The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is famous for the par-3 17th, the island green.
The hole measures a mere 141 yards but strikes fear into those who play it.
The Players Championship has been staged at TPC Sawgrass since 1982 but it’s only been since 2003 that the PGA Tour has counted the number of golf balls that have found a watery grave.
The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass for the 2024 Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
How many golf balls have hit the water on 17?
If you guessed 1,029, well then you are absolutely correct.
In 42 years at Sawgrass, that’s an average of 24 golf balls going splash down each tournament.
The field of 144 will hit about 430 tee balls on the 17th hole over the course of four days in 2026, so expect about five percent of this year’s tee shots to end up in the drink.
Beau Hossler, by the way, has the dubious distinction of knocking the 1,000th ball into the water, doing so last year.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Number of golf balls that hit the water at the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass
