The hole at Pebble Beach that Tiger Woods said has the ‘hardest third shot in all of golf’

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Pebble Beach is a course that tests the world’s best golfers in a multitude of different ways.

Whether it’s the lightning-fast greens, thick rough or the wind, there are multiple reasons why the iconic Monterey Peninsula venue is one of golf’s great tests. There is, however, one hole which has proven particularly daunting over the years: the par-five 14th.

During the 2010 US Open, which Graeme McDowell won, the 580-yard par-five was the third most challenging hole in the course. “Don’t be surprised to see a double-digit number this year. Someone is going to get hung up on the left, and it’s not going to be good,” said Dustin Johnson’s former caddie Bobby Brown.

2000 US Open winner Tiger Woods is another who knows the famous California course well, and Tiger believes the approach to the 14th is one of the hardest shots in all of golf.

What Tiger Woods said about Pebble Beach’s 14th hole

The green on no.14 sits on a plateau, which means there are limited areas where a golfer can land his ball without it rolling off the putting surface.

On many occasions, a player’s third shot has ended back up at their feet. Paul Casey, Zach Johnson, Ian Poulter, and Y.E. Yang are just some of the players who have run into difficulties on the 14th.

During the 2010 US Open, Woods discussed the daunting par-five and claimed the third shot was one of the toughest in all of golf.

“We’ve talked about that all week; it’s probably the hardest third shot in all of golf,” Woods said. “The way the green is right now, during AT&T, is no big deal; it’s just going to plug up there, but not right now. It’s very tricky.”

• READ MORE: Rory McIlroy shares what he told his caddie as soon as the rain and wind started howling at Pebble Beach on day three

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am update

The 14th hole at this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am hasn’t been quite as challenging. The course is set up for a regular PGA Tour event, so the green isn’t quite as testing as it has been in past US Opens.

Sepp Straka currently leads the way on 16 under. Another big name in contention is four-time major winner Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman bounced back with a brilliant 65 (seven under) on Saturday and will partner the Austrian in Sunday’s final grouping. McIlroy birdied 15, 16 and 18 to jump up the leaderboard.

Shane Lowry is also one shot back of the lead, and world number one Scottie Scheffler is six back. The world number one will need something special to start his 2025 PGA Tour season with a victory.