Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland, host of the 152nd Open Championship (July 18-21), is exactly what we envision links golf to be, an out-and-back stroll across a sublime crescent of tousled nature, one dune in from the sea, the rumpled turf dogtrotting through buckshot patterns of stern and sod- faced pot bunkers. It’s also not quite what we envision, a droll march over bland and barren regions of flattish fairway, a dead-end turn at a holiday or trailer park and airplanes strafing play from nearby Prestwick runways. When Open Championships are played at Troon, which has happened nine previous times since 1923, the links can extract the best from titans like Bobby Locke, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson. Troon is also capable of producing clunkers like Arthur Havers and Todd Hamilton. The nine-out, nine- in routing guarantees Troon will be a tale of two courses: If the wind is at the back one direction, it’s in the face the other; off the firth on the right going out, it’s from the left coming home. Shaped shots and a mastery of trajectory are necessary to play well. These are the five holes that will have the greatest impact on the Open Championship. R
PAST 10 OPEN CHAMPIONS 2023 Brian Harman
Hoylake
2022 Cameron Smith 2021 Collin Morikawa 2019 Shane Lowry
Old Course
Royal St George’s
Royal Portrush
2018 Francesco Molinari Carnoustie 2017 Jordan Spieth Royal Birkdale 2016 Henrik Stenson Royal Troon 2015 Zach Johnson Old Course 2014 Rory McIlroy Hoylake 2013 Phil Mickelson Muirfield SA CHAMPIONS (11) Ernie Els 2002 Muirfield, 2012 Royal Lytham Louis Oosthuizen 2010 Old Course Nick Price 1994 Turnberry
Gary Player 1959 Muirfield, 1968 Carnoustie, 1974 Royal Lytham Bobby Locke 1949 Royal St George’s, 1950 Troon, 1952 Royal Lytham, 1957 Old Course SA RUNNERS-UP IN OPEN (10) 3 Ernie Els (1996, 2000, 2004) 2 Nick Price (1982, 1988), Bobby Locke (1946, 1954) 1 Louis Oosthuizen (2015), Mark McNulty (1990), Sid Brews (1934)
50 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JULY/AUGUST 2024
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