Hole one
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PAR 3, 205 YARDS
Royal Lytham is the only Open course to start with a par 3. Since The Open was last played here in 2001, the only change to the 1st is that trees which stood to the left of the hole have been cleared away. As golfers step up to the tee, the prospect ahead is more open (or it would be without The Open grandstands), as it was over a century ago.
The 1st hole presents players with a genuine opportunity to get under par, as long as opposing triads of pot bunkers can be avoided, one guarding the front of the green from the left, the other from the right. Players will be mindful of ensuring they only have 14 clubs in the bag after Ian Woosnam’s infamous 2001 incident.
LAWRIE: This is the only course on The Open rota which starts with a par 3 and it’s around a 5-iron for most players so it’s not a short hole. You have to avoid the four bunkers on the left and three bunkers on the right but it’s a goodsized green. You’re aiming to hit a solid iron into the middle of the green and try to make a birdie from there. The toughest pin position is in the front left corner with the three bunkers protecting it, but you can get to it anywhere else if you hit a good shot. Three is a good score.
WATSON: Lytham’s par-3 1st is an unusual start – a bit quirky – but to me it doesn’t matter at all for a course to start with a par 3: if the hole fi ts, it fi ts. My most vivid memory on the 1st was from the Ryder Cup in 1977. I was partnering Hubert Green in the fourballs, and I hit my ball to about 40 feet and holed the putt for two. I think we got to five up after six holes.
