Golf may be an individual sport, but it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Time and time again, we watch groups get hot as a collective or go ice cold one after the next. We’ve even experienced it ourselves, struggling to stay focused while our buddy is having a club-throwing, bag-kicking nightmare.
PGA Tour pros are more resistant to these emotional swings, of course, but not immune, as we were reminded at the Players Championship on Thursday. Following a brief weather delay that soaked TPC Sawgrass and forced players to contend with a tricky switch of the wind, the first-round grouping of Gary Woodland, Cam Davis and Kevin Yu arrived at the infamous 17th tee. Woodland had the honors … splish. Davis came next … splash. Yu rounded out the trio … taking a bath.
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As the old saying goes, misery loves company, and all three players looked to be in foul moods as they trudged to the drop zone for their thirds. Thankfully, all three players to find solid land, but the damage was done as each walked away with a double bogey to their name.
No. 17 has induced its fair share of water balls over the years, but the full sweep is a rare sighting, at least on Players week. Here’s hoping the trio grab a much-needed morale beer and clear the air after their round, because if they carry this bad juju with them into Friday, they might all be splitting a cab to the airport.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
