This one goes out to all my fellow slicers. All my high faders. My big cutters. I see you, and I know you’ll join me in agreement: For folks like us, some tee shots are just plain horrifying. Enter the 14th hole at Phoenix Country Club, site of this week’s Champions Tour finale, the Tour Championship. Is there a more frightening tee shot than this one from the back tees? Yeah, there’s out-of-bounds right, but it’s more than just white stakes. It’s a fence, plus a wall of imposing trees, with E. Osborn Rd on the other side (and houses beyond). The best senior players in the world will be competing for the Schwab Cup on this hole later this weekend.

ADVERTISEMENT

Usually when us power faders (key word: POWER) bring the club back, all we’re worried about is losing a ball. Reload and hit again is our course of action. Well, that banana ball might end up in somebody’s windshield at PCC. If you’re lucky, you’ll clank off one of those palm trees. Check out Jerry Kelly’s swing from 14 this week. You can see the “anywhere-but-right” in his hand movement.

Cool looking tee shot at @SchwabCupFinale. @jerrykelly13pga on No. 14 in final tune up round of the year! pic.twitter.com/vLGCHC2mwa — PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) November 6, 2019

It looks like his drive flew pretty straight. Yours and mine? Please, Lord, give us a bank shot off that fence. To make matters worse, that’s not the only O.B. to worry about on no. 14. According to the PCC website, there is also O.B. to the left off the tee. Nowhere to go but straight up the fairway. Seems a bit unfair, no? But I guess that’s why the pros get paid the big bucks, and why you and me are praying at the top of our backswings. Don’t go right, don’t go right, turn the ball over, don’t go right, don’t go right. To receive GOLF’s all-new newsletters, subscribe for free here.