Royal Portrush’s lengthy par 3 sixteenth gap, or Calamity Nook as it’s higher recognized, it set to make or break a number of bids to raise the Claret Jug at this week’s Open Championship.
With a howling wind probably blowing and a large chasm able to swallow up any balls that pull up quick and proper, it’s no marvel Royal Portrush’s personal description of its most well-known gap was “236 yards of pure terror”.
In 2019, when Royal Portrush hosted The Open for the third time in its historical past and the primary time since 1951, Tiger Woods summed up Calamity Nook in two phrases, saying “that’s exhausting”.
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That yr, wrestling with Calamity Nook proved to be important in Irishman Shane Lowry’s victory.
He impressively strung collectively three pars and a birdie on his strategy to a six-shot victory, far and away outperforming the remainder of the sector as solely 41 per cent of tee photographs in 2019 hit the inexperienced.
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Golfers’ fortunes on the daunting, 215-metre par 3 will differ wildly from round-to-round and even from group-to-group all through the day, primarily based on what the wind is doing.
A gale could make the 35-metre deep inexperienced really feel so much smaller.
If a participant’s ball leads to the chasm, they may very well be taking part in their second from as a lot as 30 metres under the opening.
That’s the reason Fox Golf professional Paul Gow stated followers ought to anticipate to see loads of bogeys late in rounds when gamers arrive on the sixteenth.
“It’s a matter of simply getting it on the inexperienced. It might shock me if somebody would undergo that gap this week with all pars and even beneath par as a result of it’s such a tricky gap.
“You’re making an attempt to make three (from down within the gully) however you’re presumably going to make 4 or 5.”
To keep away from the difficulty introduced by the chasm, Gary Woodland stated in 2019, “I feel you’ll see a whole lot of balls going left. Proper is not any enjoyable. And that’s clearly climate dictating. If the wind is blowing and it’s coming into you and it’s raining, it’s going to be a brutal gap”.
However the problem isn’t just within the tee shot as Rory McIlroy prevented the chasm however four-putted to make double bogey throughout his eight-over par opening spherical six years in the past.
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Such occurrences are why LIV Golf star Patrick Reed expects some defining moments of the event to play out on the sixteenth.
“It’s undoubtedly set for drama,” Reed stated.
“You’ve obtained to be hitting the ball nicely as a result of 16 is a brutal par three relying on the place the wind is coming from.”
Royal Portrush membership professional Gary McNeill is aware of the opening, and the course as a complete, just like the again of his hand, and he agrees that drama would be the theme of the enduring par 3.
“It is likely one of the highest holes on the course, so the views are spectacular but when the wind will get up then it will likely be so exhausting to putt from, not to mention shoot from the tee,” McNeill stated.
“It’s immense and probably the most well-known par-3s round. There will likely be some drama there.
“Because the title suggests, it’s a really difficult gap from the Championship tee – 236-yards over a really deep chasm to not an enormous goal once you’re all the best way again there.
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“I feel each competitor would fairly fortunately take a 3 in every spherical.
“It’s a gap the place in the event you get it flawed you possibly can simply run up a double-bogey or worse, significantly if the participant pushes it out to the suitable and doesn’t make the carry throughout.
“The ball tends to bounce and make its method proper all the way down to the bottom of that chasm and then you definately’re on the mercy of what lie you get down there and also you’re making an attempt to play a shot up a really steep financial institution to a blind goal.
“It has the potential to be an actual card-wrecker – most gamers will form of intention to the left centre of the inexperienced and simply try to play up that left-hand aspect, the place you do get slightly little bit of help from the mounding.”
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The placement of this gap throughout the course additionally presents an unimaginable psychological check for gamers.
Earlier than the course renovation in 2015, the opening was really the 14th and whereas it remained unchanged, it was shuffled again to develop into the sixteenth.
The positioning was little question strategic as it will probably develop into extra influential late in rounds to create leaderboard chaos.
Gow stated that the gamers who can keep targeted late of their rounds will reap the rewards as others stumble.
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“That’ll be the piece, making an attempt to minimise errors once you get to a gap like that,” Gow stated.
“What this golf course requires is focus on each shot. In order fatigued as you is likely to be once you get to 16, however you already know this gap is arising and also you’re anticipating that.
“The chills begin to go up your again and the focus must be there at the moment.
“There a whole lot of powerful holes, and a whole lot of nice holes, however that’s one of many hardest.”
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