The BWD Tournament Hole of the Week: May 18 – 21, 2017. The 17th at TPC Four Seasons Resorts, Home of AT&T Byron Nelson.

Tournament: AT&T Byron Nelson – TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, TX
Hole: 17th – Par 3, 198 Yards
Architect(s): Jay Morrish – 1983; D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolford (redesign) – 2008
Player Consultants: Byron Nelson and Ben Crenshaw – 1983

Architectural Summary:

The penultimate hole at TPC Four Seasons Resort is a 198-yard par three playing to a well-protected green. The hole plays downhill over a sizable pond that protects the entire front right portion of the green as well as a single greenside bunker to the front left that will collect any tee shots short of the green. Pin placement will dictate strategy as the competitors must find the correct quadrant of the sizable green for a scoring opportunity. The view from the tee is dominated by the water hazard, which features cascading waterfalls, and will further emphasize precision on the short to mid-iron tee shot. A right-to-left shot shape will be preferred from competitors in order to avoid the water. Beyond the green, the terrain slopes heavily, further complicating recovery shots played back towards the front hazards. The undulating green measures 31 yard deep by 36 yards wide and slopes from back-to-front and left-to-right towards the pond. The most difficult pin positions to directly attack will be placed in the front-right quadrant of the green, however, several feeder slopes can be found by keen players to work their shots towards this section of the green without directly challenging the water hazard.

Statistical Analysis:

In 2016, the 17th hole at TPC Four Seasons Resort played to a scoring average of 3.01 (72 Birdies, 326 Pars, 65 Bogeys, and 5 Double Bogeys). The hole played as the second most difficult par three of the tournament.

Fun Facts:

  • Defending champion Sergio Garcia played the 17th hole to par en route to his second AT&T Byron Nelson title. In additional to his two victories at TPC Four Seasons Resort, Garcia made his PGA Tour debut at the course when he turned pro in 1999.
  • The 17th hole has had six holes-in-one over the course of the tournament’s history at the Irving course dating back to 1983 (more than any other hole at TPC Four Seasons Resort).
  • The inaugural winner of the Dallas Open, later renamed the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, was fittingly Byron Nelson in 1944. The native Texan won by an impressive 10 shots over Harold McSpaden.