Rory McIlroy had trouble with the bunker on Thursday the 18th and it took him two to get out of the danger zone of the green. I've never met tournament organizers sending poor green employees all night to rebuild bunkers. But R&A made the right choice in Hoylake after the first round.
It all became a bit of a farce, didn't it?
Look, golf isn't always fair, and there should be penalties for entering dangerous areas. However, there is a line to be crossed, and I believe it was Thursday.
The bunkers were scuffed up so that they had a flat bottom and, like a pinball machine, the ball ended at the edges. So you had the players directly against a flat, perpendicular surface and had no choice but to bring him back to the center or try to hit him sideways.
There is little skill in this. This removed the possibility of great recovery shots like Seva and made the action a lot less interesting as a result. They blamed dry conditions or something like that, but it was hardly a heat wave and could and should have been avoided. But at least the R&A admitted their mistake and got the robbers to push the sand a rivet or two towards the bottom to make the ball roll back. The difference was obvious.
I think Rory McIlroy landed one long-range iron on the fifth and it fell on top of the trap before tipping over. After Thursday, Rory expected to find her against the vertical, so he would be happy to see her roll into a playing position. In my opinion, otherwise the punishment would have been too severe.
Masters champion John Rahm was forced to hit the ball back. Photo: Getty Images/David Cannon
People will say – and no doubt they've been on social media – that hey, this is links golf and bad things happen and that millionaires need to be tougher. Fair. But there's nothing really natural about flat bottom bunkers, and links are the most natural form of golf.
Let's be honest, they blew those bunkers and I don't like it, especially in Hoylake where you don't have to defend against low scores. This is a challenging driving course with ample self protection. In any case, the weather tends to help the seaside fields, and it certainly looks like the situation this weekend.
Open gofl – How the bunkers have changed
R&A has never been like the US Golf Association, which has traditionally always tried to ensure that the US Open winning score is close to par. R&A just let the boys and girls shoot. It was about the spectacle, not the score, and that was one of the highlights of the championship. In fact, everything depended on Mother Nature, the greatest guardian of greenery.
I can't help feeling that R&A was guarded on Thursday. I also don't really like the inside outs of Royal Liverpool. There was some trouble on the 18th, not only because of the green bunkers, but also because of the white line, which runs from the right, just a few yards from the fairway. The OB is about 20 yards closer to the fairway than it was in 2014, significantly reducing the landing area.
Players can see their balls but must return to the tee and play stroke and distance. I'm not a fan, no. Why couldn't they just grow a rough one instead? Tyrrell Hatton hit two for the line, took a quadruple scary nine and went from two under to two over. Keep saying, “Well, he shouldn't have gone there,” and shrug your shoulders. We're not talking about a dodgy bounce here, although I believe it's possible. Again, I would argue that the IOB – despite the fact that it exists because of the practice field, which is usually located in the middle of the tracks – does not seem natural to me, and I think the punishment is too severe. Hoylake's inside out was a hot topic of debate in the first two rounds. Photo: Getty Images/Stuart Franklin 18th Place: Getty Images/Tom Shaw
Escapology is a treasured part of the game, especially the link game, and if wayward trips were punished by marching back to the ball, Sev would never be dubbed the “Parking Lot Champion.” I'm afraid we might lose one or two dimensions to lower the score.
There are plans to roll the ball to solve the distance problem, but I would like the riders to do something in unison. With their huge heads and big fun moments, they're too forgiving at the moment, and great courses are in danger of becoming obsolete.
Having said that, I enjoyed watching Brian Harmon for the first few days. Up to 10 minors is a wonderful amount halfway through Hoylake and hunters will have to work hard to try and catch Brian, who is an underrated player.
Brian Harman had a great first two rounds at Hoylake. Photo: Shutterstock/Pet er Powell
I played with Brian at the 2019 Open in Portrush and he's a great pro who has a great short game and can really hit. He also has a reputation for being a great “wet” golfer, and since rain is forecast, he might be in his element in his raincoat. I don't know why, but there are players like Darren Clarke and Sandy Lyle who thrive in their waterproof shorts. I think it's a state of mind.
Those who are chasing can just look at the second player and try to catch him, because if Brian continues like this, they will still play for second place. It happened to me in 2010 at St Andrews when Louis Ostwizen took the lead. Louie never came back, and Brian may never come back, but it happens. And in Hoylake, a big advantage can disappear very quickly. Luckily, it shouldn't be because of the stupid bunkers now.
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