Typically, when PGA Tour players arrive at the tee of a par 5 they’re thinking about making birdie. But these 10 holes require a different mental approach ' and they were the toughest par 5s on the PGA Tour in 2008.
No. 10
10th hole, Poppy Hills, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Yardage: 531
Stroke average: 4.97
Key stat: Believe it or not, there are actually two par 5s at Poppy Hills that played tougher than this one. Keep reading
No. 9
11th hole, Annandale GC, Viking Classic
Yardage: 579
Stroke average: 4.97
Key stat: Fall Series events are usually birdie parties, but a fairway-splitting creek and bunker off the tee make this a thinking mans par 5.
No. 8
9th hole, Poppy Hills, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Yardage: 555
Stroke average: 4.99
Key stat: The eighth-most-difficult par 5 on Tour was only the second-most-difficult at Poppy Hills. With a 4.99 stroke average its also the last hole in our countdown to play under-par.
No. 7
5th hole, Innisbrook Resort - Copperhead, PODS Championship
Yardage: 605
Stroke average: 5.01
Key stat: Uphill off the tee, this is one of only a few three-shot par 5s on Tour.
No. 6
16th hole, Firestone CC (South Course), WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Yardage: 667
Stroke average: 5.04
Key stat: During the 1960 PGA Championship this hole played 625 yards, and after Arnold Palmer made triple-bogey here he dubbed it The Monster. Imagine playing this hole with your dads old set of persimmon woods...
No. 5
11th hole, Muirfield Village GC, the Memorial Tournament
Yardage: 567
Stroke average: 5.04
Key stat: A true risk-reward par 5, it had more birdies than any other hole in our countdown, but also had the second-most bogeys.
No. 4
15th hole, Royal Birkdale GC (Lancashire), British Open Championship
Yardage: 544
Stroke average: 5.09
Key stat: The second-shortest par 5 in our countdown, it played much tougher than its yardage because of the devilish wind. Padraig Harrington birdied it three out of four rounds en route to his second Open Championship.
No. 3
18th hole, PGA National Champion Course, The Honda Classic
Yardage: 604
Stroke average: 5.1
Key stat: Played as one of the most intimidating finishing holes on Tour last year. Standing on the tee with a one-shot lead on Sunday, Y.E. Yang calmly made par here and took home his first PGA Tour victory.
No. 2
4th hole, Poppy Hills, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Yardage: 603
Stroke average: 5.23
Key stat: At 3-to-1, this hole had the highest bogey-to-birdie ratio of any par 5 on the 2008 PGA Tour.
No. 1
14th hole, Pebble Beach Golf Links, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Yardage: 573
Stroke average: 5.3
Key stat: Fairways bunkers require a precise tee shot, and this three-shotter has one of the most severe greens youll ever see. When Tour pros arent making birdies with their wedges, you know its a tough hole.
