One-Shot Wonder

The comparisons with the 17th at Sawgrass are obvious, but Mahan, one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour over the past five years, felt the hole plays differently.

"With the wind picking up it's a challenging shot for sure," he said. "But it's a different test. The green isn't as severe as the one at Sawgrass, which has a lot of slope to it. If you don't pay attention and don't make a good swing you're going to be penalised for it. You can easily lose two or three shots there, so it's an exciting hole, especially where it is in the round."

Former Masters champion Schwartzel, who birdied the 17th twice en route to his victory at the Thailand Golf Championship in 2012, thought the spectator-packed amphitheatre setting of Sawgrass' 17th made that hole more intimidating, but joked: "I wait for the day the boat runs out of petrol and we have to swim back to the 18th tee."

Local hero Jaidee, who has played the hole countless times since the course's opening in 2005, said it was the type of hole where really anything can happen.

"It's short, so it shouldn't be difficult to hit a good shot and give yourself a birdie chance, but you can't miss it by more than five or ten yards; then you're making double bogey," he said. "I love the 17th. The excitement and pressure is great. It really is perfect for a tournament and it looks wonderful on TV. It can also make a good story. If you're leading by one or two you can't say you're going to win the tournament until you've finished playing the 17th. Anything can happen there."

In the event, Thailand Golf Championship winner Sergio Garcia played the hole as a champion should. After picking up a birdie there during the third round, the Spaniard was rather more circumspect at the business end of the tournament. Finding the middle of the green after a well-struck tee shot, Garcia calmly two-putted for a par.

"It was nice to be able to get the par at 17 and walk up the last knowing it was pretty much done," said Garcia, who pocketed US$180,000 for the victory.