Alex Smalley found the water at Sawgrass' iconic 17th hole – but only after his ball had made a comic tour around the edge of the island of Green.
Smalley played together with Rory Mcilroy in the penultimate group of the Players Championship, which reached its peak on Sunday evening.
The Parthree 17th is one of the most iconic and treacherous holes in Golf. It sees players about 140 meters over a lake to a green surrounded by water.
Thirty balls were lost this week in the first three rounds to the lake and Smalley was one of the last victims of this year's players' championship.
The world no. 133 saw its shot land landing on the Green before the ball bounced ominously at the water.
Eventually it settled on the thin wedge of wooden terraces that separated the green from the lake. For more than 10 seconds the ball rolled along the edge of the island before it finally fell into the water.
Golfster Alex Smalley put his ball in the water on the iconic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass
Narrowy's ball took a comic tour around the edge of the green before it fell into the water
It was cruel and precious end for Smalley, who made a double bogey five on the 17th. Another Bogey followed at 18 when he finished five under-par.
It was not the first moment of comedy of the weekend. During the third round of Saturday, Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia were forced to take a drop on the saw grass row.
The two nights had spent almost 20 minutes on the fifth hole – looking for their balls, kicking in the bushes and contacts with officials – before they finally touched their approaches to the Green.
The last combination had both sent their discs in the trees and both had chosen to take an unspeakable drop.
Lee and Bhatia went almost 70 meters away from the hole – to the other side of the tree line – to give themselves a chance on the green.
