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Players Championship famed 17th hole claims victims
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Players Championship famed 17th hole claims victims

By Jason Diego / March 12, 2021

The South Korean hit his ball in the water four times on the par-three on Thursday in the first round of the Players Championship., eventually carding an octuple bogey 11.

“We all have bad days in our life and we just have to learn to move on … But it was a horrendous … tee shot on 17th,” tweeted An after he was confounded by the hole, whichi is notorious for being one of the toughest par-3s on the PGA Tour.

The good news for An is that his effort isn’t the worst score posted for the hole — in 2005, Bob Tway scrambled a 12.

An looks on during the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship.

In a remarkable sequence, An’s first tee shot fell short of the green, then his next two from the drop zone were just too long. Subsequently his third shot from the drop zone was short again before his ninth shot eventually found dry land.

To epitomize his struggles, in reply to a video of his 11 on the hole with the caption “Tag a buddy who would card an 11 on No. 17,” An replied with his own Twitter handle.
The South Korean won’t be the only golfer having nightmares about the island green hole — 35 balls were hit into the water, the second most in a round on the 17th at the Players Championship.

Kevin Na lost three balls on his way to carding an eight, the same score as Charl Schwartzel and Maverick McNealy.

In fact, Na withdrew from the tournament after the first round, citing back issues.

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Na plays his shot from the 17th tee during the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship.

However it wasn’t all doom on gloom on the 17th.

The 2013 Masters champion and former Players Championship winner Adam Scott hit arguably the shot of the day on the hole, going close to a hole in one, his ball landing just 1-foot, 7-inches from the pin.

Ian Poulter, who himself had a tough opening day, posted a video on Instagram afterwards sitting at a table with Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton and Henrik Stenson. Together they had a combined score of 29 over par.

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