LPGA players not fond of Senator's 17th hole

PRATTVILLE -- LPGA players have praised the Senator Course at Capitol Hill, the host of this week's Nav­istar LPGA Classic. They've spoke of the impeccable condi­tions and the challenge of the quadrants on the large undu­lating greens that have resulted in low scores with the proper po­sitioning.
But don't mention the par-five 17th hole.
That's when things get ugly.
"We talk about it on tour as the worst golf hole on tour," sec­ond-year pro Anna Rawson said.
Rawson didn't stop there. She just reloaded.
"It's just stupid," Rawson said. "There is no other hole in world like it. ... I've never seen anything like it."
The hole measures either 487 or 523 yards depending on where the tee box is placed.
It's the only hole on the course with a water hazard, which is down the left side of the first half of the hole. The entire hole is split by a huge canyon-es­que hazard of rough that players have the option of laying up to a narrow elevated fairway or going for an elevated, undu­lating green in two.
For the players, it is like the Sesame Street game: "Which one of these things doesn't be­long here?"
The other 17 holes maintain a similar style and make-up. This one doesn't.
"It's completely out of char­acter for the rest of the course," LPGA veteran Laura Davies said. "It's a shame because it's a rubbish hole. I played it well Fri­day and I had a birdie chance on Thursday but compared to ev­erything else it doesn't even fit."
But it certainly makes things interesting.
Last year, Kim Welch headed to the 17th hole almost assured of making the cut. She made a quintuple-bogey 10 and missed the cut by two shots.
"I don't want to relive it," Welch said earlier this week.
Cristie Kerr joined the Golf Channel set for an interview to speak about her projects to raise awareness for breast cancer and facility that is opening in her name. But her first comments on air were from the round where she blamed her caddie for a wrong yardage on 17 that re­sulted in a double bogey. Kerr birdied the hole Saturday dur­ing her 8-under-par 64 that brought her back into conten­tion.And, that's part of the fun -- good and bad things are sure to happen.
On Friday, Anna Grzebein's second shot barely cleared the hazard but was nestled in the edge of the tall grass 115 yards out. Her third shot came out hot and bounced off the chair of the volunteer behind the hole and into the thick rough. Her next shot traveled only a few feet. Her fifth shot nearly rolled over the green into the hazard on the oth­er side. She two-putted for dou­ble bogey and flirted with miss­ing the cut.
Inbee Park heads into Sun­day tied for 18th place at seven-under-par, but she has never fig­ured out what to do on the 17th hole.
On Thursday, she hit her sec­ond shot into the hazard. She re­covered for par but it broke a string of what could have been five straight birdies and six out of the last seven holes to end her round.
On Friday, she hit her tee shot in the hazard and bogeyed.
On Saturday, Park layed up in the rough and couldn't reach the green from 115 yards with her third shot. She barely stayed on the top of the green with her chip to the front pin placement and bogeyed again.
"The layup is not easy," Park said. "It's a very interesting hole. Obviously, I have to come up with a different strategy."
And, that's part of the frus­tration.
Sometimes good strategy doesn't work.
"You hit good shots there and are penalized," said Raw­son, who bogeyed the hole the first two rounds but birdied it Saturday. "It's only the drive and a tough second shot but the green is hard to hit. It's chal­lenging. It doesn't bother me. The second shot is the hardest for me. You need a really good number and you are in a hook lie. But it's birdie-able. It's a par five."
Capitol Hill Director of Golf Mike Beverly defends the hole, but admits it's unique to the golf course.
"It's a challenging hole there is no doubt about it," Beverly said. "The tee shot is a challenge off the bat. Once you get it in the fairway the fairway slopes to­ward the hazard so the ball is above your feet. And, then you are hitting across and a forced carry to the green. You have to be smart.
"The best spot to landing area is to the 120-yard mark. That's the widest spot in the fairway if you stand from a spec­tator on top of the hill. You play it as a three-shot par five you can walk away with a birdie. It's a great hole. Maria (Hjorth) made birdie from back fringe to win the first year. It's a risk/reward hole, which is what you want coming down to the finish. If you are leading by a shot your knees can be shaking and if you are down by two, you can eagle and be right back in it."
And, that's what makes watching at 17 so much fun to­day in the final round. From be­hind the green you can see the tee shot, the decision to lay up or go for the green in two and all that hinges on the outcome.
"It can swing the whole tour­nament," Beverley said. "It brings drama and that's what you want."
But that doesn't mean the players will ever like it.
Many believe it produces drama for the wrong reasons.
"It's not so much of a skill hole," said Davies, who trails Lorena Ochoa by six shots head­ing into the final round. "You need a little luck on it and it's such a shame because it is such a good course and No. 17 lets it down. It might be the winner or the loser could be undone by that hole, which would be the shame.
"Hopefully, the winner will eagle it and everyone will think it's a great hole."
Brad Zimanek can be reached at 261-1586 or bzima­nek@gannett.com
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