EarthGolf

David Toms doesn’t care for the TPC Sawgrass course - and he doesn’t hide his feelings on it.

“I’d probably rather be on my ski boat this weekend than playing here,” he said after shooting 73 Saturday for 6-over 222 after three rounds of The Players Championship.
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“I’ve never played very good here,” Toms said. “I don’t particularly care for it. I think I’ve only played decent on one Pete Dye golf course ever, and that’s the one where I won at Quad City (in 1997), and it didn’t look anything like this.

“To me the first tee shot (on No. 1) is the most awkward shot we play all year, and it really doesn’t get a whole lot better for me as far as what my mental picture is. I’ve never had any success here. I played good maybe twice in my whole career. I don’t have good vibes coming in, and after I play it seems like it gets worse.”
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“I’m just not sure that you’ll ever have a major championship with an island green for the 17th hole,” Toms said. “I don’t care if it’s 100 yards or 300 yards. But for this tournament I think it provides the drama that they want. It’s a big purse ($9 million), you’ve got to hit a good shot. It makes the finish very tough to get it done to try to win. If that’s what you’re looking for, that’s what they have.”

And just for completeness sakes, let’s take a look at some of David’s previous comments on TPC Sawgrass. Here’s an interview from the 2003 Players Championship.

Q. David, can you talk about the finishing holes, 16, 17, 18, your opinion of them, particularly 17 and how they affect the tournament?

DAVID TOMS: I think it’s a great finish. 16 you can make up a shot or two there, kind of a risk-reward second shot. Anything can happen there.

17, to be honest with you, I’d like to see them not give you a bailout but give you a little more room if you’re trying to protect a lead there. It’s a fairly good-sized green, but it’s just the fact if you don’t hit a good shot there — it’s fortunate if you lead the tournament from start to finish and then there’s one shot that can cost you everything.

18 is a great hole. It’s one of the best holes we play all year. It’s a tough tee shot depending on what the wind is doing. If it’s a left-to-right-wind it’s an extremely difficult tee shot, and then the second shot trying to get anywhere close. I think for a guy that’s trying to win the tournament, it’s a great finish, but it’s difficult. I mean, you’re going to have to battle your insides coming down the stretch, that’s for sure.

Sounds like David needs to find his happy place.

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