SI: Another Wild Stadium Hole is Coming to the PGA TOUR at the AT&T Byron Nelson
The WM Phoenix Open’s 16th hole Coliseum is no longer the only wild stadium hole on the PGA Tour.
This year at the AT&T Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas, there will be an enclosed structure that boasts an energetic fan environment around the 17th hole at TPC Craig Ranch.
Nearly 6,000 fans will be able to spectate on the par 3 at any given time, with 145 hospitality units included on the hole.
The enhanced hole, which the tournament has coined “Ranch17” aims to honor Byron Nelson’s legacy. Nelson, who famously won 11 consecutive tournaments in 1945, had the lifelong dream of making enough money through professional golf to purchase his own ranch. At age 34, he accomplished that goal, and the stadium design at TPC Craig Ranch aims to commemorate his feat.
“The concept of the brand was designed to embody our namesake, Byron Nelson,” said Jeff Eckert, the 2023 tournament chairman. “For Byron, every drive, chip, and putt were made towards the dream of purchasing land and becoming a rancher. When he retired from golf in 1945 at the ripe age of 34 years old, he bought 700 acres in what would later become Roanoke, Texas. He lived and raised cattle there for 60 years. Simply put, our concept for hole 17 pays tribute to Byron’s dream.”