Video: Rory putts into a bunker

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The par-4 17th hole at St. Andrews — “the Road Hole” — is known as one of the toughest holes in golf, and Rory McIlroy was its most high-profile victim on Sunday, at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The hole is famed for the road that runs directly behind the green and the larger bunker that guards the front of the green, dubbed “The Sands of Nakajima” after Tommy Nakajima made a 9 on the hole in the third round of the 1979 British Open.
(SCOREBOARD: Final Results From the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship)
On Sunday, Rory McIlroy was tied for the lead in the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship when he arrived at the 17th tee. After hitting his tee shot into the left rough, McIlroy hit his second shot short of the green almost directly in front of the famed Road Hole bunker with the pin tucked in close to the bunker.
Instead of trying to flop the ball over the bunker, McIlroy elected to putt it up to the green past the bunker on the right. (Links golf is played more on the ground than golf on American-style courses.) However, McIlroy’s putt didn’t have enough speed on it and his putt ended up in the Road Hole bunker.
McIlroy then executed a crafty bunker shot and made bogey on the hole, but the damage was done. He finished the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship tied for second, and behind winner Oliver Wilson by one stroke.
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The hole is so tricky because the narrow green is bordered by a road and a wall, while the front is ominously guarded by one of the most feared pot bunkers in golf (Tommy Nakajima made a nine on the hole in the third round of the 1979 Open). 

On Sunday, it was Rory’s turn to be embarrassed by The Road Hole. After hitting his tee shot into the left rough, he hit his second short of the green almost directly in front of the bunker, with the pin tucked just over the top of the lip. Instead of trying to lob the ball over the bunker off the tight fairway lie, McIlroy tried to putt it up the hill. But he didn’t hit it hard enough, and the ball just ran out of steam as it got to the top, only to be swallowed by the sand trap.  

McIlroy pulled off a great up and down to salvage a bogey, but he finished the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship tied for second, one behindwinner Oliver Wilson. 

Click here to watch the video of Rory putting into a bunker

Want to know how you could putt this shot better than Rory? Watch our tuition video on how to get a feel for distance control.

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