101 years after Royal Troon first hosted The Open, the famed Scottish course once more performs host to the yr’s closing main.
And the world’s prime gamers are in for a sometimes brutish take a look at, with the venue promising hyperlinks golf at its most interesting – a raft of punishing bunkers and fiendish wind that may trigger even the easiest to unravel.
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The course, first based again in 1878, is located lower than an hour’s drive from Glasgow on Scotland’s west coast.
Generally overshadowed by its well-known neighbour, Prestwick, the course is however a formidable – if brutal – assault on gamers.
And two holes stand among the many most iconic on the earth: The Postage Stamp and The Railway.
Australian {golfing} nice Geoff Ogilvy stated on Fox Sports activities’ Aussies at The Open preview programme “It’s an interesting course. It’s virtually a story of two programs.”
It begins with shocking ease, an opportunity for gamers to benefit from the sea views with the wind of their favour.
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“The primary six or seven holes (are) fairly simple,” Ogilvy continued. “They typically play fairly downwind, a number of birdies that you really want to make. As a result of when you get by the primary seven holes, if you happen to’re not underneath par you higher hold on!”
Then every part adjustments.
“The match, the course actually begins on eight,” Ogilvy added.
It’s the primary gap operating in the wrong way – a gap which Fox Sports activities analyst and former Australian professional Paul Gow labelled “probably the most well-known par three on the earth”.
Taking part in between a mere 99 yards and 123 yards, it’s the shortest gap ever performed at an Open.
But, as Gow stated, “Any gap that’s obtained a bunker there referred to as ‘the coffin’ should be troublesome!
“The inexperienced sits up, it’s obtained a bit of safety from the hill on the opposite aspect. However if you happen to miss the inexperienced, you’re in all types. However there’s been some magnificent photographs there over time.”
That features jaw-dropping aces from Gene Sarazen and Ernie Els in 1973 and 2004 respectively.
“You stand on that tee and all you wish to do is hit the center of the inexperienced,” Gow added.
When you don’t, you get punished. Harshly. Tiger Woods found that in 1997, when he triple bogeyed.
That’s The Postage Stamp, which completely sums up the scale of that all-important inexperienced.
Opponents get yet another likelihood to hit with the wind at their again, on 9.
Then, like several good hyperlinks course, gamers flip round and head for dwelling – and the course actually begins to chunk.
“You flip again round into the wind. It’s slim, it’s lengthy, it’s brutal,” Ogilvy stated.
“You simply have robust gap after robust gap into the wind,” he added. “A number of gorse, out of bounds on the best a number of occasions.”
That features on the subsequent iconic gap – the 498-yard eleventh, referred to as The Railway after the railway line alongside the best hand aspect. That’s out of bounds, and the left-hand aspect isn’t a lot friendlier – lined with gorse meaning gamers can simply lose a ball.
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Ogilvy stated: “11 is an extremely troublesome gap. A really scary tee shot too – all you see is a giant wall of gorse. You’ve obtained to hit it over that gorse to a fairway that sits at a diagonal angle. “You’ve obtained to choose your line and hit an amazing shot. When you hit that gorse you’re again on the tee instantly.”
Simply how arduous is it? Ogilvy referred to as it a “actually, actually scary gap. Undoubtedly a candidate for one of many hardest holes on the earth.”
If the primary two photographs aren’t good, anticipate gamers to card a giant rating right here.
But issues hardly get any simpler because the gamers shut in on the clubhouse – and the end, the par-four 18th gap, is one other punisher.
“It is a actually good view as to what hyperlinks golf is actually like,” Ogilvy stated. “Simply preserve it out of the bunkers. Simply discover a technique to hit it wherever however within the sand.”
“It’s a comparatively easy gap if you happen to hit the golf green. However if you happen to hit it within the bunker you’re simply going to hit it out sideways and also you’re going to have your third shot from the place your second ought to have been.
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“It’s a troublesome technique to end. You’ve obtained to hit nice photographs all the best way down the stretch.”
That gap, as is customary for the Open, will likely be lined with grandstands on either side and will make for a pressure-cooker end to the weekend.
“It’s an attention-grabbing take a look at, one which type of scares the gamers I believe,” Ogilvy stated.
“It’s all the time a troublesome technique to play golf when it simply retains getting harder and harder and harder all day.”
And there’s a few closing twists for this yr’s version – the sixth gap has been lengthened from an already-long 601 yards (The Open in 2016) to a whopping 623 yards, a report for the Open.
That’s a part of an general lengthening of the course by 195 yards in comparison with the 2016 version, the final time the Open was held at Royal Troon.
It’s not nearly making it longer – it’s additionally about making it even trickier, akin to a brand new tee spot on the tenth making for a very blind tee shot over giant sandhills, which lend the opening its identify.
So what’s the technique to win at Royal Troon this weekend?
Geoff Ogilvy says: “You actually need to be underneath par early after which simply hold on for expensive life the final 9 holes.”
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