The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass remains one of the most iconic golf holes the PGA Tour visits, and Justin Lower just etched his name into the lore. It's one of the more challenging par-three holes that the course has because a slight overshot can make it into the water.
Lower learned this quickly on Thursday during the opening round of the Players Championship. The golfer overshot his tee shot and landed in the water, meaning he had lost a stroke and had to try again.
In shocking fashion, he made the perfect adjustment. Instead of shooting it into the water, Lower shot it directly into the cup. It was essentially a hole-in-one that didn't count because of the failure earlier.
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Lower placed it perfectly. It took two bounces before almost completely stopping and rolling a few more inches into the cup. It had just enough power to roll in but not enough that it continued bouncing and could've bounced out of the cup.
It's difficult to save par on a hole in which a stroke is lost due to water or out of bounds, but Lower did just that. It doesn't reflect in his scoreline how well he played in that final shot, but it certainly could've been a lot worse given how challenging the 17th hole can be.
Lower, thanks in no small part to the par save, is dead even after one round. He's tied for 53rd after 18 holes. He trails Lucas Glover, the current leader, by six strokes.
Iconic 17th hole has been busy at TPC Sawgrass
During the first round at TPC Sawgrass, Justin Lower had a unique turn of events on Thursday. After missing and landing in the water, Lower's next shot landed in the hole and counted for a hole-in-three.
Yesterday, during a practice round, Alejandro Tosti made a hole-in-one. It didn't count since it was a practice round, but neither did Lower's since it came after going in the water.
Still, it was exciting for Tosti, who jumped into the water that Lower would later land his ball in. He said via CNN:
“I’ve been telling people that if I make it in the hole on 17, I’m going in the water, so I had to 100% go in the water. I was so happy and really cool to have that moment today.”
Tosti said of TPC Sawgrass' 17th hole:
“I’ve seen so many things. I’ve seen lip-outs, I’ve seen the ball go in the hole and go out of the hole. I’ve been playing golf for 20 years at the highest level, and today is the first day that the ball goes in. I couldn’t have asked for a better place than the 17th hole at TPC.”
Despite being soaking wet, Tosti went on to finish the practice round and completed the 18th hole.
