Did you know that Bryson DeChambeau & Rory McIlroy mostly skipped the Korn Ferry Tour? Well, had they stuck around then their incredible driving abilities would have been truly tested. The 2025 Ascendant presented by Blue is scheduled for the same week as the Genesis Scottish Open. While most of the PGA Tour stars will be in Europe, the KFT champions will face the toughest challenge they will ever face on a professional golf course.

The course of the Colorado-based event presents a unique challenge that no one can be prepared to face. Doesn’t matter if you are the McIlroys and DeChambeaus of the world; you still might struggle on the fairways of the 7th edition of the tournament. What makes the course so unique?

TPC Colorado: A nightmare for the driver and the knees

Ever since the Ascendant first began in 2019, it has always been considered one of the most intriguing events by the fans. That is because it is played on an outstanding course that often bring the golfers to their knees. In tears, yes, but also in exhaustion. The mammoth TPC Colorado course is 7,991 yards long, making it one of the biggest and most challenging golf courses in the world. It’s so taxing that it has taken out even some of the most daring drivers of the ball, like Aldrich Potgieter.

Despite that, players have also got the freedom to drive freely on the course due to its long and expansive fairways. This often reduces the chances of hitting inaccurate shots. But one particular hole at TPC Colorado always gives the golfers the worst nightmares. That is the par 5 13th hole that stretches the furthest in the world. The 13th is a whopping 773 yards long, making it the longest par 5 hole in professional golf.

What’s more, the fairways of the hole are also surrounded by bunkers. Golfers will find it impossible to decide whether to hit their second shot deep into the fairway or aim for the bunker on the left of it to get a longer green shot. Appropriately named the ‘Hell Bunker’, those who opt for the second option will need to be incredibly skilled to scramble their way out of the dunes on the left. For those who have any doubt, a par is an outstanding score on the 13th hole.

Interestingly, the rest of the holes on the course play far better for the pros than the 13th. Let’s see how challenging the course designed by Arthur Schaupeter has proved otherwise.

The challenges of the 13th hole are reflected in the tournament’s scores

By no means is TPC Colorado child’s play. It still presents tough battles on every hole, making the Korn Ferry Tour quite hard to conquer in the process. However, none are quite as demanding as the 13th. That reflects on the kind of scores the tournament has observed ever since its inception in 2019. The first-ever winner of the tournament, Nelson Ledesma, posted a score of 15-under par 273. He barely won the tournament by 1 stroke after beating the Australian, Brett Coletta.

Since then, the final score of the winner has gradually grown every year. In 2021, Tag Ridings managed 16-under par 272, Dou Zecheng managed -17 in 2022, and Nicholas Lindheim raised the bar to 20-under 268 in 2023. Cristóbal del Solar broke the record with a 22-under 266 before booking his ticket to the PGA Tour. Fans can expect the trend to continue this year as golfers will be looking to exploit 17 of the 18 holes while carefully navigating the 773-yarder on the 13th.