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While catching the Tuesday press conferences from the world’s #1 and #2 I heard a few comments worthy of noting. First, the common theme this golf course is an absolute titan, where par feels like a 63 and one sleeve of balls is a very good day at the office. During the later half of phi’s press conference he commented that this golf course was going to be won/lost between 7-10, so the inward three and leading hole out. Most are thinking, how can that be with dramatic 18th, the putting (green on 9) and the church pews either set but notoriously the stretch that grabs even soft draws off three and four. Let’s take a closer look at these 4 holes and understand why the tournament will in fact be won/lost right here.
Number #7, 479 yard - par 4. This hole requires a drive through the chute and into the green zone to have a fighting chance of catching a GIR and two putt par. The second shot plays slightly uphill to a green severely sloping left to right green where only a few spots can even be measured on the stimpmeter. If you’re not on in two, you aren’t birdying and even then perhaps not better than a 50% chance. On to 8.
Number #8, 288+ yard - par 3. A 288 yard par three and not overly downhill or downwind. Most will have to hit utility club or 3 wood and some even driver, so the hole really plays as a short 4, where players can go for the green, only one problem. On in one sets up a long or perhaps short birdie putt as the hole lends itself to be very receptive to a high draw that will feed to the flag and you don’t get into the open without that shot in your bag. If one misses short or right they will have no trouble getting up and down, if they catch a favorable lie and depending on the severity of the miss hit as the rough has been cut graduated as it was last year. If you air mail green or miss left, par is no longer in your vocabulary and once again bogey looks great.
Number #9, 477 yard - par 4. Traditionally played as a par 5 the USGA as they always do has chosen to play this as a par four. The drive is uphill, so that 477 yards really might play closer to 510-520, a legitimate, short par 5. Nearly all players will be taking long irons/woods into the green, which keep in mind is enormous as the back portion is the putting green. The two front right bunkers guard the entire side very well and must be flown to reach any pin tucked behind them. The ditch off the fairway and bunkers down the left stretching from 200+ off the tee to about 25 yards short of the green will make for some very interesting pulled drives and up and down chances. Players who overshoot the lower half of the green will have a St Andrews-sized putt down the hump and onto a severely undulating, slippery putting surface. Par is a very good score and by my estimation bogey will be had by half of the field or better at least two of the four days.
Number #10 462 yards – par 4. Now we’ve reached ten, the hole is not massively long, just massively treacherous, trouble everywhere – left and right off the tee with four bunkers aside waiting to punish those who pull out driver as the fairway bottlenecks to width of a sidewalk in the landing zone short. No good long or short of the green and all around which is very well guarded by the bunkers, mounding and the green itself is said to the be the fastest on the golf course sloping both right to left and severely from front to back, good luck stopping the ball with that 4 iron in your hand. Another bogey and you’re thrilled.
So if you finished these four holes +2 each day, two pars, two bogeys…that puts you +8 for the tournament in this stretch and all you need to do is play the other 14 holes at -3 each day under par to break 70. don’t forget, there is a 667 yard par 5, another 605 yard hole with the narrowest par five fairway I’ve ever seen, not to mention the toughest greens in golf and oh yeah…those church pews.
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