This suffocating stadium hole will give weekend hackers nightmares

The WM Phoenix Open’s iconic par-3 16th hole has a fan in the folks at the Byron Nelson, with the PGA Tour’s newest stadium hole looking like yet another thrilling-yet-terrifying shot in front of thousands.

When the Tour heads to Texas for the AT&T Byron Nelson next week, the tournament will unveil an enhanced 17th-hole experience at TPC Craig Ranch dubbed “Ranch17,” named after the tournament’s namesake, Byron Nelson.

The tournament provided a peek of the daunting stadium hole on Thursday, releasing images that would make the hands of any weekend hacker quiver if standing on that tee box.

The seating around the fully enclosed 147-yard par-3 will fit nearly 6,000 fans; there also public behind the green and concessions at the top of the seating area. Forty-one hospitality units will be added, pushing the number on that hole alone to 145.

The alley from tee box to green looks narrow. Players in contention might think the same when they get there on the weekend.

The Byron Nelson, played in McKinney, Texas, begins on Thursday, the final PGA Tour tune-up before the following week’s PGA Championship.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.

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