Spieth Anticipates 'Carnage' at the New 17th Hole if the Wind Picks Up

 

Royal Liverpool's formidable new 17th hole, which may have appeared relatively calm during Thursday's first round of The Open, is expected to show its true teeth by the time Sunday's conclusion arrives.

At just 136 yards, it stands as the shortest and most picturesque hole on the course, easily handled by professionals with a gentle swing of a pitching wedge. However, its picturesque appearance belies its challenging nature.

The elevated 'infinity green' serves as a striking backdrop, overlooking the Dee Estuary and Wales, but it is surrounded by deep, steep-faced bunkers, with significant fall-off areas surrounding it.

Should a golfer miss the putting surface or roll off the back into the dunes, it could lead to serious trouble. Some players experienced this on Thursday when the conditions were favorable with light breezes and pleasant sunshine.

As of the end of Thursday's play, the 17th hole, nicknamed "Little Eye," ranked as the eighth most difficult, with 22 bogeys, four double bogeys, and three triple bogeys, including one by former Open champion Zach Johnson.

However, the weather conditions are expected to worsen as the tournament progresses, and American former Open champion Jordan Spieth has issued a warning about the potential challenges ahead.

Spieth said, "Today I felt like I could just flight something in, which was nice. If the wind picks up tomorrow or changes direction, and it's blowing harder and into us, it could become carnage."

Nonetheless, Spieth acknowledged that the hole is fair, offering a sufficiently large area to hit. Success requires a well-executed shot, leading to a good birdie opportunity, while a poorly executed shot results in a difficult par.

Short par-three holes are always popular with fans at major championships, and that is one reason why the Royal Liverpool club re-designed the course, following the 2014 and 2006 editions won by Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, respectively.

While Spieth does not consider the 17th as iconic as Augusta National's 12th hole or Sawgrass's island green 17th, the golf architect Martin Ebert's design has added interest to the finish, with the 15th and 18th holes also able to be lengthened.

Ebert distinguishes the hole from the even shorter Postage Stamp at Royal Troon, highlighting the differences in the hole's nature, particularly with the elevated tee and horizon green at Hoylake.

Grant Moir, the R&A's Executive Director of Governance, believes the new configuration with the risk-and-reward 17th followed by the challenging 609-yard 18th will come into its own during the weekend. Players will have the chance to finish with a flourish of under-par scores, but the risk of going in the opposite direction is significant.

England's Danny Willett appreciates the change from the norm of 200-yard plus par threes, noting that the best par-3s, especially with the influence of wind, tend to be the shorter ones. Willett predicts that the hole will witness birdies, pars, and bogeys, and potentially some big numbers if players find trouble on the right-hand side.