“That was one of the hardest holes I’ve played on the PGA Tour today.”
Justin Rose? On Tuesday, he also spoke with numbers.
“I had to ask my staff how many balls we had left.”
And Jhonattan Vegas on Tuesday? You know where this is going.
“You can do a massive number on that hole.”
And the players have. Bogeys. Double bogeys. And beyond. Spieth, pink and Vegas were commenting on Trump National Doral’s 18th hole, and they likely got the nod from the course at Cadillac Championshipthis week’s PGA Tour stop. The 486-yard par-4 has been a bruiser, though that’s certainly welcome news for those who like their golf to be undefined until the final shot. A meltdown may very well be coming.
How difficult was the finalist? Through three rounds, it has played exactly half a stroke over par, making it Doral’s most difficult hole in terms of scoring average. That was also the rank last year, when the 18th played .574 strokes over par during an LIV golf event; and that was also the mark 10 years ago — the last time Doral hosted a PGA Tour event — when it played .425 strokes over par. As it stands after Saturday, Doral’s 18th will also rank as the hardest closing hole on the PGA Tour this year. (The full list is at the end of this article.)
Birds are not impossible. Nine have been made this week, including one of the Scottie Scheffler that moved him into a tie for second Sunday. But tunnel vision is necessary. Streams of water flow along the entire left side of the hole, palm trees sway along the right side. and claustrophobia looms large in the fairway—balls traveling up to about 300 yards are squeezed into a landing zone of about 25 yards, which, of course, might seem like only a few blades of grass from three football fields away. (Bigger hitters are rewarded with more fairways, though, but that requires a 320-plus boost.) The wind also seems ever-present, meaning a player will potentially be aiming for either the lake or some branches. In short, there is no true salvation; a good shot is required. From there, the second shot obviously depends on the lie, though water and wind remain, and Scheffler said the green has “a ton of tar.”
Thoughts on the 18th of this week had a theme.
It’s tough, the players said.
Said Vegas before the tournament: “At the end of the day, I guarantee the hole is going to play a lot more. At least to, you know, 4.5 or something like that. So it’s a hole that you know if you bogey, you’re not going to kill yourself. Obviously you can make a massive number on that hole. So you have to attack it conservatively. You, or be your week, so you have to attack it probably very conservatively and try to hit the best four shots you can on that hole.
Said Rose before the tournament: “Yeah, I just played it like 10 minutes ago and I had to ask my staff how many balls we had left. The wind was on the left side today, which at the end of the day is like the strongest wind you can play that hole because you can’t cover the left side completely, so there’s a little point around that section that could be wide today in 15 minutes.” So the starboard trees will be a busy place with 70 guys in that wind direction.
said Adam Scott: “The fairway is one of the narrowest fairways on the golf course, so there’s not a lot of room once the ball starts going left-right in the wind to keep the fairway. Just a very demanding tip shot. If you’re in the fairway, it’s still a demanding second shot with the water left again, but once you’re out of the tree, it’s really a problem, because it’s a tough problem. So it’s a great closing hole for championship golf, because it takes two great shots to get some kind of fix, to be honest.
For Scott at least then, the challenge is welcome, the potential for big numbers be damned.
How the 18th hole played out this year on the PGA Tour
Here’s a look at how the 18th hole has played this year on the PGA Tour:
–Sony Open, Waialae Country Club 546-yard par-5: second-easiest hole of the week, 4,429 strokes
–American Express, Pete Dye Stadium Course 439-yard par-4: tied for third-most difficult fourth-round hole (first three rounds split into three courses), 4,068 strokes
–Farmers Insurance Open, Torrey Pines South Course, 544-yard par-5: second-easiest hole of fourth round (first two rounds split between two courses), 4,541 strokes
–WM Phoenix Open, TPC Scottsdale, 442-yard par-4: 11th hardest hole of the week, 4,010 strokes
–AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Golf Links, 528-yard par-5: third-easiest hole of fourth round (first two rounds split between two courses), 4,563 strokes
– Genesis Invitational, Riviera Country Club, 501-yard par-4: second-toughest hole of the week, 4,142 strokes
–Cognizant Classic, PGA National Champion Course, 592-yard par-5: third-easiest hole of the week, 4,678 strokes
–Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bay Hill Club & Lodge, 458-yard par-4: hardest hole of the week, 4,270 strokes
– Puerto Rico Open, Grand Reserve Golf Club, 450-yard par-4: 11th hardest hole of the week, 3,944 strokes
– The Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, 462-yard par-4: toughest hole of the week, 4,338 strokes
-Valspar Championship, Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, 445-yard par-4: seventh hardest hole of the week, 4,127 strokes
–Texas Children’s Houston Open, Memorial Park Golf Course, 503-yard par-4: 10th hardest hole of the week, 3,988 strokes
–Valero Texas Open, TPC San Antonio, 591-yard par-5: fourth-easiest hole of the week, 4,831 strokes
– The Masters, Augusta National Golf Club, 465-yard par-4: fifth hardest hole of the week, 4,214 strokes
–RBC Heritage, Harbor Town Golf Links, 478-yard par-4: hardest hole of the week, 4,122 strokes
–Zurich Classic (team event), TPC Louisiana, 585-yard par-5, third-easiest holes of the week, 4,358 strokes
;)
