The Gamers: How would a 28-handicapper deal with TPC Sawgrass after Cameron Younger’s win and will they par the enduring seventeenth gap?

Relating to iconic par-three holes in golf, there are few so extensively identified and mentioned because the seventeenth at TPC Sawgrass.

It checks and terrifies the world’s finest yearly at The Gamers, with the inexperienced – aside from one small path – utterly surrounded by water and with wind swirling across the grandstands.

This gap has witnessed loads of memorable moments, together with Tiger Woods’ ‘higher than most’ putt and a few 14 holes-in-one, whereas Cameron Younger’s birdie putt proved essential there throughout his one-shot win over taking part in associate Matt Fitzpatrick on Sunday.

It is a bucket-list shot and course for amateurs to tackle, however what’s it wish to play TPC Sawgrass as a 28-handicapper? Lower than 14 hours after Younger tapped in for a profitable par and a $4.5m first prize, I used to be lucky sufficient to do exactly that.

Joined by Dame Laura Davies and fellow Sky Sports activities colleagues Tom Clark and Jordan Roberts, we have been buzzing to play at such a particular venue. With loads of powerful tee photographs, water on most holes, tough known as “the thickest it has ever been here”, some difficult bunkers and lightning quick greens – what might probably go incorrect?!

For transparency, the seventeenth gap was the one one tackled from the identical tee that the gamers used on Sunday – TPC Sawgrass is difficult sufficient with out hitting it from the again ideas!

A shambles format, the place you play every gap from the place the most effective of your crew’s tee photographs finishes, was additionally of appreciable profit to somebody who presents no size off the tee.

This will likely sound self-deprecating, however my ugly swing – known as “a swipe” by Sky Sports activities’ Wealthy Beem – and lack of distance would have been no match for this course at its full yardage.

The white tees at the least supplied alternatives to succeed in fairways with tee photographs, which remains to be simpler mentioned than accomplished, plus gave an appreciation of simply how far these PGA Tour stars hit it.

Hazard in all places!

“Anywhere but 18” was our most well-liked opening gap for the shotgun format, given the huge water to the left of the golf green and tree bother to our proper, so the nerves elevated additional when that closing par-tour ended up being our first shot of the day.

Panic turned to reward after unexpectedly getting bat on ball and advancing a strong sufficient drive onto the golf green, albeit 200 yards shorter than Younger’s booming tee shot the day prior to this! We unsurprisingly did not use my tee shot, nevertheless it was nonetheless a reduction to a) get airborne and b) to not have donated a ball to the water.

The primary encounter with the gnarly tough got here a few photographs later, having hit a chunky iron down the appropriate aspect, with a downhill lie at a buried ball leaving me unable to gauge the ball greater than 30 yards.

A barely friendlier lie enabled me to get a clear contact with the subsequent effort and make the inexperienced, the place a two-putt double bogey was a greater return than some managed over the weekend.

Issues went even higher on the par-four subsequent, the place we performed the outlet from my tee shot after an enormous drive (by my low requirements) was away from hazard and down the left aspect of the golf green.

A five-iron – from a yardage the place most mavens would hit wedge – seemed good within the air however dropped quick, with the ball caught on the collar of fringe and tough. Ideas of duffing a chip or thinning one got here earlier than a pleasant sufficient pitch completed round 15 ft from the flag, with one other two-putt ensuing a professional bogey with my very own ball. Scenes!

The quick sport shortly abandoned me on the par-five second, having missed the touchdown spot within the inexperienced with my third shot and watched the ball roll off the again, with my preliminary chip rolling again to my ft earlier than the subsequent raced throughout the placing floor.

Issues briefly obtained again on monitor with a two-putt par from the perimeter on the quick third, though a misplaced ball within the tough and one other hacked from thick grass into the water adopted on a forgettable fourth.

Degreening an aggressive downhill par putt on the fifth and three-putting for bogey from off the sixth have been different misjudgements, whereas a fluffed wedge from the tough on the seven solely reached a bunker.

A strong par – albeit not from my tee shot – on the eighth adopted by chaos on the par-five ninth, which included an tried hybrid from the golf green being topped 10 yards into the water and an unsuccessful swing making an attempt to get a plugged ball out of the tough.

Balls going into the water or being buried within the tough grew to become more and more frequent as winds strengthened after the flip, together with the identical spot within the hazard Ludvig Åberg had discovered on the eleventh the day prior to this.

A spotlight of the day got here on the par-four twelfth, the place l shaved the sting of the cup after knocking a brief iron from the appropriate tough to inside 10 ft, earlier than one other placing blunder on the par-three thirteenth noticed a downhill, double-breaking birdie try from the entrance edge finish in a bogey.

All eyes on the seventeenth

Hitting over a tiny hole within the timber to a greenside bunker – from an analogous spot to the place Scottie Scheffler performed from over the weekend – was one other standout second through the again 9, however ideas have been already turning to the seventeenth as stormy skies darkened.

The primary view of the hazard forward comes as you stroll down par-five sixteenth, the place the distraction of seeing Justin Rose watching the group on the subsequent tee – and concern about how shut the storm was – noticed me slice into sand after which shank in direction of the grandstand.

Choosing up with out ending the outlet, having handed the double bogey restrict of the format, wasn’t the perfect confidence-booster as we made the quick stroll to the seventeenth tee field and thought of what number of balls we have been about to lose.

There might not have been 1000’s of spectators filling the stands as I stepped as much as the tee, with the front-right pin to intention for, however self-doubting crept in. Which membership realistically has an opportunity of reaching the inexperienced? How will I even have the ability to hold it on there? Is Bob Tway’s report 12 photographs on this gap beneath risk?!

Having watched all three of my taking part in companions make good swings, two of them staying on dry floor and one working off the again, I stepped up with only one aim: get a clear connection.

I elected to go together with a five-iron, based mostly on not proudly owning a six and having no confidence to hit my seven that distance, the place I watched on in disbelief because the ball sailed in a straight line to the guts of the inexperienced earlier than initially seemingly working off the again.

Unbelievably, the ball had held up within the second lower and only a few inches away from the sleepers – dry on the first try! The chip to comply with was extra a downhill stab, which began wanting in need of tempo earlier than threatening the outlet and working previous the pin.

My footage of putts holed wasn’t notably excessive all through however one was lastly made when it mattered most, because the five-footer discovered the center of the cup for the par of my life – a particular solution to finish an unbelievable day.

TPC Sawgrass is usually mentioned as a course that checks each side of a golfer’s sport. It completely does and is a brutally good check for amateurs. Once I watch or work on future editions of The Gamers, tales of that memorable Monday might be shared for years to come back.

Watch the PGA Tour each week dwell on Sky Sports activities, plus the DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Women European Tour, majors and extra. Get Sky Sports activities or stream with no contract.