Royal St George’s Hole Sixteen
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The Open Championship returns to Royal St George’s in Kent this year for the first time since 2003.
This will be the 14th time the venue has hosted this great event, yet after an eight-year absence, the layout will be new to many of today’s young guns. Even those with previous experience will be taking on a slightly different course to the one Ben Curtis successfully negotiated to win the Claret Jug in 2003. The 124-year-old Links has been lengthened by more than 100 yards and reduced from par 71 to 70.
PAR 3, 163 YARDS
ROSE: A tidy tee shot here can win you a two, but get it just slightly wrong – as Thomas Bjorn found out in 2003 – and it can be catastrophic. This is why 16 has the capacity to be pivotal. Seven bunkers guard this green and Thomas found the hungry one to the right, fed by the green’s false right shelf. This is one of the toughest up-and-downs we will face, believe me. Avoiding the sand is paramount.
The hole is also very wind-affected, like most at Royal St George’s, which makes flight control paramount. I’ll be trying to feed it in to the flag with a mid-to-short iron, depending on the wind.
But I won’t get too cute. If you are in contention on Sunday, you just have to keep your ball left of the pin and give yourself a 20 or 30 feet putt if possible.
PLAY SAFE
The safe line from the tee is out to the left side of the guarded green.
THE PITS
Avoid ‘Thomas’ trap’ at all costs: it’s a hard up-anddown from here.
