17th as First Playoff Hole: Joke or Just Fine?

[RX Phoenix]

I stand by my post in 'The Players Championship' thread Sunday night which is:

"It's a shame that this great tournament is decided by a gust of wind ballooning a wedge on 17, what did that have to do with talent??? Just pure bad luck. I'd rather see them start the playoff on 18, then go 16,17,18.

Goydos did chunk his pitch on 18 and that cost him the tournament but still, it's not fair to start the playoff on 17, too much luck involved."

Nice to see that others concur and started a Poll thread, they really should change it back to what it was, this was a gimicky made for TV kind of ploy. I feel bad for Goydos, he was a shot maker out there and a gust of wind did him in.

[Bradenator]

I'm in the joke camp....

It turns into a one shot playoff. It's gimmicky, and of course is a "made for TV" event...There is just something fundamentally wrong with a playoff starting with a wedge shot, much less over water, much less to an island green. Maybe next year they can pull out the "playoff windmill" and stick it on the green to add some additional excitement?

As is, they might as well just stand on the tee, and alternate shots. First one to hit the water loses the tournament.

[Shindig]

As is, they might as well just stand on the tee, and alternate shots. First one to hit the water loses the tournament.

Please don't give them any ideas! You realize what a silly par-3 shootout they could have with

just that hole?

[QWKDTSN]

I think it was a joke, they should play a long par 4 or par 5 which will allow the competitors to demonstrate their skill in the key golf shots: Drive, iron lay-up, chip, and putt.

There were just too many factors that the players could not control on the 17th which made it an unfair playoff. it should be the players against one another, not the players against the elements.

[tiger_who]

these guys are pros the should be able to hit good shots in any element thats what makes them better then us

[hawkeye]

Joke - am surprised at the fairly level voting...

I guess it is "the stadium" course and the 17th is the main arena - sounds like The Colleseum in Rome - where Gladiators do battle. Until a gust of wind knocks a decent shot into the water and low-and-behold we have an anticlimatic finish to the "5th major" - not to take anything away from Sergio's shot though.

Sometimes they choose the playoff holes for crowd reasons - but the 18th would have been a good playoff hole - 16th even better.

[ERC7.5]

I say joke and, I'm not sure, but don't they typically use the hardest rated hole for playoffs? Where was this one rated?

[hawkeye]

I say joke and, I'm not sure, but don't they typically use the hardest rated hole for playoffs? Where was this one rated?

no they don't necessarily use the hardest hole - minimum crowd displacement has a lot to do with it. The players and caddies can be ferried out in buggies but it would take ages for the whole crowd to move. The 18th was the toughest hole - averaging at 4.52. (+0.52) and the 17th was 4th hardest at 3.30 (+0.3). While the 18th is tougher - there is always a chance of a par by bailing out right, laying up and trusting your wedge and putter. A great matchplay hole. Potentially...

[rudygu]

these guys are pros the should be able to hit good shots in any element thats what makes them better then us

That's the problem - Goydos hit a good shot. The exact same shot would have been safely on the green if not for a wind gust that he had no way to predict.

As well as he was putting, there is a strong chance he could have made birdie for the win - or at least made par to extend the playoff.

[beisenhauer]

No playoff should ever hinge on blind luck. I know they say you have to get lucky a few times to win a tournament, but it's certainly a bigger factor at 17 than elsewhere.

I'd have loved to see a three-hole aggregate playoff on 16, 17 and 18. If you must have sudden death, I agree with an earlier poster: start at 18; if they're still tied, go back to 16; then, if you must, play 17.

[Lemay427]

I like the setup. I thought them playing the 17th was entertaining.

[steve8820]

No it is not a joke to play 17 a playoff hole. What is this making it too hard for them, well boo hoo. It is what they do for a living, get over it. I would gladly trade my cubical for 17 in a playoff.

Of course, 17 was chosen as a treat for us the fans, but that is the way it should be. Keeping fans interested in the game is the reason they have sponsors and multi million dollar purses for each tournament.

[easygrip]

Absolute joke. I have no problem with 17, but it should not be the FIRST playoff hole. The playoff should begin on 18 or 16.

[Matt P]

I voted Joke, but I am only a slight lean in that category, while luck plays a part, overcoming the pressure and hitting a great shot is also part of it. While the hole is gimmicky it calls for precision and accuracy while reading the elements as well as some luck i.e. not having the wind change direction after you hit and hang your ball up. You don't have the option but to go for it as there is no room to bail out.

For what it is worth, I think the British Open has the bet playoff system, I believe it is four holes, and provides a better test of golf as one horrid shot kills you in a playoff, whether it is the 17 at Sawgrass or any other hole anywhere else.

[AmenCorner]

Joke

Much rather see the playoff end on 18...It doesn't matter that it is harder, it is that 17 is a total hit or miss type of deal. I didn't care for it.

[Klean]

I think it added a lot of excitement to the playoff. Every course should have a hole just like it lol

[Lefty731PM]

I am going with joke and I think that Goydos' said it perfectly after the hole was finished. He said "I hit the PW and it was short but I hit the 9 I would have been in the water on the other side."

He did not say this at all.

His words were: "You can hit 9 iron over the green, you can hit wedge short."

[Thrash13]

I've never seen so much whining in my life. These guys are professionals, and the 17th hole is a 130-yard par 3. What the heck are you guys talking about when you say it's blind luck? It's a freakin wedge for crying out loud. If you can't hit that green under pressure, then you shouldn't win the tournament. Boo hoo is all I think about when reading this topic.

Both guys have played the hole before, and both guys had to play the same hole again. Of course it's not a joke. If there were balloons and streamers flying all over the place during the action, that would be a joke. Starting a playoff on a par 3 isn't even close to a joke.

I wouldn't mind seeing the playoff start at the 16th hole, but having it start at the 17th definitely isn't a joke. It's just fine with me.

As for the tournament trying to become a major, oh well. It's not a major and won't ever be a major, so that's not even worth mentioning in this topic.