Pete Dye originally sketched out just 17 holes at Austin Country Club

AUSTIN, Texas — Looking for the perfect late-round match-play backdrop?

How’s this sound?

A short par 3 with a tee box perched on the side of a cliff. Unpredictable winds swirling from beneath, forcing players to use their best guess at a number, and a healthy dose of Scottish-style pot bunkers surrounding the green on the safe side, meaning those who get in but don’t get out smoothly can easily chalk up a wildly inflated score.

Welcome to the 17th hole at Austin Country Club, host of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play for at least two more days. This 150-yard shortie looks palatable from the tee but has often been the deciding factor in matches during the seven years the event has been staged in the state’s capital.

This is where Billy Horschel closed out Scottie Scheffler for the title in 2021, and a host of superstars – Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and more – have found themselves in dire straits on this short, seductive hole, as seen in the photos below.

But here’s the little-known fact that often goes untold:

No. 17 wasn’t even part of the original plans.

When the club’s membership looked to make a second move to a new property, this time to a hilly piece of property along Lake Austin, legendary architect Pete Dye was brought in to design the masterpiece on display today.

Dye originally sketched out the routing on a napkin, putting together much of the track as it currently exists. He proudly passed the drawings along and was a little miffed when someone noted that he had not routed enough holes in the plan.

Legendary University of Texas golfer and World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite picked up the story here during Friday’s third round of play.

“Pete had the thing on a napkin, he just drew the thing out,” Kite told Golfweek while standing on the practice putting green at ACC. “I think it was probably (architect) Roy Bechtol who looked at him and said, ‘Hey Pete, there’s only 17 holes here.’ Pete looked at him and said, ‘I can find a par 3 anywhere.’ ”

And that’s how the 17th hole, which plays as No. 8 in the normal, non-tournament routing, was born.

More: Pete Dye’s top 10 courses according to Golfweek’s Best rankings

Of course, it also explains why the hole hangs precariously on a hill, a characteristic that has given…