The lurking menace of golf’s Green Mile
By Patrick Snell, CNN
(CNN) — They say the Masters doesn’t really get going until the second nine on Sunday. The coveted Green Jacket has been won and lost many times over the years especially when the iconic three holes known as Amen Corner loom large.
At Quail Hollow – the host venue for this year’s PGA Championship – there’s another trio of holes that have been conspiring to make plenty in the field here in North Carolina sweat profusely.
And it’s not just down to the sweltering temperatures out there on the course!
The last three holes at this famous Charlotte venue are known as the Green Mile.
For some, it’s one of the most difficult closing sequence of holes in the sport.
In total, they measure just under 1,250 yards. The par-4 16th is a gargantuan 529 yards. It’s followed by a 223-yard par-3 and the closing hole – also a par 4 – comes in at 494 yards. Water is a clear and present danger across all three holes. Simply put, it’s a brutal test of every golfer’s resolve and patience.
Just ask Bryson DeChambeau. He was at 8-under par and making a real charge late in the day Saturday before the perils of the Green Mile kicked in. After two straight birdies, then came a bogey at 16 and a double bogey at 17.
”It was just a tale of the wind going into me instead of downwind. It cost me three shots and that’s what happens here at Quail Hollow,” the US Open champion said.
The 31 year-old, who plays on the LIV Golf circuit, doesn’t feel he did a whole lot wrong en route to a 2-under par third round 69 which only served to increase his frustrations.
”That’s why golf is the worst four-letter word in the world,” DeChambeau lamented.
The top-ranked player in the men’s game is Scottie Scheffler. But even he is well aware of the threat posed by the Green Mile, although he navigated it well on Saturday as he powered his way into a three shot lead.
“The approach shot into 16 is really tough. The tee shot on 17 is really tough. Then you’ve got 2 really challenging shots on 18 with the water on the left side,” Scheffler said.
“There’s no real breathers in that stretch of holes and should make for a fun finish.”
Fun is perhaps not the word Scheffler would have chosen after Thursday’s opening round during which he, the recently-crowned Masters champion Rory McIIroy and this tournament’s defending champion Xander Schauffele all double-bogeyed 16, albeit while battling demanding course conditions following the deluge of rain earlier in the week.
McIIroy knows this course like the back of his hand. He’s won four times at Quail Hollow during his storied career but even he found himself having to avoid a double bogey at the last on Friday to stay in the tournament for the weekend. In the end, the five-time Major winner achieved his goal but only after a bogey following one at 17 too.
Or take the plight of Justin Thomas who was the winner the last time the PGA Championship was played at Quail Hollow in 2017. Thomas – who won recently in South Carolina – failed to make the cut after two untimely bogeys in his last three holes.
The Green Mile is not all doom and gloom though. It can even at times provide players with a big break when it comes to a stray rake. That was the experience of Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas who led the tournament through the first two rounds.
On Friday, the South American’s drive at 17 was well off target before it struck a rake near a greenside bunker and then flew onto the green from where he would save par.
“It was one of those things that happens in the sport. Sometimes you get a sprinkler head that goes out-of-bounds or the cart path that goes out-of-bounds or sometimes you hit a rake that goes on the green,” the four-time PGA Tour winner reflected.
“It’s just part of the game, and you’ve just got to enjoy it all,” he added.
Or how about the Ryan Gerard approach?
The young American is playing in his first PGA Championship in his home state too. Gerard attended the University of North Carolina and as a college golfer, there was one sure way to try and conquer that daunting close hole at Quail Hollow.
“I’ll give you a fun anecdote. In 2018, so six months after the PGA, we came out here as preparation for the NCAA nationals, and our coach made all six of us go on 18 tee and everyone had to play the 18th hole until all six made a par and at the same time in the same group,” the 25 year-old told reporters.
“So, we were out there for quite a while. I learned a lot about the 18th hole on that day, and I hope that carries forward into this week.”
There’s no question other factors will come into play during what’s sure to be a tension-filled final round but we can be sure of one thing.
It’s highly likely Quail Hollow’s notoriously demanding finishing stretch will go a long way in determining who will lift the famed Wanamaker Trophy come Sunday evening.
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