Keith Fergus’ Hole-By-Hole Description

Hole No. 1

KEITH FERGUS:  First hole, you've got a nice elevated  it's not a real difficult hole, but you're usually playing into the wind. You start with an elevated tee shot so it’s harder to keep the ball down with your drive if the wind's blowing.  It's a nice starting hole.  Par on the first hole is a good score. There is plenty of room off the tee.  The key is really how hard the wind is blowing when you start the round. A good drive will set up a birdie opportunity and you have a real chance to start the day off right.

Hole No. 2  

KEITH FERGUS:  The second hole is a nice par-5. Like the first hole, the tee box at No. 2 is elevated and usually the wind is blowing hard from left to right.   You've got a wide fairway, though, so there’s plenty of room to hit a good tee shot.   
With a good drive, you’ll have an opportunity to reach the green in two. In order to do so, your second shot will need to carry a great deal of water. Last year, I felt my length gave me an advantage on this hole and I made birdie there the first day.   

Hole No. 3  

KEITH FERGUS:  The third hole is a beautiful hole. It usually plays into the wind so you need to hit a good drive here. You've got a deep bunker on the left and of course you've got the ocean on the right, which is always exciting.  The green is really very small and narrow so it will take a precise iron shot to have any chance at birdie. I would settle for par on his hole every day and move rapidly to the next tee.   

Hole No. 4  

KEITH FERGUS:  This is our first par-3 on the course and like No. 3, you’ve got a very narrow green. Even though the hole is almost always downwind, this is probably the hardest green to hit.  You have to carry a lagoon and a bunker in front. Depending on where the hole location is, I’ll use anything from a wedge to an 8-iron on my tee shot. 

     Hole No. 5  

KEITH FERGUS:  Just a good, long par-4. It's pretty much straightaway off the tee and then it moves slightly to the left.  You've got plenty of sand down both sides all the way from tee to green but the landing area for the tee ball is very generous. You feel like you've got a birdie chance if you put your tee ball in the fairway.  

Hole No. 6  

KEITH FERGUS:  The sixth hole drifts slightly to the left and it can be reached in two if the wind is at your back. To do so, you’ll need to avoid the bunker in the middle of the fairway. Last year, I remember hitting a 3-wood off the tee down the left side of the fairway and that gave me a better angle into the green. You can also challenge that bunker with a driver and if you can carry the sand, you’ll have a nice opportunity to get on in two with a shorter club in your hand.   

Hole No. 7  

KEITH FERGUS:  The seventh is not a real long par-3.  It's usually downwind again and plays a little downhill as well. Usually it's a wedge to a 9iron shot for me.  For the average Champions Tour player, there’s a real chance to hit the ball close here even though there’s quite a bit of slope in the green. Once again, there are bunkers is front and with the wind, the hardest thing is judging how hard to hit your iron shot. You can throw it up in the air and sometimes the wind will knock it down and sometimes it'll carry it over.

Hole No. 8  

KEITH FERGUS:  This is a short par-4 that is a risk-reward hole. I took the gamble every day last year, hitting driver off the tee. The green is very sloped.  You've got a big shelf on the back.  If you go over, it's not good.
Hole No. 9  

KEITH FERGUS:  The last hole on the front nine plays back into the wind but is not particularly long. The tee shot is elevated and you've got bunkers all down the left side.  If the wind is blowing hard in your face, it makes for an extremely good hole. The green has a little slope from back to front but nothing really severe. Last year, I managed to birdie this hole in both the first and second round.   

Hole No. 10  

KEITH FERGUS:  This is a medium-length par-4 with a downhill tee shot. You've got room off the tee, but you've also got sand everywhere if you stray. On the second shot, there’s a lagoon on the right side, which I was fortunate enough not to get in.  The wind again plays a key part on this hole. With a good wind behind you, it’s probably a wedge approach shot. The green sits out on a little island, encircled by sand. With a short iron for your second shot, there’s a good chance for a birdie here.

Hole No. 11  

KEITH FERGUS:  This is a long par-4 but it’s also a great opportunity for birdie since it plays downhill and downwind. My strategy is to hit a driver over the bunker on the left side. If I do that correctly, I’ll be hitting a sand wedge into this green.

Hole No. 12  

KEITH FERGUS: The 12th hole is a par-5 and this is where I started by run of four birdies in a row in the final round last year. I remember the wind blowing left to right and that didn’t set up well for me. I hit a driving iron off the tee to get the ball in play and avoid the out-of-bounds on the right. The second shot is challenging because the green sits out there on a little peninsula with trouble all over the place. Last year in the final round, I layed up with a second shot, hit a wedge six feet from the hole and made the birdie putt. This is a hole where you can make a big number if you aren’t careful and it will ruin your day. I tend to play the percentages and lay up here. I feel pretty good about my chances for birdie with a wedge in my hand.

Hole No. 13

KEITH FERGUS:  This par-3 is one of the toughest holes on the course. It’s a dramatic setting with the ocean on the left side of the tee box and it can scare the pants off you. It can play over 200 yards. I was fortunate enough to birdie this hole on Sunday with a four-foot putt. You can't really see the green and par is a good score here each day.  

Hole No. 14.  

KEITH FERGUS:  This hole is a good par-4 and you need to hit your tee shot down the left side of the fairway.   You've got a big bunker on the right and if your drive finds that bunker, you’re pretty much chipping out sideways. There is one big bunker up by the green but the putting surface itself is pretty wide. With a good tee shot, you’ve got a good chance for a birdie.

Hole No. 15  

KEITH FERGUS: This is your last par-5 on the course and really your last good scoring opportunity. The driving area is very generous and you’ve got to carry a big lake with your second shot if you want to hit this green in two. The green sits right next to the water.  Last year I hit a really good drive and only needed a 6iron shot into the green. Even though I didn’t make my eagle putt from 15 feet, I made an easy birdie.   

Hole No. 16  

KEITH FERGUS: The par-3 16th hole played very difficult last year. The hole plays into the wind and there are two bunkers on the right side of the green and one large bunker on the left side. The green itself is fairly big so there are a variety of hole locations. Any birdie here is a bonus.

Hole No. 17  

KEITH FERGUS: This hole is where I won the tournament last year and my second shot was probably the Shot of the Year on the Champions Tour in 2009. There is plenty of room on the left and if you hit a good drive, you’ve got a short iron into this green. The second shot usually always plays into a crosswind and the green is very small. In the final round, I was in the light rough on the left and had a perfect angle to the pin. When I hit the wedge I knew it was probably going to be close but it turned out a lot better than I thought.  It backed up and went in the hole for an eagle and I went ahead of Mark O’Meara. What a shot at precisely the right time! It’s something I’ll never forget.

Hole No. 18  

KEITH FERGUS:  Just a really good finishing hole. You have to hit a good drive into the teeth of the wind and the ocean runs all the way down the right side. Also, there is sand down the left side and that’s no bargain either. Obviously I was pumped up after making eagle at No. 17 and I hit driver off the tee here in the final round.  I had about 140 yards to the hole and the pin was on the right.  I didn't want anything to do with that pin on Sunday, so I played for the middle of the green and two putted for the victory. The first putt was pretty long but I had putted good all week so I rolled it up there about two feet and tapped in for the win. There’s trouble waiting to happen on that hole if you're not careful.