- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,206,256
- Reaction score
- 59
SOUTHPORT, England – There won’t be another Jordan Spieth miracle bogey at Royal Birkdale this time around at the 154th British Open.
That’s because the area right of right at the par-4 13th hole will be considered out of bounds. Instead of the range as it was in 2017 when Spieth was the Champion Golfer of the Year, that space will be utilized as the site of the fan village with OB beginning at the cart path to the right of the dunes.
Spieth’s opening comment in his press conference after winning in 2017 was, “We’re going to skip the first twelve holes, right?”, referring to his adventurous bogey-five on the 13th, followed by a finish of birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, par to win by three strokes.
Who can forget Spieth fanning his tee shot so far right at 13 that it struck the noggin of a fan and ricocheted into an unplayable lie on the side of a dune. Then it took about a half an hour to determine his relief. Spieth ended up hitting his third shot from the club’s driving range.
That’s not the only change to the hole since the last Open was here. There is a new left tee box that alters the angle to a fairway pinched in by new bunkering to the right and an expanded dune dividing the 13th from the fan village and a ditch that runs the length of the hole to the left. The greenside bunker that Spieth had to pitch over for his fourth shot also has been pushed back nearer to the green. Spieth pitched to 10 feet and canned the putt for an improbable bogey to fall only one stroke back of Matt Kuchar. Then he rifled a 6-iron that lipped out to 5 feet at the par-3 14th. That hole had been dropped from the layout, the green saved as part of a short-game practice area. The new 14th is what used to be the par-5 15th, remodeled into a 602-yard par 5 with the green moved back some 30 yards from its previous location. The 241-yard, par-3 15th is a new short hole created to diversify the directions and lengths of the course’s par 3s.
“I like the course change here, not only for the challenge to the players but visually the hole will look great on TV,” said Padraig Harrington, the 2008 champion here. “I think it will provide a different challenge to the other par 3s on the course, toughening up the finishing holes with a tee shot that’s going to ask a lot of the strike and shape of the players’ shots.”
The overall course yardage has been extended by 67 yards to 7,223 yards, though three holes – Nos. 5, 7 and 16 – have all been shorted since 2017, and the number of bunkers have been reduced from 127 to 108.
While Spieth’s bogey at 13 is one of the most memorable bogeys in the modern era of the major championships, Harrington made a pivotal birdie to win the title here in 2008. He hit 3-iron off the tee, a 5-iron to the green and holed a 20-foot birdie putt.
“At that moment, I had peaked in terms of my swing and ball striking,” Harrington recalled. “That was as good as I could do.”
Adds Harrington on the 13th: “If you get your drive safely away, the second shot is into a nice, big target where the middle of the green is just fine. It’s a very nice par-4 for good ball strikers.”
But a miracle bogey and a 5-2-3 stretch will be harder to come by this time.
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Royal Birkdale changes to 13 end chance for Jordan Spieth repeat
Continue reading...
That’s because the area right of right at the par-4 13th hole will be considered out of bounds. Instead of the range as it was in 2017 when Spieth was the Champion Golfer of the Year, that space will be utilized as the site of the fan village with OB beginning at the cart path to the right of the dunes.
Spieth’s opening comment in his press conference after winning in 2017 was, “We’re going to skip the first twelve holes, right?”, referring to his adventurous bogey-five on the 13th, followed by a finish of birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, par to win by three strokes.
You must be registered for see images attach
Who can forget Spieth fanning his tee shot so far right at 13 that it struck the noggin of a fan and ricocheted into an unplayable lie on the side of a dune. Then it took about a half an hour to determine his relief. Spieth ended up hitting his third shot from the club’s driving range.
That’s not the only change to the hole since the last Open was here. There is a new left tee box that alters the angle to a fairway pinched in by new bunkering to the right and an expanded dune dividing the 13th from the fan village and a ditch that runs the length of the hole to the left. The greenside bunker that Spieth had to pitch over for his fourth shot also has been pushed back nearer to the green. Spieth pitched to 10 feet and canned the putt for an improbable bogey to fall only one stroke back of Matt Kuchar. Then he rifled a 6-iron that lipped out to 5 feet at the par-3 14th. That hole had been dropped from the layout, the green saved as part of a short-game practice area. The new 14th is what used to be the par-5 15th, remodeled into a 602-yard par 5 with the green moved back some 30 yards from its previous location. The 241-yard, par-3 15th is a new short hole created to diversify the directions and lengths of the course’s par 3s.
“I like the course change here, not only for the challenge to the players but visually the hole will look great on TV,” said Padraig Harrington, the 2008 champion here. “I think it will provide a different challenge to the other par 3s on the course, toughening up the finishing holes with a tee shot that’s going to ask a lot of the strike and shape of the players’ shots.”
The overall course yardage has been extended by 67 yards to 7,223 yards, though three holes – Nos. 5, 7 and 16 – have all been shorted since 2017, and the number of bunkers have been reduced from 127 to 108.
While Spieth’s bogey at 13 is one of the most memorable bogeys in the modern era of the major championships, Harrington made a pivotal birdie to win the title here in 2008. He hit 3-iron off the tee, a 5-iron to the green and holed a 20-foot birdie putt.
“At that moment, I had peaked in terms of my swing and ball striking,” Harrington recalled. “That was as good as I could do.”
Adds Harrington on the 13th: “If you get your drive safely away, the second shot is into a nice, big target where the middle of the green is just fine. It’s a very nice par-4 for good ball strikers.”
But a miracle bogey and a 5-2-3 stretch will be harder to come by this time.
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Royal Birkdale changes to 13 end chance for Jordan Spieth repeat
Continue reading...
