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PGA Tour – The Bear Trap: the good, the bad and the ugly from Thursday & Friday

By Derek Vadnais

Feb 23, 2017; Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA; A statue of a bear is shown next to a plaque reading, "You are now entering The Bear Trap," near the fifteenth tee during the first round of The Honda Classic at PGA National (Champion). Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2017; Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA; A statue of a bear is shown next to a plaque reading, "You are now entering The Bear Trap," near the fifteenth tee during the first round of The Honda Classic at PGA National (Champion). Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Honda Classic’s elusive “Bear Trap” has already shown its deranged difficulty on this years field.

The  “Bear Trap,” the trifecta of holes 15, 16 and 17 at PGA National Champion Course make for the most demanding three hole stretch on Tour. With the monstrosity reeking havoc among the players golf game, this giant is nothing to be messed with.

Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from Thursday & Friday’s Honda Classic rounds at the 3-hole brute.

Sure some players strike luck and come out unscathed from the mammoth, but for most it is a one-way ticket to a scorecard wrecking ball.

With the good comes the bad, and in this very case unfortunately comes the ugly . . . here is a rundown of what went on at the Bear Trap in rounds one and two at the 2017 Honda Classic.

Hole #15: 179-yard Par 3

Bear Trap
Feb 24, 2017; Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA; Adam Scott acknowledges the crowd after his putt on the ninth hole during the second round of The Honda Classic at PGA National (Champion). Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

The 15th hole, the kick starter for the Bear Trap, plays into the wind with a sea of water on the right, as well as a large bunker protecting the left-side of the green. If players come up short they will find themselves down in a first-cut collection area, looking at an intimidating second chip shot.

The 15th hole’s scoring average through the first two rounds was a 3.068, that’s .068 above par. The hole Tallied up 183 par’s, 45 birdie’s, 39 bogey’s, 13 2+ bogey’s and one hole-in-one.

Greens in regulation is this hole’s kryptonite, with 77.89% of the field landing on the dance floor. Many players don’t dare to go near the H20, as they would rather go as far left as possible and keep the sand out of play. With the pin locations forcing the players to challenge the water, most leave their first shot out left, giving themselves the logic of a two-putt par and being totally content with it.

Highlights:

Adam Scott, defending champion, owns one of the best shots at the 15th so far this week with his “narrow” birdie. Scott took on Friday’s front green pin location head on with confidence, landing his ball just a few feet over disaster.

Jason Dufner shows to navigate the 15th green by sinking his 31-foot putt for birdie.

Hole #16: 434-yard Par 4

The Par 4 16th hole played .149 over par, with a scoring average of 4.149. Players struggle greatly with this hole, as they tee off looking at water to their right as they try to stiff their ball in the narrow fairway. Parallel bunkers are on each side of the fairway, making the shot that much more challenging. The second shot is by far the most stressful shot on this hole. Most players have about a nine-iron look into the green, but it is guarded by a peninsula of water and enclosing bunkers on each side of the green.

The 16th gobbled up 191 par’s, 54 bogey’s, 28 birdies and 8 2+ bogey’s. 63.35% of the players hit the dance floor, making that an entire 10% less than the previous 15th hole. A majority of the players don’t take driver off the tee because they want to stay accurate and have a good look at the green with a clean lie. 64.77% of players hit the fairway in regulation, the longest drive was 296 yards.

Highlights:

Justin Thomas made a super clutch birdie on hole-16 to keep his chances at making the cut alive, only later finding himself below the cut line and not sticking around for the weekend.

Hole #17: 190-yards Par 3

The 17th hole is the shortest hole at PGA National Champion Course, but by all means one of the hardest.

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The wind can either be blowing in your face, or hard left and right, this makes for no stress-free shot giving the water hazard to the right and the bunker long to the left. With just a 30-foot landing area, players panic at its first sight.

Hole 17 has its ugliness for sure, with 20 2+ bogeys! To go along with the double squares on the scorecard are 180 par’s, 57 bogey’s and 24 birdies.

Scoring average is 3.263, yet again another hole in the Bear Trap that’s over par. Compared to the Par 3 15th Hole, the 17th hole has a 33.10 greens in regulation percentage, over 40% lower.

Highlights:

Martin Kaymer had a beautiful chip in on No. 17 in his 1st round on Thursday.

The weekend should bring some ecstatic, but the Bear Trap will bring an even more electric vibe.

Next: What Makes The 'Bear Trap' So Hard?

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