The last dance
The 2024 Major season comes to an end this week as Royal Troon hosts this year’s Open Championship. It was a memorable tournament last time the Open was hosted in this part of Scotland with Henrik Stenson outduelling Phil Mickelson on a memorable weekend of incredible golf.
The pair played 36 holes together over the weekend in the final pairing, and their separation from the rest of the field meant it was essentially a 36-hole matchplay. Stenson was the victor in the end by three shots over Mickelson, who finished on an astonishing 20-under par. But there were plenty of twists and turns throughout that made for an enthralling spectacle.
The Swede finished fourteen, yes fourteen, shots ahead of third place, and Mickelson eleven shots ahead. Lefty shot 65 on the final day of a major in the final group and did not win. It was ranked as the fourth-best major performance ever by a golfer, and he did not even win the Championship. It was gut-wrenching for Mickelson fans and one of the great displays of major championship golf by two of the best players in the world at the time.
Stenson shot an unbelievable 63 on Sunday, which included 10 birdies and two bogeys. He holed more or less everything he looked at, pouring putts in all day long. Mickelson matched him for the most part. But it seemed to be slipping away when Mickelson missed an eagle putt on 16 by less than an inch. Stenson put the nail in the coffin on the 72nd hole by holing a 15-20 footer to seal one of the all-time major performances.
What makes the Open special?
But fast forward eight years and Royal Troon is again the host of The Open Championship, a historic major, and the only one to be held outside of the United States. It is renowned by all as a different style of golf, with links golf coming to the fore. It forces golfers to be imaginative with their shot-shaping; and envision start lines off the tee that are barely visible. Links golf is a true test, with Mother Nature always lurking to intensify conditions.
Open Championship: the test of Troon
The course has been lengthened by a couple of hundred yards since 2016, with nine new tee boxes on the layout. So it is by no means a short course, with the par-five sixth being the longest hole in Open history at 623 yards. The first six holes are a relatively benign start to the round. Two par-fives offer players a chance to get off to a hot start.
Because they will need that leeway when they enter the back half of the round. Despite the greens at Troon being perhaps slightly smaller than usual compared to other tracks on the rota, they are also marginally flatter. This offers a potential reason as to why past winners have holed so many putts during the week in which they were victorious. But it is far from easy, and after the opening stretch, you better buckle up for what is to come.
Signature holes
The 8th hole is the infamous postage stamp par-three. A small green guarded emphatically by several bunkers with steep lips and run-offs. It is not a long par-three, so a good shot is rewarded with a solid birdie opportunity. But any small mishit or push or pull is severely punished, with high scores lurking always. Double bogeys or worse have been a repeating occurrence at previous Troon Opens. Will someone in contention come unstuck on the shortest Championship hole this year?
The 11th is perhaps the toughest hole in the Troon layout, with gorse bushes lining the fairway, and the railways line down the right. Out of bounds is certainly in play, particularly with a prevailing wind off the left on most days. As is the way with all Open Championships, the weather is the protagonist in deciding the ability to score. If the wind blows, it will make it tougher for even the best players in the world to make frequent birdies with ease but we will have to wait and see come Thursday.
Open Championship: Past Editions
The two previous Champions at Trron before Stenson, Todd Hamilton (a surprise winner in 2004), and Justin Leonard (1997) will be in the first group on Thursday morning. Leonard will hit the first tee shot, which is always a huge honour and thrill at the Open. I was lucky enough to be in the grandstand behind the first tee at Birkdale last year. When local boy Matthew Jordan got the Championship underway, much to the delight of the Hoylake natives.
winner unpredictability
Another beauty of The Open Championship is the difficulty in aligning course fit to the top players. Anyone could play well, and links golf does not fit any one style of play. We saw that with Brian Harman last year. All we can do as spectators is enjoy the spectacle of the Open Championship and the beauty of Troon balancing the toughness of the back nine with the scoreable front. One thing is for sure, on Sunday, there will be a deserving Champion Golfer of 2024, who will have battled the course and the elements for 72 holes to come out on top.
