The Bear Trap at PGA National: How tough is it?

The Bear Trap is consistently voted one of the toughest stretches in golf.

The Florida Swing of the PGA Tour kicks off this week with the Honda Classic at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, where Adam Scott is hoping to defend last year’s title.

The 2016 champion is the top ranked player in the field at World No. 7 and currently leads the tour in strokes gained for putting this season, coming in to form at an almost identical time to last year.

He will no doubt face a fierce challenge from both Sergio Garcia and Justin Thomas, who finished in second and third place respectively last year and have both already claimed victories in 2017. Incidentally the pair are also ranked immediately after Scott in the world rankings, with Thomas currently occupying 8th and Garcia 9th.

Thomas, along with Rickie Fowler, lives in close proximity to the course, an advantage that thirteen other players who reportedly live within 45 minutes of the course are also hoping to exploit. However, despite a West Cost swing that was dominated by 20-year-olds, it would be foolish to write off two-time Honda Classic champion Padraig Harrington, who will play the opening two-rounds alongside both Scott and Thomas.

One of the biggest talking points that surrounds the Honda Classic every year is the stretch of holes that are infamously named ‘The Bear Trap’. With two par-three’s under 200 yards and a par-four just over 430 yards it certainly isn’t the longest, but with it being named consistently as one of the hardest stretches of holes on the PGA Tour we had to wonder – just how difficult is it?

The Bear Trap

The par-three 15^th, par-four 16^th and par-three 17^th holes form the incredibly well-known ‘Bear Trap’, which has ranked as the third toughest stretch of holes on the PGA Tour for the last nine years. Named after the ‘Golden Bear’ Jack Nicklaus, who redesigned the course, the trio of holes is best summed up with a quote from Nicklaus himself on the plaque that meets players at the 15^th tee-box: It reads ‘It should be won or lost right here’.

But just how deadly is the infamous three-hole stretch at PGA National? Since 2007 an astonishing 76% of players have found the water at the Bear Trap, and the field that played that stretch of holes is a combined 2.781 strokes over par in that same time frame. To give another perspective, at last year’s Honda Classic alone the field made 164 birdies against 287 bogeys or worse, which included Si Woo Kim’s quadruple-bogey seven at the 15th.

There is a very real possibility that it can lose you the chance to lift the trophy – just ask Sergio Garcia. If Garcia hadn’t gone par-bogey-bogey on Sunday last year then he may not have lost to Adam Scott by a shot, who in turn had luck on his side when his tee-shot on the 17^th bounced forward towards the green rather than back in to the water.

After Adam’s victory last year, he admitted that winning the Honda Classic is not an easy feat. He said: “It felt like hard work out there to get it in the clubhouse and Sergio stuck with me the whole way and did not give me an inch. Fortunately it was enough to win.”

The Bear Trap is a formidable prospect even for someone with a substantial lead over the rest of the field, and come the final round on Sunday there is no doubt the ultimate winner will be a player who has expertly navigated those holes.