A gimmicky joke from an oak or a return to the roots of the stadium course? Whatever the professionals make of the ominous obstacle that has been picked for the sixth Tee box, it will undoubtedly be a central point of conversation here on the Players Championship.
Even the PGA Tour refers to the 500,000 pounds of tree as “Devilic” on its own website before explaining how this handy piece of Herbossing has restored an iconic characteristic of the original design of Pete Dye.
The deceased American architect was proud of his name as “Golf’s Evil Genius” and it is fair to say that this specific characteristic on the 413 Yarder came from the more naughty corner of his crooked spirit.
Over the years, the tree with the enormous branch that the tee has called, among other things, called ‘sinister’ by Ernie Els, who clattered his ball in 2010 and ‘unnecessarily annoying’ by Graeme McDowell. As the branch grew, Bob Estes continued. “We are only a few years away from taking off with a putter,” the American said.
However, the club members loved their live oak and when illness forced his removal 11 years ago, an explanation was issued in the tear -filled tone of a farewell to a loved one. “A sad day at TPC Sawgrass because we lost our most recognizable tree because of poor health,” it was said.
By continuing the grieving theme, Tim Finchem, the then PGA Tour Commissioner, was gloomy in the same way about the sudden striking absence on the layout next to the Tour headquarters. “An important gap developed in his trunk, making it a safety problem,” said Finchem. “There was just no way to make it, as much as we tried.”
An emotional time, although many were happy to hear the news, including Brian Harman. “It should never have been there,” he told the Florida-Times Union. “You shouldn’t have such things in your face on a par-four t-shirt.”
But if the open champion from 2023 believed it was gone forever, he was very mistaken. Last year the Tour decided to replant and their choice of the former champion to supervise the track was ironic.
Davis Love III, a two -time winner of the “flagship event” of the circuit, would search Finchem annually on arrival at Sawgrass and say, “Tim, have you already removed that damn tree?”
But as the romantics always say, you sometimes never know what you had until you lost it, and love was only too happy to help when asked. “What would Pete say if he could see that we did that? – You know, that’s what we wanted to do, “said Love. “We wanted to honor Pete.”
They did this by searching the race and finding a lookalike, which was not easy at all because the tree was apparently unique with the branch in that corner. But a replacement was found and the torment is back.
In reality it is rather on the 17th island-green, because the challenge is much more mental than technical. Before it was chopped to make Dendens, players always chose to throw away their drivers to persuade their balls in the wide part of the fairway and set up a wedge.
But occasionally a Boomer with a high drive located the branch occasionally before he dropped 30 meters before the Tee box. On Wednesday, World No 2 Rory McIlroy explained the task that will be at hand when he arrives there next to World No 1 Scottie Scheffler and World No 3 Xander Schauffele in their first round on Thursday afternoon.
“The frame the gap and forces you to play the shot,” he said. “I will certainly have to get a little lower than my favorite launch window.”
Love will be ready on the spot for at least a degree of damage to play and, yes, to receive criticism from the victims. “I’m sure I will get comments from some boys,” he said. “But I tell you, I can’t wait to watch.”
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