Home / Golf / What Is the Highest Score Ever Recorded on the 17th Hole at TPC Sawgrass and Who Made It? What Is the Highest Score Ever Recorded on the 17th Hole at TPC Sawgrass and Who Made It? Written by Sports EditorJack Dougherty Updated –Mar 9, 2023 We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team. There aren’t many holes on the PGA Tour circuit that are recognizable by everyone from the die-hard golf fan to your friend who only tunes in to watch the final few holes on Sunday. The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course is one of them. The signature hole at the Players Championship, which is famous for its island green, is one of the best golf holes in the world because of how much it can swing momentum on a Sunday afternoon. It’s not a long par 3 at just 137 yards, but the swirling winds and tiny green make it the most nerve-racking tee shot on the golf course. We’ve seen aces and heroic birdies at 17 over the year, but we’ve also seen implosions and multiple balls hit in the water by some of the best players in the world. So, what is the highest score ever recorded on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass? What is the highest score ever recorded on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass? The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass has produced countless memorable highlights over the years. Some of them are positive — such as Rickie Fowler stuffing it close three times on Sunday to close out his 2015 victory, Shane Lowry’s electric hole-in-one in 2022, and Tiger Woods’ “better than most” putt in 2001. Most of them, though, involve the water surrounding the island green. We’ve seen players plunk multiple balls in the water in consecutive tries, and those blow-ups have led to some embarrassingly high scores. But what’s the highest? In 2005, Bob Tway set the record by recording a 9-over 12 in the third round of the Players Championship. Tway hit his tee shot over the green and in the drink, then proceeded to dunk three more balls in the water from the drop zone. He finally hit the green with his ninth shot and three-putted for a 12. Yikes. Two players, Byeong Hun An (2022) and Robert Gamez (1990), nearly matched Tway with a score of 11, but only four players in the history of the Players Championship have written down a score in the double digits. Here are some of the highest scores ever recorded on 17: Bob Tway – 12, Round 3, 2005 Byeong Hun An – 11, Round 1, 2021 Robert Gamez – 11, Round 3, 1990 Phil Blackmar – 10, Round 2, 1990 Rex Caldwell – 9, Round 2, 1983 Roger Maltbie – 9, Round 2, 1990 Angel Cabrera – 9, Round 1, 2012 Russell Knox – 9, Round 3, 2016 Zac Blair – 9, Round 2, 2017 1 amateur plunked 27 balls in the water on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass A general view of the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course during the Players Championship | Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images A 9-over 12 is a demoralizing score to make on a par 3, but it has nothing on Angelo Spagnolo’s 66. That’s right, Spagnolo, who played TPC Sawgrass in 1986 for a Golf Digest contest to reveal America’s Worst Avid Golfer, dunked 27 balls in the water at 17 and ended up with a 63-over 66. That’s what pros can shoot in a single round! Spagnolo finished the round with a 257, which is a score of 185 over par. And yes. You guessed it. He was named America’s Worst Avid Golfer for his impossibly high score. If you think you could conquer the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, you might want to think again. Written by Sports EditorJack Dougherty Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies. When Jack isn't writing about sports, he's watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He's also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another. All posts by Jack Dougherty
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