Tiger Woods (left) of the U.S. reacts as his caddie Steve Williams hits a tee shot on to the 17th green during an abbreviated practice round at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach yesterday. - Reuters

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (AP):

TIGER WOODS hasn't seen the TPC Sawgrass look like this since he won the U.S. Amateur in 1994 before heading off to university. Phil Mickelson joined a chorus of players who were thrilled by the pristine condition.

Indeed, the U.S. PGA Tour spared no expense - more than US$50 million - for a massive upgrade at The Players Champion-ship which begins today.

Most of it went into the clubhouse, a Mediterranean Revival-style covering 77,000 square feet (7,150 square metres). The Stadium Course was refurbished to add a sand base to the fairway for better drainage, and pumps under every green to keep them firm and fast in any weather.

It's almost like a brand new tournament. Except for that island.

Despite all the changes, the signature hole - the signature moment - of The Players Championship still captivates the gallery and intimidates even the best players in the world.

Australia's Adam Scott had a two-shot lead in 2004 when he came to the 137-yard island hole in the final round and was so nervous he stood with his back to the green.

"I didn't really want to think about it more than I had to," he said.

Scott wound up hitting wedge to 25 feet and getting his par, which is all he wanted.

Phil Mickelson played a practice round on Tuesday, and it took him six shots to hit the green. It wasn't as bad as he made it sound. One hit the fringe. Another settled in the rough. One came up short and into the water. One bounced off the green and into the water. The fifth one flew the island into the water.

Too gimmicky

Two years ago, Bob Tway was four shots out of the lead when he put four balls into the water on the 17th and walked away with a 12, the highest score ever on that hole in competition.

But that's the very reason Tiger Woods is no fan of the 17th green - more because of its place in the tournament than its location in the middle of a lake. Woods has one of the more memorable birdies, a 60-foot putt that broke three directions and dropped into the cup in the third round of 2001, when he won his only Players Championship.

"I've always thought thathole is too gimmicky for the 17th hole of a championship," Woods said. "I think that would be a fantastic eighth hole, but not as the 71st hole of a tournament, or 17th hole of your round."

Jack Nicklaus is the only three-time winner of The Players never on the TPC Sawgrass. He still played 10 times on the Stadium Course, and some of the golf courses he has designed have holes that somewhat resemble an island green.

"You knew you were in trouble when you got on the tee," Nicklaus said. "Sooner or later, it was going to get you. And it was going to get you good, probably. When you're playing at noon on Sunday at the 17th hole, you knew you weren't much of a factor and you could care less if you hit it in the water. You didn't want to hit it in at 6 o'clock on Saturday or Sunday."

Nicklaus has his concerns about the placement of the hole.

No doubt it adds excitement for thousands of fans who care about little else than seeing one train wreck after another. In another sense, it almost detracts from the other holes that Pete Dye designed.

Then again, if it was placed where Woods prefers - No. 8 instead of Number 17 - it might not be as big a deal.

"I think what makes an exciting and great hole - and I think it is a great hole - is that it's in a position where it creates controversy," Nicklaus said. "That's the whole idea. You just wonder whether a tournament should be determined by that much of a think at that point in time."