Understandably, much has been made by the golfing press of ‘Little Eye’, the new 17th hole here at Hoylake. Its status as a championship test has been pondered and debated, but the stats from Round 1 and 2 prove it’s not playing much above its par. It even relinquished an ace on Friday.
Just a stone’s throw away from 17’s amphitheatre tee box, however, is the beginning of 18, Dun, a hole that’s spectacle has been rather overshadowed. Played as the 16th for the members, this long dog-leg Par 5 with internal out-of-bounds, seven sand traps and a colossal amphitheatre around the green will go a long way to ensuring the best champion is crowned.
In the first two rounds, Dun was the only Par 5 on the course that played over par (+4). The 5th (-101) and the 15th (-92) have surrendered a host of birdies and are in fact the only two holes playing under par for the week thus far. At 609 yards, it’s two very good strikes to get home under regulation. Anything but a crushed tee shot will mean the players have to layup, which is certainly not straightforward over the corner of the white stakes.
But what makes 18 such a brilliant finishing hole is that it rewards players who attack it with the possibility of eagle or birdie yet can very quickly punish any slight hiccup. Our current leader, Brian Harman (aka Harmanator or Ricky Ponting) capped off his 65 with a seemingly straightforward 3 on the last. His drive down the middle, well struck utility iron and smooth putt looked to be played in cruise control.
Over the first two days we have seen every number from 3 up to a 10 coming down the last. In Round 1, Taichi Kho of Hong Kong made 10 in the most unusual of fashions having been in the greenside bunker for two. Please have a look at how he played the hole here and let us know what on earth you think happened.
The Kiwi that is usually so solid, Ryan Fox, managed to take 8 strokes on Thursday, as did Rickie Fowler after putting two into the spectator village. His pal and fellow fan of Wimbledon, Justin Thomas had his Open woes further exacerbated with a 9 on Dun.
Objectively, this is a fantastic hole on which to watch golf. Lined with difficulty and theatre, it’s definitely a great place to catch the golf from a spectator’s point of view. As mentioned in the pods and articles through the week, Hoylake is proving very busy and it’s hard to see every shot if you are following a group around. With fewer groups on the course post-cut, the argument for finding a good ‘parking’ spot is stronger and 18 for me is the prime candidate. If you’ve got children with you, they can also enjoy joining the army of golf ball and signature retrievers. You’ll also get to see the Champion Golfer of the Year lift the Jug.
