The volatile nature of PGA National
By Bill Felber
Holes 2 and 10
No. 2: The second hole is a 449-yard par 4 with one of PGA National’s ubiquitous ponds running essentially tee to green along the left side. On Saturday, the hole was positioned back right, a relatively benign sighting away was the water.
For Sunday’s play, the flag was moved front left, hard by both the pond and a sand trap.
That move ought to have produced a tougher hole. In fact, the exact opposite occurred. On Saturday, the field average was 3.9 strokes, with one eagle, 11 birdies, five bogeys, and three doubles. On Sunday, with no discernible change other than the pin location, the hole produced 21 birdies, just four bogeys, no doubles, and a 3.73 field average.
No. 10: The 10th is a 507-yard par 4, but other than length – and what’s length got to do with anything on Tour? – it’s a vanilla dogleg right. The flag was an inviting front center on Sunday, relocated to an even more friendly middle right on Sunday.
That relocation appears to have been consequential. On Saturday, the field wrestled with 10 and generally lost. There were only four birdies against 19 bogeys and a double. The field average was a healthy 4.19 strokes.
On Sunday, No. 10 produced 11 birdies and just eight bogeys, nothing worse. The field stroke average shed more than a quarter stroke, down to 3.92. Perhaps the Sunday flag really was that much friendlier.