Bailey Chamblee had a magical moment at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday. She is the wife of Brandel Chamblee who was formerly a PGA Tour player, and now works for Golf Channel/NBC.
Bailey Chamblee was playing with her friend on the Stadium Course when she hit her tee-shot into the water. The hole is a par-3.
There’s nothing unusual about that. Estimates suggest that around 10,000 balls are recovered from the Island Green’s water each year.
Bailey, the host of Golf Channel’s Morning Drive, and former member Old Dominion’s women’s team, did what she could and her husband captured it on video.
After the ball had hit the water, she laughed for a moment. A member of her group then threw her a new ball. She re-teed it and hit another shot in 12 seconds.
The ball went into the hole this time, even though the wind was blowing fiercely from left to right.
Someone in the group said twice, “You didn’t just do that!”
This is a fantastic hole. I have told @mcginleygolf about a thousand times on #LiveFrom.
Bails making a Freddy Couples @fredcouplesgolf on 17 at @TPCSawgrass pic.twitter.com/T2lri0H29w
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) April 30, 2023
Bailey Chamblee grabbed the top of her head and took a few steps back. Two of the other people in her group hugged her, and then her husband picked her up and spun around her several times.
Chamblee wrote on Twitter: “As [Golf Channel colleague Paul McGinley] and I have tried to say a million time on #LiveFrom this is a fantastic hole.” “Bails are making a Freddy Couples at 17.”
This is a reference to the famous shot made by two-time Players Champion Fred Couples in 1999, when he sunk his ball in the water on No. 17 re-teed and then slam dunked his third shot into the hole.
Chamblee poked fun at himself with the tweet. He is a critic of the 17th hole, and he once claimed that its unpredictable nature undermines The Players Championship as a major.
Chamblee stated in 2013 in a conference call with The Players that he thought it came too late in the game. “I believe it could play a major role in the quality of the holes. It is 130 yards. . . When the wind blows, it is sometimes a nothing short iron. When the wind blows, the shot is more luck-based and the penalty is greater for a missed shot.
Chamblee said, “I do believe this tournament should be considered a major.” “I think this tournament is a major. The 17th hole is one thing that I believe keeps this tournament from being given its due.
