There’s certainly room for debate, but I’d argue there isn’t any golf course on the planet with a hole as iconic as the 17th at TPC Sawgrass.
The island green that defines that par-3 is the crown jewel of the tract in Ponte Vedra Beach and tends to be home to some incredibly dramatic moments when The Players Championship is hosted at the country club each year.
As of 2023, a grand total of 13 people have managed to sink a hole-in-one on the 17th during that tournament. That includes Fred Couples, who achieved that feat at the event in 1997.
https://youtu.be/N6xD4Z_avbo
Couples had another chance to do the same during the first round of The Players in 1999. Unfortunately, he came up short and saw his ball end up in the water in front of the green.
He was far from alone in suffering that fate, as the 17th hole reportedly claims upwards of 120,000 golf balls on an annual basis. However, there aren’t many people who were able to bounce back in the manner he did, as he saved par in the most spectacular way imaginable with the “hole-in-three” he dunked on the subsequent shot.
Over the weekend, Baily Chamblee (the wife of former PGA Tour player and current Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee) found herself in a similar predicament after becoming the latest person to fall victim to the water surrounding the incredibly imposing hole.
She didn’t waste any time dropping a second ball on the tee box and quickly got some bittersweet redemption by hitting an iron off of the deck while battling some windy conditions en route to a hole-in-three of her own.
As I’ve tried to tell @mcginleygolf a million times on #LiveFrom this is a great hole. 😏
Bails making a Freddy Couples @fredcouplesgolf on 17 at @TPCSawgrass pic.twitter.com/T2lri0H29w
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) April 30, 2023
There aren’t many situations where you’re going to engross people in the clubhouse with a story about how you scored a par, but that one is a very notable exception.