Royal Troon quickly turned into Royal Trouble at the British Open on Thursday.
A 25 mph wind out of the south and a steady drizzle wreaked havoc on the entire field, causing dozens of players to struggle. Fresh off their U.S. Open matches, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau looked out of form on Thursday, finishing with shots of 7-over 78 and 5-over 76, respectively.
After shooting a 2-over 73, two-time major winner Jon Rahm summed up his round and the conditions perfectly:
“It’s not an easy golf course,” Rahm said.
“They’re very difficult. Eight of the first nine holes come in from the right side and are long, difficult holes. You think it’s a little easier on the downwind side, but it’s not. The last nine holes are very difficult, especially the par-3s.”
The first six holes at Troon are ones that require players to attack, but due to southerly winds the calmest sections of Troon are played against the wind, which is in stark contrast to the prevailing winds which come from the north.
“When the wind is blowing you have to be really careful and understand how difficult it is,” Rahm added.
“The eighth hole is obviously the easiest of the first nine, an easy wedge shot and no injuries. Then just when you think it’s going to get a little easier, the last nine is tough. Closing out the 14th and 17th holes, which are downwind holes, was very difficult today, and just tough overall.”
Rahm’s only birdie of the day came on the par-3 eighth hole, nicknamed “Postage Stamp,” one of the most famous holes in the world, when the Spaniard hit a wedge from 11 feet and sank the putt to get back to even par.
But he lost two strokes on the 13th and 16th holes in the final nine holes and couldn’t make up for a bogey with a birdie in Troon’s tough final stretch.
“I encourage anybody watching to check out 14 and 17 because they’re going to have some crazy holes and some crazy bounces,” Rahm added of the two par 3s on the back nine.
“The 14th hole is 210 yards, the pin is at the far left and it’s downwind from the left. It’s all downhill in front of the pin. We all agreed within the group that the only way to get close to the pin is to hit it. Of course you can get close, but it’s very difficult.
“The 17th hole is 240 yards, and it’s also downwind from the left, and the green slopes all over. So it’s very difficult to get the ball on the green. And when you’re off the green, it’s never easy to get up or down. And how much the ball bounces. Both me and Tommy [Fleetwood] The ball landed on the front edge of the green, and both of them landed on the back edge. This is not what you’re used to seeing. It doesn’t look as solid as it does in real life. So it’s no wonder the scores aren’t low. It’s a battle.”
Not only does the wind make it harder to get the ball in the air, it also makes the course much firmer, and a firmer course makes it much harder to control the ball on the ground, a key element of links golf.
It’s a battle for sure, but that’s the beauty of the British Open.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
