The Stage

TPC Sawgrass takes center stage for the 53rd playing of The Players Championship. Contestants fine-tune their equipment and game plan for the week for an adrenaline-charged week of competition. This tournament boasts one of the most lucrative purses in the game, a wealth of key exemptions into more events, and the right to The Players Championship trophy. Course conditions are impeccable, and the weather is shaping up great in Ponte Vedra.

Seeing all of this come together with the excitement of the week gets the wheels turning. What would I do on the course if I got to play in the tournament? How would I prepare one of the most famous holes in golf, the par-3 17th hole? 

The Plan 

Looking at this course in a tournament setting in the StrackaLine book, you know this course is about proper course management. You can hit driver, just not everywhere; you can fire at the flag, just not every time. I haven’t played TPC Sawgrass yet, but by the looks of the yardage book and television, I can see there are places to make your move and other spots on the course to play with caution. A shot to the middle of the green and leaving a routine two-putt for par is good play. TPC Sawgrass has a reputation to uphold. The Pete Dye design is visually intimidating but packs a punch for a penalty shot as well.

The History

The course is historically one of the challenging courses on the PGA Tour. Last year, The Players Championship ranked 13th most difficult out of the 49 different venues in the 2025 season. The first year TPC Sawgrass hosted The Players Championship was in 1982 where Jerry Pate took home the title at 8 under par. Since 2016, winning scores have ranged from ten to twenty under par. 

With the scoring history of this event and coming into a short par 3 with trouble looming everywhere, what are my foundational principles for my game plan? It starts at the beginning of the round, for this scenario, let’s say it is firm and fast conditions for the course. The mindset and game plan is to play to a large part of the greens and take the big number out of play. Easy to say, but in the course of a round of a championship layout, a shot to the middle of the green can actually be troublesome with the potential slopes in the green. That’s what we see here with the 17th green at Sawgrass.

The Strategy 

First things first, walking off the green of the par five 16th hole, hopefully with a birdie, and examining the scene of 17. The stadium-like setting, the fans, adrenaline, and awareness would be elevated. The backbone of the game plan still the main focus. Repeating in your mind your swing thoughts for the round. I would discuss with my caddie the target. Looking at a logo or something on the grandstands that would not be in line with the flag. Given this situation, I’m looking for a “safe” target on the putting surface. With that in mind, I have in mind my tendency when I slightly miss a tee shot. Let’s say if I have a tendency to hit a cut shot, I would know my stock shot is safe, and if the ball overcuts or a gust of wind hits the shot, I’m not missing my target by very much.

Club selection depends on the wind and the firmness of the greens. The club choice will range from gap wedge to 9-iron traditionally. On the scorecard, the 17th measures 141 yards. It varies each day as day one was 146 yards, day two 128 yards, day three 147 yards, and the final day at 130 yards. Last year at the tournament, we saw swirling winds of up to 20 miles an hour, making the 17th more devilish than usual. Especially in the third round, where the hole yielded 5 birdies, 44 pars, 15 bogeys, and 8 doubles. 

The final day playing approximately 130 yards on Sunday is one for me that is not an exact full swing of a wedge. Given the right scenario, it could be, but layer this with swirling winds, the final round, and water looming, there has to be a distinct game-time decision. With adrenaline, do I take more club and hit one lower, potentially running the risk of the ball skipping on the first bounce? Or do I take the wedge that I can hit higher, banking on covering the target, which is the left edge of the bunker? In a situation where the adrenaline is up and keeping the rhythm with my swing, taking a more full shot with loft, ensuring covering the bunker is ideal for this scenario. Erring on the side of a full swing is a good way to eliminate a pull or deceleration of the downswing when, subconsciously, you know you have too much club when there is water behind the green.

The Execution

In this case, we are going for the final round pin. I’m looking at the middle of the green, just at the left edge of the sand trap, or even just left of that, with a shot just falling to the right in mind. If I happen to hit a little draw, it is also starting on target and will be in the middle of the green. If the ball falls to the right with a little cut, it can take the slope and be released towards the hole. If the ball stays up on the left side of the green, I put the ball down the slope and coax it for a safe two-putt. With this shot at this point of the round, par is a great score, and making a birdie is gaining one. Especially with the difficult 18th hole to follow, a great tee shot is premium. 

Banking on experience with the process to hit each shot as its own entity and focus on the now, that’s all I can control. But such a setting and a championship on the line, it is all tested to max capacity with a chance to etch your name in the Tour’s history. It’s going to be thrilling to see what unfolds this Sunday at The Players Championship.