It’s the beast that follows a magnificence with a chunk and charges extremely among the many most troublesome closing holes in event golf, the kind of nightmare finale that provides even the world’s greatest golfers a tough sleep.
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Whereas the well-known seventeenth inexperienced on the Sawgrass Stadium Course is iconic for its visage, the nearer on the course internet hosting this week’s Gamers Championship in Florida offers a real take a look at of nerves that may “make or break” a golfer.
At first look the 422-metre dogleg that sweeps to the left appeals as a pearler.
The expanse of water that runs alongside the left of the championship gap is simple on the attention, notably for followers watching from the sofa, and results in the majestic clubhouse sitting a wedge behind the 18th inexperienced.
However as Fox Golf skilled Wayne Riley stated with clear relish when previewing this 12 months’s occasion, it is usually the ultimate twist of the tail to an “evil golf course with an enormous status” that sits on reworked swamp land as soon as riddled with alligators and snakes.
“They need to be taking part in the music from Jaws. It provides you dangerous desires. A nightmare,” Riley stated on Fox Sports activities’ Aussies on the Gamers.
“This gap is simply so very robust. It’s a tremendous, wonderful end at Sawgrass. It truly is.”
It’s a gap many Australian followers are keen on given among the nation’s nice champions have parlayed the arrogance from profitable a Gamers Championship into main success.
Scott’s dramatic 18th at 2004 Gamers | 02:03
From Greg Norman and Steve Elkington to Adam Scott, Jason Day and Cameron Smith, the Aussies have conquered the challenges that include an exacting run dwelling at Sawgrass.
However Scott and Smith, who each flirted with catastrophe on the championship gap when discovering the water earlier than making miraculous recoveries of their triumphs, can attest to its complexity and they don’t seem to be alone.
2021 champion Justin Thomas described the nearer as a “brutal gap”. Jordan Spieth, who received on the course on Ponte Vedre Seaside again in 2014, stated the outlet “simply requires such precision” with a purpose to grasp it. And it’s positive to show each bit as testing once more in 2025.
WHAT MAKES THE 18th at SAWGRASS SUCH A BEAST?
As Australia’s 2016 winner Day instructed the PGA Tour web site, the 18th is a perplexing problem.
“It’s simply the best way that the outlet units (up) as a result of you could have the lengthy, sweeping canine leg left and the place the run-out is for the driving force on the appropriate, in case you hit it left down the golf green, it’s good, however in case you hit it proper, it’s going straight into the pine, if not the tough, after which you haven’t any shot due to the tree,” Day stated.
That proved the problem for Smith on the 72nd when profitable in 2022.
After discovering the pine, the Queenslander was not capable of management the chip again onto a fairway given the golf green is normally extremely slick about this time of the 12 months.
Smith’s wild 18th gap fairytale end | 03:06
Paul Azinger, in commentary, famous the LIV Golf star didn’t have to “hit it that tough” when criticising Smith’s resolution making regarding the shot, however it was about the one shot that could possibly be queried in an astonishing finale.
However Smith, who was phenomenal with the putter on the again 9, was capable of get well with a powerful wedge that allowed him a tap-in bogey for 13-under and a one-shot victory over Anirban Lahiri.
In a weather-marred occasion that ran 5 days, Smith one-putted eight of the final 9 greens to put up a outstanding triumph simply months earlier than his British Open success at St Andrews, the place his placing once more got here to the fore.
Elkington ran by his methods for tackling Sawgrass previous to Scottie Scheffler’s profitable defence final 12 months and famous that on 18, the course designer Pete Dye needs you “proper on the water” within the pursuit of glory. And that could be a trigger for alarm, Elkington stated.
“There are plenty of sharks in that water,” he stated on his YouTube channel.
When approaching his tee shot, Elkington would determine a tree about 265 metres away sitting on the fork of the golf green the place it doglegs again to the left and goal for it.
Aiming for additional distance with a drive straight alongside the water, which might open up the inexperienced for an attacking method, would land the ball about one other 40 to 50 metres alongside, however there may be an immense danger to it in accordance with Elkinton, who received in 1991 and 1997.
“That is laborious to do, to knock it proper down (there), it’s laborious to do. It doesn’t matter who it’s,” the dual-Gamers Championship winner stated.
Touching scenes as Day wins The Gamers | 00:32
However the extra conservative route makes for a testing lengthy iron on the second shot, which might result in points, as Scott is nicely conscious of after discovering the water in his success again in 2004.
Elkington, who received the 1995 PGA Championship, additionally recalled a well-known shot on the 18th from “blast from the previous” Jodie Mudd, who received the 1990 Gamers Championship.
After his tee shot completed behind the tree Elkington recognized because the one to goal at from the tee, Mudd “hit this unimaginable shot that went out (over the water) and again” on to the inexperienced with a fade that was “simply wonderful stuff”.
The 18th has lowered the world’s greatest golfers to rubble with its wretched methods, with Aussie golfer Andre Stolz working his method into the historical past books for the incorrect purpose again in 2005.
A 12 months after a breakthrough success on the PGA Tour in Las Vegas, the Canberra-raised Stolz endured an 11 on the outlet in a real horror.
Simply a few years in the past American Aaron Clever got here near becoming a member of Stolz when carding a ten after pulling three straight drives into the water.
Rory McIlroy additionally made a whole hash of the outlet on the opening day of his defence of the 2019 Gamers Championship when returning a few years later after the occasion was cancelled in 2020 as a result of onset of the pandemic.
“Should you take driver and also you hit a superb tee shot, it’s a birdie likelihood, since you solely have a brief iron (to the inexperienced), however hitting a 3 wooden or two iron off that tee remains to be a troublesome tee shot,” McIlroy stated of the problem going through golfers from the 18th tee.
THE HOLE THAT HAS GIVEN AND TAKEN FROM ADAM SCOTT
For all of the snakes and ladders he has skilled on the 18th gap, it’s the good finish to a course that Scott loves, regardless of the adversity he has skilled on it at totally different levels.
“It actually has stood the take a look at of time. I imply, it’s certainly one of my high programs on tour, that’s for positive, certainly one of my favourites,” he stated on Fox Sports activities earlier this week.
“I believe the wonderful thing about Sawgrass is that it’s oddly somewhat bit like an Open Championship, the place everybody within the discipline has a chance to play nicely there.
“It doesn’t simply favour lengthy hitters. In fact, with water all over the place, errors are very pricey, and the psychological facet comes into it. Such as you stated, I believe it challenges all totally different components of the sport and simply ask the questions on a regular basis.”
However in addition to anybody, Scott is nicely conscious that the moist stuff mendacity to the left of the golf green can show as tempting as a siren music for any golf ball as any water in world, irrespective of one’s consciousness of its perils.
He averted catastrophe when posting his well-known one-stroke win over Padraig Harrington 21 years in the past when ending the event at 12-under.
Simply 23 years of age and together with his luscious locks sprouting out the again of a white Titleist cap, Scott struck a strong tee shot however then tugged a protracted iron into the water.
Regardless of jangling nerves, he managed a restoration method that landed inside seven ft, crediting suggestions from Darren Clarke and Norman earlier that week for grooving that shot.
“It was not simple to get that putt after hitting my second shot into water and sort of managing to sneak a nervous pitch as much as about 10 ft,” he instructed Golf Australia in 2023.
“I do bear in mind being extremely calm over that putt. I don’t know if I instructed myself one thing like if I had this given to you at the beginning of the week, you’d be so completely satisfied. I actually felt the shot into the water was a distant reminiscence at that second.
“I used to be placing rather well that week. I might say in my entire profession I had many necessary putts and that one was probably the most calm I ever felt.”
He averted catastrophe on that event to clinch a victory that, compatriot Paul Gow instructed the Fox Golf preview this week, helped launch Scott as a world sensation.
“(The iron) actually did (put the cat among the many pigeons). He had every part required off the tee to get to the center of fairway,” Gow stated.
“And this pitch shot will not be as simple as you suppose. There’s somewhat ridge behind the inexperienced there. This putt now, as a teen, to take the Gamers Championship, was fairly wonderful. And the fist pump there, he knew how huge that was for his profession.”
Scott revisits well-known win at The Gamers | 04:47
Scott acquired away with it in 2004 however it has confirmed a nightmare for him in recent times.
Solely three years in the past his hopes had been washed away on the opening day when he took a quadruple bogey eight on the primary day.
Stepping on the tee at one-under, his first two drives discovered the water, with the amiable Aussie bellowing “Far Out” after his second try made an enormous splash.
Whereas it was a case of third-time fortunate, with Scott lastly discovering the golf green, he walked off the inexperienced at three-over.
Whereas we’d like to say that’s his solely catastrophe on the outlet, his expertise in 2016 was arguably even worse as Scott tramped “into the unknown” on a gap that had every part, although little of it was good.
After discovering the water off the tee, a protracted iron in on his fourth shot went askew to the appropriate and located a golf cart path, which helped it sure and sure and sure into deep bother.
His try and get well went awry as nicely, with the chip discovering the water, earlier than Scott three-putted for one more quadruple bogey that washed away all of his good work prior.
Because the commentator famous, the Aussie went from “thirty first to 103rd with that one gap”. Speak about snaking again down the leaderboard.
Given the historical past on the outlet, it’s nearly probably there shall be one other meltdown this week at The Gamers Championship, and irrespective of who’s main stepping on to the 72nd tee, it’s sure their nerves shall be jangling conscious of the sharks circling to their left.
As Riley stated on Fox Golf this week, it serves as the final word conclusion to a prestigious occasion.
“You goal it down the left hand facet, slide it off the water to a fairway that’s solely about 27 paces in width,” he stated.
“Should you overcook it, being a proper hander on the appropriate hand facet, you’re ending that deep tough, and also you hit it too far, you’re within the pine straw. That’s like being in jail.
“As so many over the earlier years, the pitch out will not be simple. Then you definitely acquired the Himalayas up right here to the quick proper, and the greenish form from entrance left to again proper. It’s a tremendous, wonderful end at Sawgrass. It’s an unimaginable end. It truly is.”
The Gamers Championship begins Thursday evening, stay on Foxtel and Kayo.