Golf
The 17th hurts Oosthuizen at The Players─── 08:45 Fri, 08 May 2015
South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen was on the many victims of the dreaded 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass in the opening round of the Players Championship in Florida.
The 2010 Open Championship was in the lead at 5 under par before carding his first bogey on the back nine on the 14th.
Oosthuizen pulled the bogey back on the 16th with his 6th birdie for the round, behind scoring a double bogey on the 17th hole which is just a tees box and an island green.
Matters didn’t get better for the South African when he bogeyed the 18th as well to drop to tied 25th on two under par.
While the 17th always provides thrills it tends to break players rounds, and yesterdays round was no exception.
Twenty-one balls found the drink yesterday and was the most in a single round at The Players Round 2 in 2007 (21).
There were 50 water balls in Round 1 in 2007, the highest single-round total at since 2003.
Players who ended in the drink yesterday were - Brooks Koepka (2), Carl Pettersson, Shane Lowry, Seung-Yul Noh, Freddie Jacobson, Aaron Baddeley, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Kevin Streelman, Angel Cabrera, Gary Woodland, Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa), Rory Sabbatini (South Africa), Kevin Kisner, Danny Lee, J.B. Holmes, Chesson Hadley, Michael Putnam, Camilo Villegas, Stephen Gallacher
The USA’s Kevin Na said the wind on the course made life difficult out there, but was happy with his five under par which sees him sharing the lead.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, Canada’s David Hearn and American Charley Hoffman are all tied in the lead.
Morgan Piek / OFM News
