A Major Test Before Major Season: The PGA Tour’s Florida Swing
As golf’s premier talent begins to gear up for the Major season, so does its premier tour. The taxing course layouts, the high level of precision required, and the lasting history of the courses and tournaments on the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing only add to the intriguing nature of this four-tournament span; having the Tour’s flagship event, The Players Championship, within this span is an added bonus. The Snake Pit, the Bear Trap, and the treacherous finishes at both the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course and Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge highlight the iconic stretches of golf on the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing. These stretches present a thrilling challenge to both golfers and fans alike.
Major-Like Course Layouts and the Precision They Demand
Thick rough, glass-like greens and harsh penalties for slight mistakes are all quintessential characteristics of tough tests of golf. Each of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players Championship, and the Valspar Championship, as well as their respective course setups, features at least one of the aforementioned qualities. At these tournaments, no player or lead is safe. At each of the three completed Florida Swing tournaments, there were multiple golfers who finished their first two rounds at 10-over-par or worse. Even at the Valspar Championship, the tournament that is taking place this week, six golfers logged rounds of six-over or worse at the conclusion of the opening round. Even the likes of last year’s U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun and PGA Tour winners Sahith Theegala and Austin Eckroat are privy to the consequences of taxing layouts like those featured on the Florida Swing.
Other than high final scores, double bogeys, triple bogeys, or worse lurk around every corner. The reward for being bold and executing at the right moment is immeasurable, but the penalty for a lack of focus or patience can sink a player’s tournament. For example, each of the three Florida Swing tournaments that have already been played saw every single 54-hole leader crumble as the final round progressed. At the Cognizant Classic, Austin Smotherman almost lost a full stroke to the field in putting, and Shane Lowry rinsed two of his final three shots to lose the tournament by two strokes. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Daniel Berger led at the end of every round except for the final round as he was unable to keep pace with the tournament’s winner, Akshay Bhatia. On both the 72nd and 73rd holes of the event, Berger elected not to take the pin, fearing that he might hit his approach into the hazard. He got away with it the first time, making par and forcing a playoff, but on the first playoff hole, his patience resulted in a three-putt and a loss. Finally, at The Players, Ludvig Åberg led by three shots after three rounds, but after dumping an approach shot on 11 and a tee shot on 12 into the hazard, the Swedish standout saw his lead dwindle away.
The Tournaments’ Histories and Relationships with Their Current Venues
Just as the four events on the Florida Swing are synonymous with challenging tests of golf, that is a testament to the legacy of these events and the courses they are played at. The Cognizant Classic has been played at the George and Tom Fazio-designed and Jack Nicklaus-redesigned PGA National Champion Course since 2007. It is most famous for the Bear Trap, spanning from holes 15-17, featuring a par four sandwiched between two par threes; all three holes contain water hazards, as well. The Arnold Palmer Invitational has been played at “Arnie’s Place” since 1979. Dick Wilson’s original design continues to be tweaked by the Arnold Palmer Design Company to this day. The Arnold Palmer Invitational and Bay Hill are notorious for their dry setup and daunting three-hole finish; Palmer famously stated, “You must play boldly to win.” While The Players Championship is not a Major, despite what some may say about it, its history is comparable to that of any other tournament in professional golf. It has been held at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course since 1982 and was designed by Pete and Alice Dye. The Stadium Course is an 18-hole death trap, featuring long fairway bunkers, lengthy water hazards, and yet another intimidating three-hole finish that some consider the best closing stretch in professional golf. The Valspar Championship, hosted at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort since 2000, is home to yet another famous three-hole stretch. The Snake Pit of the Copperhead Course begins on hole 16 and concludes on hole 18. These holes loom large in the minds of anyone trying to make a run for the title on Sunday and have claimed many victims throughout the tournament’s history.
The Florida Swing of the PGA Tour’s schedule seamlessly meshes historical courses with taxing setups to produce four meaningful tournaments before the Major season begins. Many of the best in the world will play in these events on the Florida Swing to test and tweak their games before the majors. No PGA Tour winner can coast through any tournament, but the winning score of any of the four tournaments on the Florida Swing rarely approaches 20-under-par. Not only does winning one of these events grant a golfer exemptions into all four Majors, but it also cements the winner as a true conqueror of one of golf’s greatest tests.
