A “monstrosity” or a “masterpiece”? The jury remains out on the new par-three 17th here at Royal Liverpool for the 151st Open and the verdict might not be delivered until the would-be champion either comes a cropper or tiptoes past this giant to the Claret Jug on Sunday.
Billy Foster, the no-nonsense Yorkshire caddy for Matt Fitzpatrick, caused a stir on Monday by calling the 136-yarder “a monstrosity”. Foster was found by the practice green on Tuesday, head bowed. “It’s gone viral, hasn’t it?” he said.
“I only meant that if it blows and the leader comes to the 17th and takes nine, without even hitting a bad shot, it would be a shame. Dramatic, maybe, but the Open would be remembered for a calamity that wasn’t really the players’ fault. This is my 38th Open that I’ve caddied in and I’d hate to see that. I’m only saying what many others are thinking.”
Fitzpatrick’s own assessment of Martin Ebert’s creation – called “Little Eye” on the scorecard – was telling. “Interesting,” the 2022 US Open winner responded when pressed for his opinion. “I’ll leave it at that.”
Darren Clarke, the 2011 Open champion, believes it to be “almost brilliant”, only bemoaning the absence of “a percentage shot”. Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka, the reigning US PGA champion, is an admirer. “I think it’s an interesting hole,” he said. “But it depends on the wind. If you get a cross wind there, it could be pretty interesting.
“Look, I’m a big believer in the short par-threes. I’m not a huge fan of 260, 250-yard par threes. They’re kind of boring. You already know it’s a three-iron and everyone is hitting it to the same spot. I think all the best par-threes in the world that have ever been designed are 165 yards or shorter. There’s the 12th at Augusta, the 17th at Sawgrass. The Postage Stamp [the 8th at Troon]. There’s a bunch of them, and you can walk away with a five. I like it.”
Short “short” holes are in vogue. Last month’s US Open at LA Country Club featured the shortest hole in the history of the majors. The US Golf Association pushed up the tee on Saturday to make it just 81 yards.
The overwhelming majority of the pros did not take on the pin, instead electing to hit it 94 yards to the center of the green and be content with the par. However, Foster maintains that if the wind is behind there will simply be no safe option on the 17th here.
“The green is very small,” Foster told Golf Monthly. “If you land it a foot short it rolls back into a coffin that’s underground, so deep. This is challenging the best golfers in the world that will be making 6s, 7s and 8s.”
Two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington expects the chasing pack to welcome the challenge come Sunday afternoon.
“It is a stunning par three,” he said. “They’ve set this hole up to be the marquee hole of the week – they’re expecting drama. If you’re leading the tournament you don’t need dramatic holes you need solid holes but if you are chasing you want dramatic holes like this where you can make a birdie. It could be pivotal in the tournament.”
That is exactly what the R&A wanted when bringing in Ebert. Together with his business partner, Tom McKenzie, Ebert advises eight of the 10 courses on the Open rota. His work at Royal Portrush and Turnberry has received rave reviews.
“The club and The R&A came to us and just said ‘look, we’re thinking of this new hole, we want to flip one of the par-threes [the 15th] and want to create some drama right at the end of The Open,” Ebert said. “So this will be the penultimate hole and even with a four-shot lead, someone who’s in that great position will be nervous when they’re standing on this tee.”
Named after the small island in the Dee Estuary that can be seen in the distance behind the green, Little Eye is undeniably picturesque. But beauty can also be a beast. An infinity green, a waste area in front, two deep sand traps either side and a devilish 15-foot drop into a dune off the back make it essential to not only hit the surface but stay on it.
The hole is accompanied by a huge grandstand on the right, ensuring the daunting view of a wisping flag on an ocean backdrop remains for the players. It will also allow broadcasters to introduce augmented reality to give viewers an interactive experience with live graphics.
Its introduction has made room for Ebert to add another 50 yards to the par five 18th by extending the tee-box and squeezing the out-of-bounds on the right 30 yards left, giving the potential leader 609 yards to the green with the smallest too many fairways to hit to finish up.
“We wanted to cater to a five, four, three, five finish which gives you a lot of potential drama, where scores can go up or down,” R&A communications director Mike Woodcock explained.
“It does make it more of a challenging finish. We have often seen at venues, where changes are made, initially there has been a slightly cagey reaction but over time people grow to love it. With the great par threes in world golf, the most memorable ones tend to be the short ones and we feel over time we will get into that bracket.”
Mother nature will essentially decide the hole’s popularity or otherwise this week. John Hegarty, the Hoylake head pro, neatly summed up the challenge. “I’ve hit a five-iron on that hole, I’ve hit a gap wedge on that hole, it could be anything,” he said. “It’s fair to say that you need to hit the green. If you don’t hit a good shot on that hole onto the green, then you are going to struggle to make par.”
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