in all aspects of this setup.