BATTLE ROYAL
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
MAJOR TEST
HOLE-BY-HOLE GUIDE TO ROYAL TROON’S CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE
LIFE OF BRIAN
AN INTERVIEW WITH 2023 CHAMPION GOLFER
BRIAN HARMAN
GREAT OPEN MOMENTS
ROYAL TROON’S OPEN HIGHLIGHTS
TIGER WOODS
INTERVIEW WITH THE THREE-TIME OPEN CHAMPION TROON BY NUMBERS
STATS, FACTS & FIGURES
THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Royal Troon staged one of the most titanic tussles in Open history when it hosted the championship in 2016, but who will come out on top in 2024? Golf News editor Nick Bayly previews the season’s final major and assesses the chances of the current generation of pretenders to the crown of ‘Champion Golfer’
Since 1860, The Open Championship has been played over some of the world’s most cherished links courses and has produced some remarkable champions. From the Old Course at St Andrews to Royal St George’s in Kent, golf’s oldest major creates champions whose names will be forever remembered.
This year sees the championship return to the Old Course at Royal Troon for the tenth time since 1923. The famous Ayrshire venue, which hosts the final major of the year from July 16-19, has a habit of producing American winners – six of the last seven have all hailed from across the Atlantic – with the most recent, Henrik Stenson, being the exception, with the Swede adding his name to an elite roll call of players able to call themselves ‘Champion Golfer’ when he prevailed in 2016 after a titanic Sunday afternoon tussle with Phil Mickelson.
First opened in 1878, Royal Troon, like many classic links layouts, is designed in a traditional out-and-back style, where the coastal wind can be your friend and as much as your enemy – although more often the latter. The club’s motto is ‘Tam Arte Quam Marte’ a Latin phrase that translates ‘as much by skill as by strength’, which is a fitting description of how the course needs to be played.
Brian Harman was an unconsidered 150-1 shot when he popped up from virtually nowhere to stroll to victory in the rain at Hoylake last year, reminding us that the Open is no respecter of pedigree, form or world ranking, rewarding only those who can maintain complete control of their
golf ball over four rounds in all weather conditions around links courses that have the habit of throwing up the odd bad bounce.
While mental toughness, knowing when to attack and when to defend, and a deft touch on the greens are all essential weapons in any wannabe Open champion’s armoury, you also often need the luck of the draw – quite literally –in being out on the course when conditions are most conducive to good scoring. Countless fancied contenders’ hopes of victory over the years have been lost in a summer squall or a heavy downpour that sends scores flying north and chances of winning very much south.
Royal Troon, located hard on Scotland’s west coast, needless to say, is greatly affected by the direction and strength of the wind which, when blowing in its usual north westerly direction, makes scoring on the back nine particularly difficult. If the prevailing wind is in play, expect players to do the damage on the front nine, before turning for home and hanging for dear life in attempt to consolidate any shots they may have picked up in the first half of their round.
■ RORY MCILROY WILL BE DESPERATELY HOPING TO END HIS 10-YEAR WINLESS DROUGHT IN THE MAJORS WHEN HE TEES IT UP AT TROON
Besides the challenges presented by the weather, players will have to be most wary of the countless pot bunkers that are scattered all over Troon’s 7,200-yard course, many of which aren’t visible from the tee. Finding one of these is almost a guaranteed dropped shot and with plenty of deep rough and a spattering of gorse and broom also on the course, accuracy and course management will be paramount.
Although by no means long in comparison with many championship courses, Troon doesn’t tend to favour the ‘grip it and rip it’ style anyway – as Todd Hamilton proved back in 2004 – with players requiring good course management and plenty of guile around the greens, not to mention bags patience, in order to triumph.
While the Open is always keenly anticipated, this year’s, as with the previous two, has a little more spice with the now regular question marks hanging over those players who moved over to the LIV Golf circuit whether they still have what it takes to compete over four rounds at the highest level. And while Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, winners of the two most recent US Opens, have surely shown that they do, the doubters will always look to find reasons why those that have deserted the PGA Tour for even richer lands should find their skills blunted by their schedule of no-cut, 54-hole tournaments, where the only baubles to be won arrive via bank transfer the following week.
the equation despite recording just one top-10 finish in the Open in his six attempts, which also includes two missed cuts.
As with all majors these days over the last decade or so, Rory McIlroy finds himself high up in the betting lists for the final major of the season at 9-1, despite his decade-long drought in professional golf’s biggest events. Rory’s fans have had their patience stretched to the very limit of late, with the 35-year-old having notched up no fewer than 19 top-10 finishes in the last 35 majors that he has competed in since 2014, including top-six finishes in the five of the last seven Opens.
After last month’s frankly horrifying collapse over the final four holes at the US Open at Pinehurst, quite what he has to do to drag himself over the line only he knows. Attempts to treat majors as just ‘regular’ events has clearly failed, and I fear for his sanity should he snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this time around.
McIlroy’s conqueror at Pinehurst, Bryson DeChambeau, is proving himself to be quite the big game performer judged on his major appearances this season, with a 9th at the Masters and runner-up finish at the PGA preceding his gutsy victory at the US Open, which, as a two-time winner, rightfully moves him up into the pantheon of golf’s elite.
With a much-improved chipping and putting game to match is length off the tee, this new version of DeChambeau is a force to be reckoned with on any golf course and can’t be ruled out of
And you can’t ignore the chances of the winning machine that is Scottie Scheffler. The 26-year-old American has gone from zero to ten PGA Tour wins in the space of 27 months, won his second major championship title at this year’s Masters, and is the bookies’ favourite at every event he shows up to. The world no.1’s game can travel almost anywhere and that includes links golf, as he showed when he finished 8th at Royal St George’s in first attempt at The Open in 2021 and has enjoyed top-25 finishes in his next two. Could he knock on the door of another major in 2024? You bet he can – although the exceptionally skinny odds of 6-1 reflect his strong chance.
Jon Rahm has cut a slightly frustrated figure since his shock departure to LIV Golf over the winter, and the hugely-minted Spaniard has so far failed to win on the breakaway league, while he has also been off the pace in the majors this season, mounting a lacklustre defense of his Masters title with a tied 45th at Augusta, missing the cut by two shots at the PGA Championship, and then pulling out of the US Open at Pinehurst at the 11th hour citing an foot injury.
Rahm has recorded eight top-10s in his last 18 majors, and although a distant joint second behind Brian Harman at Hoylake last year, he loves links golf and boasts three top-four finishes from his last five Open appearances, and providing he has recovered from his injury, the 29-year-old Spaniard cannot be ruled out from proceedings on a course that will suit his game and represents excellent each-way value at his widely available price of 18-1.
My other big fancy is Viktor Hovland, Norway’s second-best sporting export behind goal machine Erling Haaland. After winning twice on the PGA Tour in 2023, the world no.5 has been somewhat off the boil this season, including missing the cut at the Masters, but a third-place finish at the PGA Championship points to a man who is gradually
finding his form. He got unlucky at the PGA last year, with a bad lie in a bunker derailing his chances late on in his battle against Brooks Koepka, but he’s got the game to win on any course and a relaxed temperament that borders on Zen. With an Open record that reads 12, 4, 13 – he clearly likes links golf, and with another year on his young shoulders should have him primed to go well here at odds of 16-1.
Cam Smith, the Open champion of 2022, is being offered at generous odds on the back of plying his trade on the LIV Golf circuit. Following a 6th place at the Masters and 33rd at the PGA, Smith, like many, was unable to land a blow at the US Open, but still seems like an each-way steal at 22-1 back on his favoured surface. A win at a LIV event last September shows that he still has the competitive fire in his belly, and the mullet-wearing Aussie will be going all out to try and join the list of just 26 players who have won the Claret Jug more than once.
Xander Schauffele (18-1), fresh off his breakthrough major win at the PGA in May, will be playing with the handbrake off at Troon, and the quietly brilliant Californian wouldn’t be winning an Open out of turn, having finished second to Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018 and bagging three other top-20 finishes since his Open debut in 2017. Ultra-consistent, and with no obvious flaws in his game, Schauffele has a more than decent chance of becoming the first player to win two majors in a season since Brooks Koepka all the way back in…. 2018.
With spectator tickets having been long-since been snapped up for all for championship days, their promises to be a new record crowd number set for an Open at Troon this year. So whether you’re one of lucky ones to have bagged a ringside seat, or whether you’re going to watch it on the small screen at home, everyone will be hoping that the 152nd Open Championship produces a suitably memorable conclusion to the year’s Major season.
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Justin Rose insists he still has the ‘horsepower’ to win The Open
Justin Rose believes he still has the “horsepower” to win another major title, more than a decade after his US Open triumph.
Rose, who finished fourth as a 17-year-old amateur on his Open debut at Birkdale in 1998, was in danger of not making a 21st appearance in the year’s final major after narrowly missing out on a number of exemption categories.
However, the former Olympic champion made sure of his place in the field for Royal Troon by coming through a 36-hole final qualifier at Burnham & Berrow earlier this month and now has his sights set on contending for the Claret Jug.
“I’ve got a lot of work to do still, I feel like I do need to turn around my form and turn around my confidence with that,” the 2013 US Open champion said.
“But I’ve seen a lot of evidence in my practice this year that my game’s not a million miles away. You’ve obviously got to take it to the golf course but I know that the raw power, the horsepower and the game is lurking.”
Rose missed the cut in the Masters and US Open this year, but was buoyed by his tie for sixth place in the US PGA Championship at Valhalla.
“I like it when I get up there in contention,” he said. “The PGA was at a course that shouldn’t suit me all that well relative to the big hitters and young players but I felt like my game was right there.
“I was on the back nine on Sunday feeling the juices that were going and without really my best game either, to be honest.”
Rose admits he was surprised at not being exempt for the Open, but feels that having to come through qualifying will add another element to his experience of the week.
“I finished 33rd in the FedEx Cup, was around 50th in the world, but everything just kind of missed,” the 43-year-old said.
Aberg has won an event on both the PGA and DP World Tours and seven top-10 finishes this season mean he is currently one of the most in-form golfers.
World number four Ludvig Aberg insisted he felt lucky to have had the chance to win some of golf’s biggest events even when he had come up short in the final round.
“But it’s the way it is and going through qualifying there’s probably a bit more gratitude about being there for sure.
“You do take it for granted, you just plan your schedule and think things just slot in as year on year rolls on by, but as the years roll by there are certain elements that become trickier.
“I’ll definitely be there to play well and be focused but somewhat as well enjoying the experience.
“I can’t believe it’s 26 years since Birkdale. That’s a full career’s worth. It’s a lifetime almost. You get less for murder they say.
“It’s been a great journey and within that there’s been spells that feel like I can’t even relate to. They’re so long ago that I struggle to remember what life was like back then – it has been a long time.”
required for governance and developing amateur and recreational golf in 146 countries internationally.
“We have to make choices if we want to continue to build on the significant growth in participation that is essential for golf’s future.
“We remain concerned about the impact substantial increases in men’s professional prize money are having on the perception of the sport and its long-term financial sustainability.
“We are determined to act with the interests of the global game in mind as we pursue our goal of ensuring golf continues to thrive in 50 years’ time.”
World number 15 Max Homa believes the focus on money in men’s professional golf is “quite nauseating”, while Rory McIlroy admitted he is “sick” of the topic.
“Whenever I dreamed of becoming a professional golfer, it was all about winning trophies and winning major championships,” McIlroy said on Sky Bet’s Stick to Football podcast.
“This happens in all sports, but to me, I’m sick of all the money talk in golf because the fans don’t care about it.
“They want to watch good golf and watch people compete against each other. The fans don’t care if you’re making this or this guy is on 200,000 dollars a week, it just doesn’t resonate to them.”
The R&A has announced minimal increases to prize money for the 152nd Open amid “concern” about the impact on financial sustainability and the perception of golf.
The winner at Royal Troon will receive a record 3.1million US dollars (£2.38m) in prize money, an increase of just 100,000 dollars.
The total prize fund of 17m dollars (£13.1m) is up by just 500,000 dollars on last year.
The launch of the LIV Golf League in 2022, which offers purses of 20million dollars at each of its events, has prompted the PGA Tour to do likewise at a number of “signature” events in an attempt to prevent more players joining the Saudi-funded breakaway.
R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said: “The R&A has a responsibility to strike a balance between maintaining The Open’s position in the global game, providing the funds
Defending Open champion Brian Harman insisted he would be happy playing for less money, or even no money at all.
“Yeah, I would personally. I’m not sure everyone would, but I would,” the American said in his pre-championship press conference.
Asked why other players would not feel the same, the lefthander added: “Because some people care more about money than I do, I suppose.
“I play golf for me. I play golf because I enjoy torturing myself with things that are really hard to do. That’s just me. Most times when I get done with a tournament, I couldn’t tell you within commas of how much that I made that week.”
The 24-year-old, who only turned professional in June last year, has won an event on both the PGA and DP World Tours and seven top-10 finishes this season mean he is currently one of the most in-form golfers.
But there have been at least three occasions when he has squandered 56hole leads: The BMW PGA last year when he was two clear and shot 76, last month’s US Open when he led by one heading into the final day and Sunday’s Scottish Open when he was again two ahead but never looked like closing things out at The Renaissance Club.
However, rather than dwell on missed opportunities, the Swede – who helped Europe win the Ryder Cup three months after turning professional – prefers to see it as part of his rather-rapid learning curve.
“I still felt like there was a lot of good things last week and if you put it in a bigger perspective, I’m obviously very happy with a top-five finish,” said Aberg ahead of his Open debut at Royal Troon.
“I’ve learned a lot that I like being in that situation. I think that’s the main thing. I try not to shy away from it.
“In football you talk a lot about wanting the ball and that’s what I try to tell myself and that’s what I want to do. I enjoy the pressure.
“That’s what you want. That’s why you play and practice all these hours. To be in that situation is just cool.
“Anytime you are in that situation, you discover things about yourself, whether that’s emotions that show up or anything (else) that shows up that you can take away.
“I’ve been fortunate to have had a few of those experiences over the last couple of months. I think anytime you are there, it
“I GET TO DECIDE WHEN I’M DONE PLAYING THE OPEN”
In a typically feisty pre-Open Championship press conference, 15-time major champion Tiger Woods played up his chances of adding to his major tally and played down any talk that it might be time for the 48-year-old to hang up his clubs and preserve his legacy
Glad to see you back here at The Open competing once again. How much are you looking forward to this test at Royal Troon?
I’m really looking forward to it. I didn’t get to play it last time I was here. Looking forward to the challenges. I know they’ve gone around here a couple times and lengthened quite a few holes. It’s a lot longer golf course.
A few added bunkers here and there.
Overall, it’s one of those courses where you’re going to get it on one of the nines. It’s either going out it’s going to be downwind or coming home it’s going to be into the wind or vice versa.
Half of the holes are going to be playing really difficult, and the other ones are definitely gettable.
You’ve spoken previously about how it’s hard for you because you can’t practice as much and you have to pick your battles. What have you been able to do in the last month that leads you to believe that this week will be different than the ones so far this year?
I’ve been training a lot better. We’ve been busting it pretty hard in the gym, which has been good.
Body’s been feeling better to be able to do such things, and it translates on being able to hit the ball better. I can’t quite stay out there during a practice session as long as I’d like, but I’m able to do some things that I haven’t done all year, which is nice.
There’s always a lot of talk about your future in the game. Hypothetically, if someone ever did advise you to quit, what would you say to them in response, and how would you explain why you keep putting yourself through the pain to play? I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event.
You most likely heard those comments last week from Colin Montgomerie who said that you should retire. Do you feel that’s a bit hurtful and you’ve earned the right to make the decision on your own terms?
Well, as a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin’s not.
He’s not a past champion, so he’s not exempt. So he doesn’t get the opportunity to make that decision. I do. So when I get to his age, I get to still make that decision, where he doesn’t.
Could you perhaps just talk a little bit about playing golf in Scotland and the challenge that links golf and Troon presents.
Well, I think that anytime I get a chance to play, not just in Scotland, but just in the UK in general, it’s different golf.
Links golf is very different. The heaviness of the air is just different. The ball doesn’t travel as far. You’re using the ground sometimes as an ally, sometimes as a deterrent. And these pot bunkers are unlike any bunkers we see at home. They’re penalty areas.
You go in them, you’re probably going sideways or backwards or somewhere not very far. So it’s imperative to stay out of them.
There’s a way of using the ground to your advantage on hitting shots and shaping it correctly. Look at some of the past champions that have been artists in how they’ve been able to manoeuvre the golf ball and use the ground.
This golf course allows you to do that. There are a few forced carries in which you have to send it a little bit, but it’s very fair. It’s very open right now.
How do you feel about your short game and your putting?
I’d like to tighten up my short game just a little bit. I hadn’t seen anything this firm at home. Hot Florida, Bermuda grass is not quite like this.
I need to get some more reps chipping around this fescue and how fast my blade is going through the ground. It’s going through pretty quickly. So I’ve got to get a little bit of work done today and tomorrow and be ready come Thursday.
Could you describe perhaps some of the holes that you said are kind of green light “go” holes and maybe a couple you want to be more cautious on?
The first couple holes starting out are pretty simple, straightforward. The 7th is one of those holes that I think you can go for it if you want to. You can drive it down there.
You get the right wind, you can almost drive it on the green. Then coming home is no joke. You’ve got some tough tee shots coming home. You’ve got to hit some good shots.
But overall, I think there are some gettable holes on the par-5s – well, the two par-5s on the front. Depends what 16 is doing with the wind.
You can get it whistling into the wind, it’s a three-shot hole no matter what. Or if the wind lays down, you can get there in two.
You’ve just got to be careful with the burn coming across the fairway.
Other than that, you’ll see a lot of the guys lay up to the same spots.
There will be occasional areas where, with the right wind conditions, guys can be aggressive, especially some of the longer hitters.
It does allow for that. But in general, if we get the winds we’re forecasted, I think we’re all going to be playing from about the same areas.
The Postage Stamp 8th is one of the most iconic holes on The Open rota. Can you give us your insight into playing it and the challenge it presents?
I hit 9-iron and a pitching wedge the last two times I played it. I’ve hit as much as a 7-iron. But it’s a very simple hole; just hit the ball on the green.
That’s it. Green good, miss green bad. It doesn’t get any more simple than that. You don’t need a 240-yard par-3 for it to be hard.
Tiger, you seemed to embrace links golf almost from the beginning it seems. Does it present your best opportunity going forward, whether it’s this week or into the future to win again or to be competitive just because of the style and maybe it doesn’t require some things that are harder for you now?
I think the older you get, the less you can carry the golf ball. But over here, you can run the golf ball 100 yards if you get the right wind and the right trajectory.
It negates somewhat of the high launch conditions that most of the times you see on the Tour that nowadays that populate the world. Here it’s a little bit different.
You can play on the ground. You can burn it on the ground with a 1-iron, 2-iron, 3-wood, whatever, even drivers, and just flight it and get a bunch of run.
I think that’s one of the reasons why you see older champions up there on the board because they’re not forced to have to carry the ball 320 yards any more.
I know it’s been 20 years since you were last here, but does Troon rate highly for you as an Open venue?
Yeah, I’ve always loved playing here. I’ve only played here twice. I played in ‘97 and in ‘04. I loved them both.
I got a chance to play with Tom Weiskopf in his
That was neat for him to take me back to some of his holes and how he played them, and I obviously gave him some stick, and he’s giving me
We had a wonderful time playing just a
In regards to this week, it’s obviously a lot different to what the guys play week in and week out. How have you adapted your setup in your bag? Have you changed any particular clubs?
Let’s see. I’m monkeying around with the bounce on my 60° wedge. I got a couple 60s I’m kind of experimenting right now, one with a little bit less bounce for the chipping
Also, I like the way my older 60 is going through the bunkers and then getting out. It’s not digging. So I’ve got to make a call on that.
I just bent my 3-iron yesterday one degree stronger just to be able to hit it off the deck and get that thing down and flighted and running. And I added lead tape to my putter just because the greens are so slow.
Would you say you’re happy with the way
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Royal Troon’s championship course features numerous holes with round-wrecking potential, but the out-and-back design also offers the opportunity for birdies and eagles if the wind is in your favour
1 366 YARDS, PAR 4
Providing nerves don’t get the better of you, the first presents a straightforward hole. Often playing straight downwind, there are bunkers on the left side of the fairway to gobble up wayward aggressive tee shots, while poorly positioned shots down the left or right will lead to a tough approach shot, given the greenside bunkers on the front left and right of the green.
2
Lengthened by 10 yards since 2016, big grandstands shelter the tee at the first of the short holes, but the green is one of the most exposed parts of the course and is vulnerable to hard crosswinds. Requiring anything from a hybrid to a 5-iron, four big bunkers guard the green, while a steep bank will throw off anything hit too far right.
The seventh is visually stunning from a slightly raised tee, and the first hole at Troon to be played directly away from the sea. It is not overly long, and most players will be able to take a long iron or fairway wood from the tee, but the challenge is avoiding an array of fairway bunkers, while the green is among the longest and narrowest on the course.
389 YARDS, PAR 4
A group of well-positioned bunkers make this tee shot slightly tougher than the first, with a visit to the sand ending any hopes of reaching the green in regulation due to their steep faces, but an accurate hybrid or fairway wood off the tee that finds the fairway will offer up the chance to attack the pin from all angles.
3 376 YARDS, PAR 4
A good chance to get an early birdie on the card, with most players hitting an iron off the tee to leave themselves short of the burn at 285 yards, and then hitting a chip to the green that slopes front to back. Although not heavily guarded with bunkers, the green complex features run-off areas to funnel away errant approaches.
4 599 YARDS, PAR 5
The first par-5 on the card, the fourth hole provides another solid chance to post red figures. Longer hitters will be able to carry the gaping bunker on the right of the fairway and will be left with a mid-iron approach into a fairly generous green. A few bunkers are dotted around the putting surface, but players would be unlucky to find their shots unplayable. A par on this hole will feel like a dropped shot.
What was already the longest hole on the Open rota will be play even longer this year, having been extended by 22 yards since 2016. It plays down breeze and nearly everyone will hit a driver to give themselves a chance of reaching the front in two. Find any of the deep bunkers off the tee and you’re immediately looking at a bogey or worse. The green is narrow, with out-of-bounds at the back, while the bunker to the left of the putting surface is one of the deepest on the course.
8
123 YARDS, PAR 3
The infamous Postage Stamp may be the shortest hole on the Open rota, but its an incredibly difficult hole that is fraught with dangers. Ten yards wide at the back and 13 at the front, with big, deep bunkers all around the green, it looks a very small target off the tee, especially if there’s a stiff crosswind. If you find the green, you’re always close enough to the flag for a birdie chance, but miss it in one of the bunkers and a cricket score may ensue.
9
440 YARDS, PAR 4
‘The Monk’ typically signals the end of the downwind holes. Although fairly generous off the tee, the ninth is not short in length and the green is tricky, with run-off areas on both sides. Players who manage to avoid the perfectly placed pair of bunkers to the left of the fairway from the tee will usually have a blind second shot into the green, which is sometimes difficult to hold downwind.
10 450 YARDS, PAR 4
Off the back tees players will be faced with a daunting carry over large sandhills, with trouble awaiting any poorly struck shot. The second shot is played uphill to a narrow raised green that will swat away any shot that is even a yard off target on the right side.
11 498 YARDS, PAR 4
Without doubt the most frightening tee shot on the course, with out-ofbounds – and a railway line – all down the right, you can’t see the narrow fairway off the tee and there are gorse bushes in front and all down the left. One bunker lurks tight to the front left of the green, requiring a very accurate second shot to avoid its sandy clutches. Will almost certainly average nearer five then its par four.
12 451 YARDS, PAR 4
With intimidating gorse bushes in play off the tee on a hole usually played into a crosswind, the tight dog-leg fairway can at times seem almost impossible to hit. The approach is more fiddly than brutish, although the green itself provides the main challenge, with two gaping bunkers either side of it.
13
473 YARDS, PAR 4
Find the tight fairway off the tee on this long par four and the hole becomes much simpler, partially due to its lack of bunkering. Finding the green is still no easy feat, as the target is small and raised.
14 200 YARDS, PAR 3
A difficult par-3 following a number of brutal par-4s, the 14th usually plays back into the headwind, slightly out of the left, and, although not a long hole, can wreak havoc on scorecards.
Club selection is especially important, with bunkers lurking short and the green widening out long.
15 502 YARDS, PAR 4
A virtually dead straight par four, but one that cost Nick Price the Open in 1982. The large bank in front of the green stopped his ball and took the momentum out of his round. The fairway is guarded by two bunkers up the left and one on the right that are very much in play if the wind is up. Miss the fairway off the tee and you have virtually no chance of hitting the green in two.
16 572 YARDS, PAR 5
If there’s any breeze, only the bravest will try to carry the canal, which runs across the fairway at about 280 yards. Tiger Woods, in his round of 64 in 1997, hit a threeiron and then a driver and holed the putt, but the longer the drive, the narrower the fairway. Most players will take two irons and then pitch to the narrow green which is heavily bunkered. Because it is a par five, it’s one of the easier holes to birdie on the back nine.
17 242 YARDS, PAR 3
The hardest par three on the course can make or break a champion. If the wind is up, you might see the odd player hitting a wood, but it generally plays a hybrid or long iron. The green is perched up and offers the chance of either hitting a low chaser or flying the ball all the way. Missing the green anywhere means an awkward up and down, and most players will be delighted to walk off with a three.
18
458 YARDS, PAR 4
A demanding finishing hole, with over 230 yards of rough to fly just to find the fairway. The second shot is played into a very deep green – 40 yards –but there are deceptive bunkers 20 yards short of the green which makes it feel shorter than it actually is. Out-of-bounds lurks immediately in front of the clubhouse, so any shot coming out of the rough runs the risk of getting a flyer and racing through. The flag is often tucked behind the front right bunker on the final day, making it even harder to make a good score.
■ BRIAN HARMAN BELIED STARTING ODDS OF 125-1 TO WIN THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP AT HOYLAKE LAST YEAR WITH A MASTERFUL DISPLAY OF STRAIGHT DRIVING AND LONG-RANGE PUTTING
Almost a year after he produced something of a major shock when waltzing to victory at the 151st Open Championship at Hoylake, Brian Harman reflects on his year as ‘Champion Golfer’ and his hopes of repeating the dose at Royal Troon
It’s been just over 10 months now since you held the trophy aloft at Royal Liverpool. How do you reflect back on that week, and what has winning The Open meant to you?
It’s been an incredible experience thus far. Being announced as ‘the Champion Golfer of the Year’ whenever I tee it up on tour is something that I will never forget. I’m absolutely honoured to be The Open champion, and I’m really looking forward to getting to Troon. I’ve never seen the golf course before, so it’s defeintely going to be a learning experience.
There’s going to be a record attendance for Troon of 250,000-plus fans. How much are you looking forward to coming to Royal Troon and defending your title?
I absolutely adore playing links golf in Scotland. It just seems like the purest form of the game. I’m so elated that it’s receiving so much support – as well it should – and I’ll be very excited to get over there and defending my title.
Does the enormity of winning The Open Championship only really sink in more with each passing day from when you lifted the Claret Jug last July?
There’s certainly different levels of it. It didn’t really sink in in the immediate aftermath of the championship, as I spent a week on vacation with my family right after Hoylake, so it didn’t really sink
in until I got home, and realised the extent of the support that I back home as I did, and the amount of reverence that people quite rightly accord to The Open Championship around the world.
It would take a lot to top winning an Open Championship anywhere, but to win one in Scotland, the country where the game was born, would that a take it up a notch?
It certainly would. Yeah, there’s so much history, and it’s just a different feel about being in Scotland. I’m very excited to come back.
You said you have never seen or played Royal Troon before. Are there other players who have played it perviously whom you might turn to for guidance or tips, or do you just prefer to do your own thing and come over and see it yourself when the time is right?
THE MORE CONTROL YOU HAVE OVER YOUR GOLF BALL, THE BETTER OFF YOU ARE, AND THAT’S SOMETHING I’VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO DO PRETTY WELL
I kind of like getting just my set of eyes on it first and kind of making my own thoughts – I don’t want to have any expectations going to the week. Unfortunately, it usually takes me a couple of laps to kind of get ready and figure a place out and understand what it’s asking of you. I’m going to try to get as much golf in there as I can. I’m planning on playing the Scottish Open the week before, but I’ll probably have to up my preparation for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday to get a few rounds in. I’ve heard that staying out of the bunkers is a must though.
Can you tell us about the journey the Claret Jug has been on since you took possession of it?
I keep it in my den in our house, so it’s not really on show. I took it to Augusta National for a prep trip in October, and they told me it was the first time it had been there. It went to an Atlanta Braves baseball game. I got to throw the first pitch with the jug, which was really neat. Then it was on the field for half-time at a University of Georgia football game, which is probably the closest thing that we have in the US to Premier League football as far as fan engagement and support.
It has certainly made the rounds, and I have enjoyed my time with it I’m sure as much as anyone has in the past.
What sort of response did you have from baseball fans when you’re turning up with the Claret Jug?
The amount of reverence and just the excitement that people have around the Claret Jug, for me it’s been jarring. Honestly, I think it’s in the top-three iconic trophies in sports. People are really, really very enthusiastic to get to be around it, to take a picture, to hold it for a second. It’s been a really cool experience.
It’s good to hear you’re coming back to the Scottish Open again at the Renaissance Club. How much do you put your success last year down to becoming acclimatized to what can happen on a links course?
The weather -- getting used to the weather, the time change - I feel like it takes me two or three days to get used to the time change. You feel fine the first couple of days, and that third and fourth day you’re just dragging.
Getting all that out of your system, getting used to a good routine and just getting accustomed to the weather, and the turf is so much firmer than what we’re accustomed to over in the US when we play normally. So, getting used to that, getting used to the strike, the way the ball wants to run out around the greens. There’s a lot of stuff to consider. There’s a lot of nuances to links golf and it takes a lot of preparation.
In one of your previous interviews you said when you looked inside the Claret Jug you felt it needed a good scrub because you put some things in it. We know you were on the Guinness the first night. What else have you put in the jug?
that gauntlet and then execute a golf shot, it’s like well all I have to do is go through my routine and execute this. You know, nothing else matters. So that was almost like a calming sensation there. I want to get in contention in big golf tournaments. So my goal is to try and get to those uncomfortable places as many times as I can.
Well, it was made as a decanter, so it holds a bottle of wine to perfection. Lots of wine, lots of Guinness, maybe even a little bit of Kentucky’s finest bourbon in there.
And are you expecting anywhere near the level hostility from the crowds at Troon that you encountered at Royal Liverpool? And how did it compare say, to the Ryder Cup?
Do I expect hostility? I have no idea. I’ll be ready for whatever comes my way. I’ve always really enjoyed playing golf in front of the fans in the UK, and Scotland specifically, because they’re so knowledgeable about the game. They understand what a good shot is. They understand what a bad shot is. They’re a joy to play in front of. At the Ryder Cup, at least the coments were directed at 11 other guys and not just me! Don’t get me wrong, I love the passion of the fans. People that are that passionate about something, I would never fault them for any of that. I think it’s fantastic. It’s good for our game. It’s not often that we get a chance to play a true ‘away’ game. Being able to experience that and figuring out kind of how you handle that, you don’t get to do that many times.
What were the hardest parts of your experience at Hoylake? Are there any specific moments that you can recall?
Well, there was several. The hardest parts for me were the walks in between the greens and the tee boxes. That’s when everyone’s right there on top of you, and that’s when all the noise is happening. Especially after a bogey or something, that’s when it was really, really tough.
For example, I bogeyed 13, and walking to the 14th my lead’s down to four, you got tough holes coming up. So I’m walking to the 14th tee, and I’m hearing it, hearing it, hearing it. And then I got on 14 and just like flush rocket right down the middle of the fairway. You get enough of those kind of ‘take that’ moments, where it helps you build confidence. Because if you can go through
■ HARMAN WILL BE HOPING HE RECEIVES A WARMER RECEPTION FROM THE GALLERIES AT TROON THAN HE DID AT HOYLAKE LAST YEAR
You made a lot of headlines with all the stuff about hunting, and the media had a lot of fun with it, ‘The butcher of Hoylake’ and all that. How much did you enjoy that, and do you expect to be ‘butchering’ the field again? No, I don’t expect to be butchering the field again. Winning a golf tournament is really, really hard. It’ll be an uphill battle for sure. There’s incredible players over there. When we threw a party at home, it was a ‘Brian the Butcher’ theme party. We had t-shirts and bottle coolers and everything made up, so everyone around here got a good kick out of it. As far as the hunting goes, I don’t mind answering questions about it. It’s a part of who I am, and I’m not changing that anytime soon. I’ve been very forthcoming. When we hunt animals, we kill them, we eat them, and that’s just a part of what we do around here. We probably feed on wild game of some sort at my house I would imagine three or four nights a week, between the fish and the animals that we hunt.
You talk passionately about playing links golf. Can you recall the first time that ever happened, and did you instantly like it? Some people take time to grow into it.
The first time I played links golf, I qualified for the Palmer Cup and it was at Prestwick, and I hated links golf. It ate me to pieces. I kept trying to hit lob wedge around the greens, and the weather
was bad, and I got whipped over there. I got killed. Lost all my matches.
Then the next time I played links golf was at Hoylake in 2014. I won the John Deere Classic, qualified for The Open, got to play and just absolutely fell in love with it.
Then I had a stretch there where I missed three or four cuts in a row at The Open and just couldn’t quite get it figured out, but I knew that I really enjoyed the golf. I always enjoyed the golf even when I wasn’t playing it great. Like I said, I love the variety of the type of shots and the type of -there’s lots of different ways to be successful over there, and I think that’s something that’s lacking in our game week to week that I wish we had a little bit more of.
When you spoke at the Masters, it almost seemed as if you think it’s going to be really difficult for you to win at Augusta. Do you feel links golf, as you showed last year, is more suited to you?
I love playing the Masters. It’s incredible. Yeah, being able to hit it a little bit further at Augusta would certainly help my chances over there, and I’m doing everything I can to be a little bit more competitive. I just haven’t quite figured that place out. It just eats me alive every time I go. I just can’t quite get a handle on it.
As far as links golf, I don’t think links golf really suits anyone’s game. It’s just very difficult. You can catch a bad wave of the weather and there’s nothing you can do about that, or you can hit some really good shots that end up against – you have to get lucky in those bunkers if you hit it in them. It just seems like the more control you have over your golf ball, the better off you are, and that’s something I’ve always been able to do pretty well.
When you said you got beat up at Prestwick. You obviously know how close Prestwick is to Troon. Do you think you’ll take a walk down there and go and have a look and just say, guess what, I’ve figured it out?
I would just like to go hit that first tee shot and not have to hit it right-handed off that wall. Felt like I did that four straight days over there. The train tracks and that wall right there ate my lunch off that first tee.
As Royal Troon Golf Club prepares to host its tenth Open Championship, we look back on the highlights from the previous nine, from Bobby Locke to Henrik Stenson
1950
LOCKE DEFENDS OPEN TITLE
South African Bobby Locke became was the first player to successfully defend the Open since Walter Hagen in 1929, with rounds of 69, 72, 70 and 68. His 72-hole total of 279 was a new record for the championship.
1958
HAVERS BIRDIES LAST TO BEAT HAGEN
Little-known English professional Arthur Havers caused a huge upset when he beat American legend Walter Hagen, who was the defending champion, by a single stroke after holing a bunker shot on the final hole for a winning birdie.
1862
PALMER RETAINS CLARET JUG
Following his victory at Royal Birkdale the previous year, Arnold Palmer successfully defended his Open title at Troon with a record-breaking score of 276. He became only the second player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win the Masters and The Open in the same year.
1973
WEISKOPF LEADS FROM THE FRONT
America’s Tom Weiskopf led for all four days after opening up with a 68, and matched Palmer’s 276 total with a peerless display. However, he never won another Major.
1982
WATSON WINS
FOURTH OPEN
Tom Watson became only the third golfer since WWII to win the US Open and Open Championship in the same year when beating Nick Price by a single stroke.
CALC CRUSHES
NORMAN’S DREAM
Mark Calcavecchia became the first player since 1975 to win the Open in a play-off, after he beat Wayne Grady and Greg Norman over four extra holes. Norman shot a brilliant final round 64, but it was not enough.
Playing in his last Open in 1973, 71-year-old Gene Sarazen, who won the Open at Prince’s in 1932, made a hole-in-one at the Postage Stamp 8th. He also birdied it in his second round.
601
The par-5, 623-yard sixth is the longest hole of all the Open venues. The 123yard 8th is the shortest.
66
TODD HAMILTON BECAME THE SIXTH CONSECUTIVE AMERICAN TO CLAIM THE CLARET JUG
LEONARD PUTTS TO CLARET JUG GLORY
Texan Justin Leonard came from a recordequalling five shots behind at the start of the final round to take the title with a closing 65. He finished three shots ahead of Jesper Parvenik and Darren Clarke.
The year that Troon Golf Club was conferred ‘Royal’ status by the late Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate its centenary – thus allowing itself to be called Royal Troon. 1978 71
American Frank Stranahan set a new record score for an amateur in the Open with an eight-under-par 66 in the final round in 1958, a mark that stood until 2011. He finished ninth and was also a runner-up twice, in 1947 and 1953.
Playing in his first Open in 1997, 21-year-old Tiger Woods shot an eight-under par 64 in the third round. Unfortunately, he also shot a pair of 74s either side to finish tied 24th.
HAMILTON UPSETS THE ODDS
Little-known Todd Hamilton became the sixth consecutive American to claim the Claret Jug after he beat Ernie Els in a fourhole play-off. Hamilton never won another tournament, while Els won The Open in 2012.
THE DUEL IN THE SUN (PART 2)
Henrik Stenson shot a final round 63 to become the first player from Scandinavia to win the Open Championship. The 40-year-old Swede came out on top in a titanic struggle with Phil Mickelson over the weekend, firing 10 birdies on Sunday to beat the American – who closed with a 65 –by three shots and finish on a record 20under par. Third-placed JB Holmes finished 11 shots behind the runner-up, and 14
Herman Tissies missed the green at the Postage Stamp 8th hole during the 1950 Open and went back and forth from the left-hand bunker to the right-hand bunker en route to a 12-over par 15 – which, staggeringly, featured just one putt. 15 64
German amateur champion
The cost of a visitor’s green fee on the Championship course during peak summer months. The fee in 2016, when The Open was last held at Troon, was £220.
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