21/02/2023
An inevitable talking point when returns to the Royal Liverpool will be the courseâs first new hole for more than half a century.
Named Little Eye, after one of the islands in the Dee estuary visible from the elevated green, it will be the championshipâs 17th hole. With tricky bunkers left and right, and vast sand scrapes front and back, Little Eye will ask questions of the worldâs greatest players, according to Dame Laura Davies. Â
âIâve played it and I loved it,â she said. âItâs a very short par-3 and itâs precision golf, and all the great par 3s in the world that you can talk about - Augusta, the 12th, itâs only something like 140; the Postage Stamp at Troon, a tiny little hole, just a wedge - the great par 3s are often, I think, the shorter ones.
âRoyal Liverpoolâs new one is going to fit into that category. Itâs going to wreak havoc, absolute havoc, without a doubt, because if you donât hit a precise shot youâre going to get all sorts of trouble from it, and I loved the hole and Iâm excited to see how The Open competitors deal with it.
âItâs going to be the standout hole of the week, not just because of how itâs played, but also how it looks. People will see a lot of birdies, but theyâll also see lots of other much less successful goings-on, which is exactly what you want - especially if that Hoylake wind is blowing a bit.
âItâs a great addition to Hoylake, which I think is one of the tougher golf courses. I suppose I think of it as being pretty relentless, all the holes out there which demand you are really precise, because any wild shots are absolutely punished. Iâd say itâs a really tough test.
âAt Hoylake, even on a decent, calm day, if you donât hit the shots you want to hit youâre not going to score at all. It asks you to play every shot in the book.
âThe greatest players can make some golf courses look a bit silly, but I donât think theyâll make Hoylake look silly.â Stunning pic by the brilliant . If you donât follow him, you should. Â
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