Straka's "Quadruple Bogey on the Death 17th Hole"..."The Gates of Hell Have Opened"

'The 5th Major' The Players Battleground Sawgrass TPC's Key Hole 17 "Double Bogey or Worse Causes Critical Blows"

'The 5th Major' The Players Championship battleground Sawgrass TPC's biggest challenge, the 'Death 17th Hole'. Ponte Vedra Beach, USA = Getty Images / MultiBits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Straka quadruple bogey, Kepka triple bogey."

The 17th hole (par 3) at the PGA Tour's 'fifth major,' The Players Championship (total prize money $20 million), held at TPC Sawgrass (par 72, 7,256 yards), revealed its devilish nature amid strong winds. On the 13th (Korean time), the average score for the remaining first and second round matches was a staggering 3.70 strokes. Jeb Straka (Austria), the 'Honda Classic champ,' suffered a fatal blow with a '5 on 2 putts' quadruple bogey after his ball went into the water twice on the second round tee shot and drop zone shot.

It is noteworthy that the hole is only 137 yards long. Players can easily reach the green with a pitching wedge, but the island green faces constantly changing wind directions and strengths, which is the problem. Every year, more than 50 balls are lost here, earning it the notorious nickname 'Death Hole.' Bob Tway is the protagonist of the 'all-time disaster,' scoring a 12, which is 9 over par, on the third day in 2005. This year, heavy rain fell for two consecutive days, and on this day, strong winds reached up to 60 km/h.

Brooks Kepka, Scottie Scheffler, and Xander Schauffele all had their first-round tee shots land in the water. Kepka made a double bogey with '3 on 2 putts,' while Scheffler and Schauffele managed to limit the damage with bogeys of '3 on 1 putt.' The second round was even more severe. Kepka made a triple bogey with '3 on 3 putts,' and Scheffler made a double bogey with '3 on 2 putts.' World No. 2 Collin Morikawa (all from the U.S.) also lost his tee shot balls to the water in both the first and second rounds.

The 18th hole, the final challenge at the 'Fifth Major' The Players Championship battleground, Sawgrass TPC. Ponte Vedra Beach, USA = Getty Images / Multivitz

The final 18th hole (par 4, 462 yards) is also notoriously difficult. The left side of the fairway is a lake, while the right side is a mix of deep rough, trees, bunkers, and rugged wasteland, making the tee shot tricky from the start. Schauffele quickly lost 7 strokes with a '6 on 2 putts' quadruple bogey in the first round and a '5 on 2 putts' triple bogey in the second round. McIlroy emphasized, "Visually very intimidating," adding, "The final 17th and 18th holes will ultimately be the deciding factors for the championship."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.