Hole six
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PAR 4, 492 YARDS
This was a 494-yard par 5 for the 2001 Open, yet with so many players reaching the green in two that year, and without any scope to lengthen the hole, the 6th has been shortened by just two yards and converted into a very demanding par 4, and the card’s longest two-shotter.
The hole heads south and back towards the railway line, and a pair of new fairway bunkers on the right ensures that what was previously a clear par-5 birdie chance has become a hard-earned par 4. In typical Lytham fashion, the greenside bunkering is less forgiving than a wicked stepmother. It was here in the final round of the 1996 Open that leader Tom Lehman put his tee shot in the bushes, and it looked like playing partner Nick Faldo was going to close the gap. But the American scrambled for par and Faldo missed a threefoot birdie putt, derailing his challenge.
LAWRIE: This was a really easy par 5 the last time The Open was at Royal Lytham – but it will be a challenging par 4 this year. I’m not usually a fan of tournaments reducing holes from a par 5 to a 4 but on a links course that could be playing pretty short in the summer it’s probably a good move. There aren’t so many bunkers to worry about off the tee as some other holes, which is good because there’s quite a narrow entrance to the green if you have to hit a low runner in.
DONALD: Simon Dyson caddied for me when I made my debut at Carnoustie in 1999. We played together quite a bit as amateurs and were in the Walker Cup later that year at Nairn. We’re good friends. He didn’t qualify and I did and so he offered to caddie for me. We slept on the f loor of a friend’s house. It was a good old trip.
Unfortunately I played the last four holes at Carnoustie eight over par over the two rounds and missed the cut by two shots. Many people came undone there. Those last four holes were unbelievably tough.
