View source for TPC at Sawgrass

{{short description|Resort golf course in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, US}}
{{use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox golf facility
|golf_facility_name = Tournament Players Club<br> Sawgrass
|image = TPC Sawgrass 17.jpg
|imagesize = 250px
|caption = Stadium Course's signature 17th hole in [[2008 Players Championship|2008]]
|location = [[Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida|Ponte Vedra Beach]],<br>[[Florida]], U.S.
|elevation = {{convert|7|ft|round=0.5}}
|pushpin_map    = USA#USA Florida
|pushpin_relief = 1
|coordinates    = {{coord|30.198|-81.394|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
|establishment = 1980, {{Years or months ago|1980}}
|type = Resort
|owner =
|operator = [[PGA Tour]] [[Tournament Players Club|TPC Network]]
|holes = 36
|greens = TifEagle [[Cynodon dactylon|Bermuda]]
|fairways = Celebration Bermuda<ref name=gcsaa>{{cite news|url=https://www.gcsaa.org/docs/default-source/tournament-fact-sheets/pga-tour/2018/the-players-championship.pdf?sfvrsn=2<!--
https://www.gcsaa.org/docs/default-source/tournament-fact-sheets/pga-tour/2017/the-players-championship.pdf?sfvrsn=2-->|publisher=GCSAA |agency=Tournament fact sheets |title=The Players Championship |date=May 2018 |access-date=May 12, 2018}}</ref>
|tournaments = [[The Players Championship]]<br>([[1982 Tournament Players Championship|1982]]–present)
|website = [http://www.tpc.com/sawgrass tpc.com/sawgrass]
|course1 = The Players Stadium Course
|designer1 = [[Pete Dye]], [[Alice Dye]]
|par1 = 72
|length1 = {{convert|7245|yd}}<ref name=stascorcd>{{cite news |url=https://tpc.com/sawgrass/the-players-stadium-scorecard/ |work=TPC Sawgrass |title=Stadium Course |agency=(scorecard) |date=November 2016 |access-date=May 10, 2017}}</ref>
|rating1 = 76.4
|slope1 = 155<ref name=stascorcd/><ref name=prslope1>{{cite web|url=https://ncrdb.usga.org/courseTeeInfo.aspx?CourseID=10804 <!--https://ncrdb.usga.org/NCRDB/courseTeeInfo.aspx?CourseID=26970-->|publisher=USGA |title=Course Rating and Slope Database™ - TPC Sawgrass: Stadium|access-date=March 15, 2021}}</ref>
|record1 = 62 – [[Tom Hoge]] ([[2023 Players Championship|2023]])<!--3rd round, started at tenth tee-->, Justin Thomas (2025)
|course2 = Dye's Valley Course
|designer2 = [[Pete Dye]], [[Bobby Weed]],<br>with [[Jerry Pate]]
|par2 = 72
|length2 = {{convert|6847|yd}}<ref name=dvalscorcd>{{cite news |url=https://tpc.com/sawgrass/dyes-valley-scorecard/ |work=TPC Sawgrass |title=Dye's Valley Course |agency=(scorecard) |access-date=May 10, 2017}}</ref>
|rating2 = 74.0
|record2 = 
|slope2  = 134<ref name=prslope2>{{cite web|url=https://ncrdb.usga.org/courseTeeInfo.aspx?CourseID=10754<!--
https://ncrdb.usga.org/NCRDB/courseTeeInfo.aspx?CourseID=26915-->|publisher=USGA |title=Course Rating and Slope Database™ - TPC Sawgrass: Dye's Valley |access-date=March 15, 2021}}</ref>
|course3 =
|designer3 =
|par3 = 
|length3 =
|rating3 =
|record3 =
|course4 =
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}}<!--
{{Location map
|USA
|relief     = 1
|label      = <small>TPC Sawgrass</small>
|lat        = 30.198
|long       = -81.394
|caption    = Location in the [[United States]]
|marksize   = 5
|float      = 
|background= 
|width      = 230
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{{Location map
|USA Florida
|relief     = 1
|label      = <small>TPC Sawgrass</small>
|lat        = 30.198
|long       = -81.394
|caption    = Location in [[Florida]]
|marksize   = 5
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The '''Tournament Players Club Sawgrass''' ('''TPC Sawgrass''') is a [[golf course]] in the southeastern [[United States]], located in [[Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida]], southeast of [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]]. The course opened {{Years or months ago|1980}} in the autumn of 1980 and was the first of several [[Tournament Players Club]]s to be built. It is home to the [[PGA Tour]] headquarters and hosts [[The Players Championship]], one of the PGA Tour's signature events, now held in March. Paul and Jerome Fletcher negotiated a deal with the PGA Tour, which included the donation of {{convert|415|acre|km2}} for $1 (the original check is prominently displayed in the clubhouse).

The TPC Sawgrass is situated in Ponte Vedra Beach's [[Sawgrass, Florida|Sawgrass]] development. It has two individual courses, the Stadium Course and the Valley Course. The Stadium Course was designed by noted golf course architects [[Pete Dye|Pete]] and [[Alice Dye]], and is known as one of the most difficult golf courses in the world. Constructed specifically to host The Players Championship, it employs a distinctive "stadium" concept: like in other sports, fans at the TPC sit in "stands" made of raised mounds of grass. It is known for its [[signature hole]], the par-3, {{convert|137|yd|adj=on}} 17th, known as the "Island Green", one of golf's most recognizable and difficult holes. It has a capacity of 36,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.golf.com/travel/2019/03/11/tpc-sawgrass-players-championship-5-things-know/ |title=TPC Sawgrass, home of the Players Championship: What to know |date=March 11, 2019 |website=Golf Magazine |access-date=April 21, 2019}}</ref>

The course has been featured for many years on the best-selling ''[[Tiger Woods PGA Tour]]'' series of video games.

Dye's Valley Course hosted the [[Web.com Tour Championship]] from [[2013 Web.com Tour|2013]] to [[2015 Web.com Tour|2015]].

==History==
Built on {{convert|415|acre|km2}} in the northeastern Florida swampland, it is about a mile west of the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The course contains many challenging features: narrow fairways lined with hazards like [[marshes]] and "waste bunkers" (long strips of sand that groundskeepers never maintain); dozens of deep "pot [[Bunker (golf)|bunkers]]," strategically placed to catch even a slightly misplaced shot; thick rough that features craters and mounds; tall, shot-obstructing [[palm trees]]; and rock-hard, lightning-fast greens.<ref name=sivtgita>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1982/03/15/564807/target-golf-is-the-aim |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=McDermott |first=Barry|title=Target golf is the aim |date=March 15, 1982 |page=38}}</ref>

The Tournament Players Championship had been played at adjacent [[Sawgrass Country Club]] from [[1977 Tournament Players Championship|1977]] through [[1981 Tournament Players Championship|1981]], one more year than originally planned,<ref name=ergtrwns>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=egtWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6-EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6796%2C7245081 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon)|agency=United Press International |title=Trevino says TPC no major, but he beat the best to win |date=March 24, 1980 |page=5C}}</ref><ref name=sivlattw>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1980/03/31/824527/seems-like-old-times-in-a-stroll-down-memory-lane-trevino-player-and-nicklaus-had-at-it-in-the-tpc-with-super-mex-the-noteworthy-winner |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Jenkins |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Jenkins |title=Seems like old times |date=March 31, 1980 |page=18}}</ref> as heavy rains during construction pushed its debut back a year.<ref name=sivtgita/> When it moved west to the Stadium Course in [[1982 Tournament Players Championship|1982]], the story was not eventual winner [[Jerry Pate]],<ref name=stpanspl>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cUxSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VHsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5597%2C6730642 |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |location=(Florida) |last=Johnson |first=Mark |title=For Pate, a big win and another splash |date=March 22, 1982 |page=1C }}</ref><ref name=sidjloi>{{cite news |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1982/03/29/564848/last-one-in-is-a-winner |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Jenkins|first=Dan |author-link=Dan Jenkins |title=Last one in is a winner |date=March 29, 1982 |page=24 }}</ref><ref name=presplun>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/2004/03/23/367686/present-at-the-plunge-the-instant-golf-changed-the-witnesses-to-jerry-pates-famous-dive-at-the-1982-players-championship-remember-that-day-and-its-importance |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Van Sickle |first=Gary |title=Present at the plunge |date=March 23, 2004 |page=32 }}</ref> but the complaints the players had about the new course, which had supposedly been built in their honor.<ref name=ncstpp>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1982/03/21/page/60/article/briefing |work=Chicago Tribune |title=New course sends top pros packing |date=March 21, 1982 |page=12, sec. 4}}</ref> "It's ''[[Star Wars]]'' golf, designed by [[Darth Vader]]," [[Ben Crenshaw]] pronounced.<ref name="Harig2008">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.co.uk/golf/playerschamp08/columns/story?columnist=harig_bob&id=3384436|title=TPC Sawgrass extreme makeover extolled by many|last=Harig|first=Bob|date=May 6, 2008|publisher=[[ESPN]]|access-date=February 18, 2021}}</ref> When asked if the TPC suited his playing style, [[Jack Nicklaus]] replied, "No, I've never been very good at stopping a 5-iron on the hood of a car."<ref name="Harig2008"/> [[J. C. Snead]] called the course "90 percent horse manure and 10 percent luck."<ref name="Harig2008"/>

Over the following year, Dye tweaked the course, making the greens less severe and replacing several bunkers.<ref name=ptwiatac>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HSAMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yV0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=1363%2C343179 |work=St. Petersburg Times |location=(Florida) |last=Johnson |first=Mark |title=Picking the winner is as tough as the TPC course  |date=March 24, 1983 |page=1C}}</ref><ref name=mrent>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HyAMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yV0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6690%2C2404725 |work=St. Petersburg Times |location=(Florida) |last=Johnson |first=Mark |title=TPC – one man's fun is another man's nightmare |date=March 26, 1983 |page=8C}}</ref><ref name=asgnmtbf>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uO0vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nu4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3975%2C5904355|work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Architect says golf not meant to be fair |date=March 27, 1983 |page=D6}}</ref><ref name=cdfire>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uu0vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nu4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4291%2C6926486 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=TPC course draws fire |date=March 29, 1983 |page=17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/22/sports/pros-oppose-playing-pga-west-course.html|title = Pros Oppose Playing Pga West Course|newspaper = The New York Times|date = January 22, 1987|last1 = White|first1 = Gordon S. Jr.}}</ref> After the changes, the course became far more playable.<ref name="Harig2008"/><ref name=stskacc>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=M_9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8u4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6912%2C6768040 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |title=TPC still seeks acceptance |date=March 29, 1984 |page=32}}</ref> "Now it's a darn good golf course," Crenshaw said of the improvements.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://golf.com/news/the-10-most-expensive-tee-times-in-the-united-states/|title=Get your credit card ready: Here are the 10 most expensive tee times in America|author=<!-- not stated --> |date=June 29, 2019|magazine=[[Golf Magazine]]|access-date=April 8, 2025}}</ref>

The course was the site of the [[U.S. Amateur]] in August 1994, where 18-year-old [[Tiger Woods]] defeated [[Trip Kuehne]] in the finals, 2 up,<ref name=twwam>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sGYzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NzIHAAAAIBAJ&pg=7052%2C7841799 |newspaper=Lodi News-Sentinel |location=(California)|title=Tiger Woods wins Amateur |agency=Associated Press |date=August 29, 1994 |page=14}}</ref> the first of his three consecutive victories.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/classic/s/moment010825-tiger-3rd-us-amateur.html|title=Tiger's third straight U.S. Amateur most enduring|last=Schwartz|first=Larry|date=November 19, 2003|publisher=[[ESPN]]|access-date=February 18, 2021}}</ref>

==The Island Green==
TPC Sawgrass's signature hole is the Stadium Course's 17th, known simply as the "Island Green," although it is technically a peninsula.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/golf/0/18-hardest-golf-holes-world/|title=The 18 hardest golf holes in the world|date=September 25, 2018|website=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=February 18, 2021}}</ref> It measures only {{convert|137|yd}} from tee to green (requiring only a [[pitching wedge]] for most pros),<ref name="Myers2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.golfdigest.com/story/watch-rory-mcilroy-try-to-hit-tpc-sawgrass-island-green-with-every-club-in-his-bag|title=Watch Rory McIlroy try to hit TPC Sawgrass' island green with every club in his bag|last=Myers|first=Alex|date=February 6, 2019|website=[[Golf Digest]]|access-date=February 18, 2021}}</ref> but it consists of nothing but a {{convert|78|ft|adj=on}}-long green with a tiny bunker in front of it.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/golf/2018/05/11/17th-hole-challenges-tpc-sawgrass-players-championship|title=Sights and Sounds From the 17th at TPC Sawgrass|last=Rapaport|first=Daniel|date=May 11, 2018|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|access-date=February 18, 2021}}</ref> Save a small path to the green, the green is completely surrounded by water, and its location amidst many trees causes the wind to swirl over it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2013/05/09/drop-zone-17-at-tpc-sawgrass-the-players-championship/2140945/|title=Even tougher than the tee shot at 17: The drop zone|last=DiMeglio|first=Steve|date=May 9, 2013|website=[[USA Today]]|access-date=February 18, 2021}}</ref> Club selection in the weather conditions at the hole is a huge consideration,<ref name="Myers2019"/> as there is nowhere to land the ball but on the green, in the small bunker, or in the water. It is estimated that more than 100,000 balls are retrieved from the surrounding water every year, courtesy of professionals and tourists alike.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://golf.com/travel/15-numbers-know-island-green-17th-hole/|title=15 numbers to know about the island-green 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass|last=Ralph|first=Pat|date=March 13, 2019|website=[[Golf Magazine]]|access-date=February 18, 2021}}</ref>

[[Image:TournamentPlayersClub Sawgrass17thHole.jpg|thumb|220px|right|"Island Green" par-3 17th hole]]
The Island Green design came by accident: the original design for the 17th was to be a simple par-3 green only partially surrounded by a lake. However, the soil surrounding the 17th consisted of sand, which is necessary to build a good golf course, but rare on the otherwise swampy property, and by the time the course was near completion all the sand had been dug from the area, leaving a large crater. Alice Dye suggested the Island Green concept, remembering another course with a similar green.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tpc.com/sawgrass-history |title=TPC Sawgrass and PGA TOUR History - TPC.com |access-date=2015-04-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404213113/http://www.tpc.com/sawgrass-history |archive-date=2015-04-04 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Pete was not thrilled at the idea but went ahead with it, in the process creating one of golf's most recognizable holes. Because of its popularity among fans, [[Golf Channel]] devotes eleven cameras to it during the tournament.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2007-05-10-hiestand-17th-hole_N.htm |title=No. 17 draws the eye of NBC's cameras |newspaper=USA Today |first=Michael |last=Hiestand |date=May 10, 2007}}</ref>

Probably the most famous incident that has occurred on the Island Green involved [[Brad Fabel]] in the [[1998 Players Championship|1998]] event. His tee shot successfully landed on the green, but then a seagull swooped onto the green and picked up his ball several times. The gull found it difficult to hold the ball in its bill, but finally managed to carry it into the air and over the water, where it dropped it. One of the TV commentators quipped that the 17th now had yet another hazard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x2mob1a1lE  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/4x2mob1a1lE |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|title=Golfshop www.golfquip.net: Meeuw steelt Golfbal |author=((zaagmans1)) |date=5 October 2007 |via=YouTube |df=mdy-all}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Under Rule 18-1 of the Rules of Golf, as a bird is considered an "outside agency" and as Fabel's shot was at rest, he was permitted to replace the ball at the spot where the ball initially came to rest on the green.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgwTXIxeKig|title=YouTube|via=YouTube}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025}}</ref>

In the gusty opening round in May [[2007 Players Championship|2007]], a record fifty balls found the water at the 17th hole, which broke the single-round tournament record of 45 set in [[2000 Players Championship|2000]].<ref name=bsswgs>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5F9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z_ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5378%2C2235662 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Brash Sabbatini scores with gusto at gusty TPC |date=May 11, 2007 |page=c2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgatour.com/2007/tournaments/r011/05/10/shedloski051007/?eref=sitesearch |title=Few players conquer tough TPC Sawgrass on a difficult day |publisher=PGA Tour |first=Dave |last=Shedloski |date=May 10, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525184244/http://www.pgatour.com/2007/tournaments/r011/05/10/shedloski051007/?eref=sitesearch |archive-date=2011-05-25 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

During the week of [[Super Bowl XXXIX]], played at nearby Jacksonville in February 2005, Fox Sports organized a "closest to pin" contest with MLB players, NFL players, and NASCAR drivers competing (all sports properties of the network) on the 17th green. [[Dale Jarrett]] defeated [[Trent Green]] and [[John Smoltz]] in the final by being the only player to make it on the green.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/sports/football/all-hands-on-deck-for-footballs-biggest-game.html |title=All Hands on Deck for Football's Biggest Game |last=Anderson |first=Dave |date=January 31, 2005 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 3, 2019}}</ref>

In the final round of the 2019 Players Championship, Venezuelan golfer [[Jhonattan Vegas]] made the longest putt in the history of the hole with a distance of 69 feet, 7 inches.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/jhonattan-vegas-drains-longest-putt-in-island-green-history-at-tpc-sawgrass/ | title=Jhonattan Vegas drains longest putt in island green history at TPC Sawgrass | date=March 18, 2019 }}</ref>

==Scorecard==
{{Golf18|title=TPC Sawgrass - The Players Stadium Course|bgcolor=#DADADA}}
{{tee18|The Players|76.4 / 155|423|532|177|384|471|393|451|237|583|3651|424|558|358|181|481|470|523|137|462|3594|7245|bgcolor=#DADADA}}
{{tee18|Blue|73.3 / 149|394|507|160|359|446|360|407|195|546|3374|392|519|332|156|436|421|486|128|426|3296|6670|bgcolor=#DADADA|tcolor=#4A89BE}}
{{tee18|Blended|71.9 / 147|394|507|160|359|422|360|382|168|522|3274|392|469|332|156|377|366|486|128|426|3132|6406|bgcolor=#DADADA|tcolor=#891C02}}
{{tee18|White|70.3 / 140|360|469|134|324|422|333|382|168|522|3114|351|469|296|141|377|366|470|115|387|2973|6086|bgcolor=#DADADA|tcolor=black}}
{{tee18|Green|65.1 / 120|292|381|97|263|360|269|329|121|453|2565|247|395|243|109|334|288|410|92|336|2454|5019|bgcolor=#DADADA|tcolor=#579795}}
{{tee18|Ladies' White|76.1 / 150| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |bgcolor=#DADADA|tcolor=black}}
{{tee18|Ladies' Green|70.7 / 131| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |bgcolor=#DADADA|tcolor=#579795}}
{{par18  |4|5|3|4|4|4|4|3|5| 36 |4|5|4|3|4|4|5|3|4| 36 | 72|bgcolor=#4A4C49|tcolor=black}}
{{handicap18| name=Gentleman's|11|15|17|9|3|13|1|7|5|12|8|16|18|4|6|10|14|2|bgcolor=#F0F0EE|tcolor=black}}
{{handicap18| name=Ladies'|11|1|17|5|7|13|9|15|3|10|2|14|18|12|8|4|16|6|bgcolor=#C6C5C3|tcolor=black}}
{{end18}}
:<small>Source:</small><ref name=stascorcd/><ref name=prslope1/>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed style="font-size:88%; line-height:130%" heights=220>
File:TigerWoodsTPC2007.jpg|[[Tiger Woods]] at the 17th hole in [[2007 Players Championship|2007]].
File:PhilMickelsonTPC18thTee.jpg|[[Phil Mickelson]] on the 18th tee, on his way to a win in [[2007 Players Championship|2007]].
File:SergioGarciaTPCChampion2008 2.jpg|[[Sergio García]] winning in [[2008 Players Championship|2008]].
File:US Navy 090506-N-0486G-003 Former President of the United States George H. W. Bush shakes hands with Rear Adm. Joseph Kernan, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet on the 18th green at TPC Sawgrass.jpg|Former President [[George H. W. Bush]] shakes hands with Rear Adm. [[Joseph D. Kernan|Joseph Kernan]] and then received the Professional Golfers Association Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in [[2009 Players Championship|2009]].
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.tpc.com/sawgrass/}}
* {{cite web | title=Golf Course Histories: TPC Sawgrass | website=Golf Course Histories |url=http://golfcoursehistories.com/TPC.html | access-date=2021-12-07}}

{{Tournament Players Clubs}}
{{Jacksonville attractions}}
{{The Players Championship}}

[[Category:Golf clubs and courses in Florida]]
[[Category:Golf clubs and courses designed by Pete Dye]]
[[Category:Golf clubs and courses designed by Bobby Weed]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Jacksonville, Florida]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in St. Johns County, Florida]]
[[Category:1980 establishments in Florida]]
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