Players prepare to walk 17th-hole tightrope at Sawgrass

TORONTO, Thursday (Reuters) - It has appeared on more magazine covers than most supermodels and leaves those who confront it weak at the knees.

It is described as a thing of beauty, yet is the stuff of nightmares.

The TPC at Sawgrass's signature hole, the par-three 17th in The Players' Championship which begins on Thursday at Ponte Vedre Beach, Florida is many things to many people.

For golfers it is like walking a tightrope without a net, one slight miscalculation and a ruined scorecard awaits.

For the thousands of spectators who gather 30 deep around the banks of a murky pond and island green, it is the place to be.

The 17th is the smallest hole on the famed Stadium Course but has the biggest reputation, striking fear into the hearts of the world's 50 top-ranked players who will tee it up at golf's unofficial fifth major this week.

Several television cameras will be used to cover every angle of every shot at the 17th, as well as the pained expressions of those who watch their golf balls go astray.

"I'm thinking about it now," said Ireland's Padraig Harrington, the runner-up at Sawgrass for the last two years. "It's a strange hole.

"In practice it's fine, it's no problem. You pull a club and you hit it, it doesn't seem such a difficult hole.

"Then you get in the tournament and there are all sorts of things happening before and after. You can cut the tension in the air down there, especially if you're going well.

"It's one of the most important holes out there and without a doubt you're trying to hit each shot as you play it, but you've got one eye on, especially when you're going down 16, toward 17."

Created by accident by famed course designer Pete Dye, the 17th is a 132-yard test of nerve as much as accuracy.

A 4,000-square foot island green, surrounded by still black water, golfers are faced with a shot that leaves absolutely no room for error, you are either on the putting surface or in the pond.

"It's fantastic because you know all day that 17 is coming," said defending champion Adam Scott of Australia. "You can try to put it out of your mind but then, when you get to the 16th fairway, it's sitting right there.

"They say you cannot look, but you always look, and it's just a fabulous hole. Just a wedge or a nine-iron but it creates havoc in everyone's mind.

"You can be leading by two, leading by four, but until you get past 17, it's never really over."