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JULY 2011 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 1 THEOPEN ROYAL ST GEORGE // 10-17 JULY 2011 INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE GOLF IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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Home to the Maiden, Corsets, Kitchen and Suez Canal, Royal St George’s has some of the most colourful landmarks on the Open rota along with a rich legacy of tournament dramas.Selecting his favourite Sandwich trivia, Dominic Pedler brings you an alternative hole-by-hole guide to the geographical and historical highlights.

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Page 1: The Open 2011 - Course

JULY 2011 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 1

THEOPENROYAL ST GEORGE // 10-17 JULY 2011

INTERNATIONALMAGAZINE

GOLFIN ASSOCIATION WITH

Page 2: The Open 2011 - Course

FEATURE SANDWICH

GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 201162

With its rollercoaster fairway and plateaugreen guarded by a false front and deepbunkers, the 17th is part of a notably testingfinishing stretch at Royal St George’s.

Home to the Maiden, Corsets, Kitchen andSuez Canal, Royal St George’s has some of themost colourful landmarks on the Open rotaalong with a rich legacy of tournament dramas.

Selecting his favourite Sandwich trivia, Dominic Pedler brings you an alternative hole-by-hole guide to the geographical and historical highlights.

SANDWICH

ROYAL ST GEORGE’S: TALES OF HEROES & ZEROSKILLERS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC HEPWORTH

Page 3: The Open 2011 - Course

JULY 2011 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 63

THEOPENROYAL ST GEORGE’S // 10-17 JULY 2011

Page 4: The Open 2011 - Course

“Sandwich, with its towering sandhills and spacious fairways,

is a course for heroes,” wrote Peter Lawless in the 1937 edition

of Golfers Companion. From St George himself to Ian Fleming’s

James Bond, Royal St George’s has indeed been associated with

some iconic names led, of course, by a checklist of golf’s great-

est heroes. 

Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton, Arnold Palmer,

Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle and

Greg Norman are just some of the legends who have won pres-

tigious tournaments here, while others – from Tony Jacklin to

Tiger Woods have made dramatic headlines for a variety of

reasons.

But – appropriately given the legend of St George – the

course has also seen its fair share of upsets and underdogs

prevailing against all odds, from Don Moe’s extraordinary re-

covery in the Walker Match of 1930 to Ben Curtis’ 2003 Open

victory as the 396th ranked player in the world on his first visit

to a seaside links.

Our trivia tour starts on the practice putting green where, on

the opening day of the 1981 Open, eventual winner Bill Rogers

was fortuitously alerted to his imminent tee time by a circum-

spect journalist checking the Order Of Play. The Texan de-

camped swiftly to join Manuel Pinero and Maurice Bembridge

just in time for their 9.24 slot before going on to shoot an

opening two-over par 72.

The journalist would later be rewarded with a magnum of

champagne as Rogers strode to a four-shot victory on the Sun-

day afternoon.

Hole 1. The pronounced dip in the middle of the fairway,

known affectionately as the Kitchen, is the scourge of the

members but, at around 240 yards from the back tee,

shouldn’t bother the pros. This challenging opener is also fa-

mous for the right-hand rough at the 300-yard mark where

Tiger Woods lost his ball with his opening drive at the 2003

Open.

Tiger would rue the resulting triple bogey seven (he made

five with the reload) when eventually finishing two shots be-

hind the winner. The ball itself (a Nike One TW newly launched

in the UK that week) was later found by a volunteer marshall

who sold it to The Sun. 

Among the earlier historical highlights here is the four-putt

with which Reg Whitcombe opened his final round in the terri-

ble conditions of 1938 – though he still went on to win.

Hole 2. While those same 60 mph winds at the 1938 Open de-

stroyed the tented village they also allowed competitors to

drive the green if they cut the corner on a hole that measured

370-yards via the dogleg.

Henry Cotton did just that and holed the putt for an eagle 2,

as did Alf Padgham who would prove even a more of a factor

on that final day. Of course, it was the 1.62 ball in those days.

Visitors today should look out for the eco-friendly marsh-

land on the right of the fairway that forms a natural habitat for

geese, waterfowl, goldfinch and various owls – including the

rare pale buff coloured barn owl.

FEATURE SANDWICH

GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 201164

The 1st fairway proved hard to hitin 2003 as Tiger Woods illus-trated when losing a ball with hisvery first shot of the champi-onship. Three over par after onehole, he would eventually finishjust two shots behind Ben Curtis.

The American Bill Rogerstriumphed in the 1981Open at Royal St George’sbut only after nearly miss-ing his tee time on theopening morning.

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Hole 3. The old 240-yard, blind par three, nicknamed Sahara

for the huge sandy wastes that had to be carried in the early

days, is sadly no more – even if the new 2011 back tee matches

the yardage.

The original was famous for Henry Cotton’s heroics at the

1934 Open, starting with a virtually flawless 66 in qualifying

where his longest putt was a 15-footer here for a birdie two.

Ironically, Sahara would be replaced (in the Frank Pennick

changes of 1975) by the only bunkerless hole on the course -

but it’s awkward armchair green is one of the hardest to negoti-

ate. Christy O’Connor Jnr.’s three-putts here in 1985 was one of

the few blemishes in his record breaking 64, but spurred him

to play the next nine holes in ‘level 3s’.

Hole 4. The site of one the tallest and deepest bunkers in the

UK on the right of the ‘Elysian Fields’ – St George’s answer to

the safe stretch on the 14th on the Old Course at St Andrews.

In the 1993 Open Mike Harwood’s ball managed to lodge itself

at the very top, prompting a punishing excursion to the sum-

mit that is captured for posterity on YouTube.

“The new ride we’ll see at Disney World,” says the American

commentator as Harwood plays a “pool shot off the railroad

ties” to the bottom of the bunker before eventually playing out

sideways.

Yet the trap is usually referred to as Reg Glading’s Bunker

after the amateur who tumbled (literally, head over heels) out

of the 1979 English Amateur Championship when trying to

play his ball embedded near the same sandy summit in a sud-

den-death playoff.

Even if you avoid the sand there’s still the Out of Bounds to

contend with at the back of the green: as the final-round leader

in 1922, Jock Hutchinson, found when running up a seven.

In 1938, Henry Cotton, having played an astonishing 57

holes at St George’s without a five on his card, finally suc-

cumbed when he failed to get up and down. More recently, an

exceptional final-day three here from Ben Curtis in 2003 served

notice that the rank outsider was very much a contender.

Hole 5. The short Sea Hole of the original 1887 layout has long

since evolved into a dogleg par four featuring one of the

course’s most attractive approach shots over bunkers and

through a valley between high sand dunes.

Not that John Daly played it that way at the 1993 Open, in-

stead going straight for the green over the corner of the huge

Maiden dune, prompting some impromptu trigonometry in the

tabloids.

Many more went for it in 2003 as will, no doubt, players

such as Bubba Watson and Alvaro Quiros this year even though

the stats consistently suggest that more birdies are yielded

from a conservative lay-up.

FEATURE THE COURSE

GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 201166

The daunting bunkers onthe right at the 4th holeshould pose no problem forthe pros - but Mike Har-wood’s travails in the 1993Open are captured graphi-cally on YouTube.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC HEPWORTH

Page 7: The Open 2011 - Course

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Page 8: The Open 2011 - Course

FEATURE SANDWICH

GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 201168

Driving heroics aside, the hole is most famous for Harry

Bradshaw’s ‘beer bottle shot’ that cost him the 1949 Open.

His tee shot in the final round came to rest among the bro-

ken glass from which he elected to play when probably enti-

tled to a free drop. The resulting bogey cost him dearly as he

eventually tied with Bobby Locke who went on to prevail in

the play-off.

Incidentally, the hollow just short of the right hand side of

the fairway was known as Lady Astor’s Fairway or Nancy’s Par-

lour after Nancy Astor, the first woman to take her seat in par-

liament. A keen golfer who sometimes played here with the

Prince of Wales (who himself became captain of Royal St

George’s), Lady Astor would often start her round at this tee

which adjoins the Sandwich Bay estate where she built her

country retreat, Rest Harrow, in 1911.

Hole 6. Christened The Maiden after the breathtaking 40-foot

dune of the same name that appears on maps of Sandwich dat-

ing back to the 17th century. Sandwich member, Ian Fleming,

famously referred to it as The Virgin in the eponymous Goldfin-

ger golf match, with both names presumably inspired by early

photographs depicting twin sandy mounds. One theory is that

the landmark was named after the German translation of

Jungfrau, the mountain above Interlaken which, with its neigh-

bour, Monch (The Monk), bears a credible resemblance to the

double-breasted Maiden of earlier eras when golfers played di-

rectly over the summit of the dune.

One player apparently chalked up a 45 here on the earliest

layout while, even from an easier tee in the 1934 Open, a Ger-

man pro took 11.

Jack Nicklaus aced this superb

par 3 in his final practice round

for the 1985 Open (a 4-iron from

156 yards into a strong wind) be-

fore missing his first ever cut in

the championship.

Hole 7. As you ponder this impos-

ing blind drive, pause for a mo-

ment to consider Roe’s Run – the

six consecutive threes with which

Mark Roe started his second

round at the 2003 Open – knock-

ing two shots off Henry Cotton’s

20 for the same stretch in 1934

qualifying. Scary stuff.

Back in 1919, Bernard Darwin

waxed lyrical over the view that

greets us as we reach the crest of

the hill: “The sun shining on the

waters of Pegwell Bay, lighting up

the white cliffs…this is as nearly my idea of Heaven as is to be

attained on any earthly links”.

This par-five has seen some dramas down the years. When

seemingly cruising at the 1981 Open, Bill Rogers ran up a final

round seven that cut his lead to just one shot. A duffed chip

here in 1993 was one of the few flaws in Greg Norman’s phe-

nomenal 64; while in 2003, an eagle by Nick Faldo on Sunday

took him briefly to within one shot of the lead and the chance

of emulating Jack Nicklaus with a major victory at aged 46. He

bogeyed the next three and finished 8th.

Hole 8. Another of the holes totally redesigned by Frank Pen-

nick in the extensive 1975 changes. The club pro, Andrew

Brooks, suggests it now has “the most technically demanding

and aesthetically pleasing second shot on the course” often

into the prevailing wind to a delightfully sited green nestled in

the sandhills.

Golfing historians will remember the hole as a dramatic par

three, Hades, named after the now abandoned 30-yard long

bunker 150 yards out from the tee. In the 1890s, the editor of

Golf Illustrated, Garden G. Smith, referred to the hazard as

“Downhanging, terrible and vast,” with shades of Milton’s Para-

dise Lost. Henry Cotton dropped his only shot there in his

defining 65 at the 1934 Open, with one famous photograph

finding him playing precariously from that same sand.

Hole 9. Originally called Corsets “because of the fascinating un-

dulations and constricted spaces at the two sets of hazards,” as

the club handbook colourfully describes it. The hole is much

changed today but traces of the deep cross bunkers that

trapped drives on the old fairway which ran parallel down the

right can still be seen.

The green with a plunging dip on the right is particularly

hard to hold, though Greg Norman had no problem with 9-iron

approach to six inches in his final-round 64 at the 1993 Open –

another to watch on YouTube.

Reg Whitcombe will be grateful he predated that technology

given the four putts he took here in his 3rd round in 1938

(making him surely the only player to four-putt twice on the

final day and still lift the claret jug).

Also missed by the cameras (we believe) is the sand save re-

covery Ben Curtis made when plugged treacherously under the

lip of the greenside bunker in the second round of the 2003

Open. On his visit to Royal St George’s in May earlier this year,

the American told Gi it remains one of the three most memo-

rable shots he played that week. Did any readers see it?!

Hole 10. Played up to an imposing plateau this is described as

the toughest hole by Ian Fleming in Goldfinger, where he re-

counts the 14 recorded here in “the Gold Bowl” by Philip Scrut-

NO SCORE DRAW

The R&A scorer’s hut at Sandwich may notsound too exciting a reference point but is hasfeatured in a few Opens here.Most recently during the Mark Roe heartbreak of 2003

when, after shooting a superb third round 67, the Eng-

lishman had been found to have forgotten to exchange

scorecards with playing partner Jesper Parnevik (see

Roe story p78).

But the inevitable calls for streamlining the scoring

process were also heard here back at the 1981 Open

here when James Heggarty and Philip Clark were DQ’d

– this time for forgetting to sign their cards on the Friday

when both had made the cut.

Finally, the scorers at Sandwich at the 1899 Open were

under rather less pressure when appalling weather con-

ditions forced almost half the field of 100 (a record entry)

to withdraw after 36 holes, while only 28 competitors

completed all four rounds.

Harry Bradshaw’s famousbeer bottle shot at the 5thhole in the 1949 Open ledto a bogey that saw him tiewith Bobby Locke, beforelosing in a playoff.

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Page 9: The Open 2011 - Course

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Page 10: The Open 2011 - Course

ton (the real life winner of the Brabazon in 1954 and ’55)

The same “ping pong shots from one bunker to another” are

easily done here, as Tom Kite will testify. Leading the 1985

Open by two on the final day and having hit a fine drive, the

American visited both of the deep traps carved menacingly into

the slope on the left of the green.

While the traps have become known as Kite’s Grave, his sec-

ond recovery was blasted over the equally daunting precipice at

the back of the green. Although he got up-and-down from

there, the double bogey cost him dear as he went on to finish

three shots behind Sandy Lyle.

Hole 11. This used to be a par four, famous

for Alf Padgham’s eagle two after driving

the green (reported variously as 383 and

392 yards downwind) in the 1938 Open.

Though when playing into the same 60 mph

wind at the 14th that day, Padgham was

still short after four wood shots, letting in

Reg Whitcombe to win.

Today’s long par three has seen its fair

share of highlights, including Nick Faldo’s

tee shot that hit the stick playing in the

group ahead of Greg Norman in 1993; and

Ben Curtis’ birdie putt in 2003 which he

nominated to Gi as one of the other two piv-

otal points in his triumph, along with the

final 10-footer on the 18th.

Hole 12. The antique map of the 1887 lay-

out (reproduced in super-size on the locker

room wall back in the clubhouse) includes

the ‘Ginger Beer’ moniker at this point, per-

haps in affectionate tribute to the Old

Course – if only in name.

A brilliant example of a short par-four,

this tantalizing dogleg often plays as

driver/wedge for the pros, making it (at

least in theory) one the easiest holes on the

course. It’s certainly yielded its fair share of brilliant birdies –

like Norman’s in the 1993 Open and Christy O’Connor’s during

his opening 64 in 1985 which completed a run of eight birdies

in nine holes (he’d lipped out for a two at the 11th).

But with six bunkers to avoid on your approach it’s certainly

no pushover: in 2003, Ben Curtis came to the tee six-under for

the final round –nonly to drop his first shot of the day.

Hole 13. The imposing first-leg of Trinity, named after the

near-perfect equilateral triangle formed by the 13th, 14th and

15th fairways. There’s also a trinity of bunkers, en echelon, to

catch your second shot – or in the case of Darren Clarke in

round two of the 2003 Open, your 370-yard drive.

This hole also proved the highlight of Mark Roe’s ill-fated third

round when he holed a sand iron to move to four under the

card (or should that be Jesper’s card?) for his round (see ‘Keep

Calm & Carry On’, page 78).

Ten years previously, Greg Norman’s 18-footer here was the

start of five consecutive birdies in an opening 66, in which he

only used his putter five times in the last six holes. 

Further back, it was here that Henry Cotton’s challenge at

the 1938 Open faltered when, having been 3-under for the day

(incredibly, given the conditions briefly captured on footage on

the R&A’s website) he made bogey.

Hole 14. Given the prevailing left-to-right wind pushing you to-

wards the Out of Bounds on the boundary with Princes, the

drive at Suez is among the most daunting on the course, while

the hole was lengthened by moving the green 40 yards for the

2003 Open. In between is the transverse canal to negotiate with

your second shot.

It was here that Gene Sarazen took a fatal double-bogey that

let in Walter Hagan at the 1928 Open.

There was also a defining three-shot swing in the Bobby

Locke/Harry Bradshaw playoff in 1949 as the South African

powered a 4-iron 200 yards for a tap-in eagle; while Arnold

Palmer hit a ‘stinger’ 3-iron to six feet setting up a final-round

eagle when winning the 1975 Penfold PGA Championship.

The casualty rate here at the 1993 Open was severe, with 22

FEATURE SANDWICH

GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 201170

WINNERSYear Winner Score

1894 J.H. Taylor 326

1899 Harry Vardon 310

1904 Jack White 296

1911 Harry Vardon (after play-off) 303

1922 Walter Hagen 300

1928 Walter Hagen 292

1934 Henry Cotton 283

1938 Reg Whitcombe 295

1949 Bobby Locke (after play-off) 283

1981 Bill Rogers 276

1985 Sandy Lyle 282

1993 Greg Norman 267

2003 Ben Curtis 283

The stunning contouring atthe 9th green with views ofPegwell Bay beyond. Both Greg Norman andBen Curtis played pivotalshots here in their Openvictories of 1993 and2003, respectively.

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Page 11: The Open 2011 - Course

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Page 12: The Open 2011 - Course

FEATURE SANDWICH

GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 201172

Named after the huge dune(over which the hole wasplayed on early layouts),The Maiden is one of themost attrractive par 3s inlinks golf. The landmarkforms an exceptional view-ing point for spectators atthe 6th hole.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC HEPWORTH

Page 13: The Open 2011 - Course

JULY 2011 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 73

THEOPENROYAL ST GEORGE’S // 10-17 JULY 2011

Lowest First Round

64: 1985 Christy O’Connor Jr

Lowest Second Round

63: 1993 Nick Faldo

Lowest Third Round

64: 1993 Wayne Grady

Lowest Fourth Round

63: 1993 Payne Stewart

Lowest First 36 Hole Total

132: 1934 Henry Cotton

1993 Nick Faldo

Lowest Middle 36 Hole Total

132: 1993 Wayne Grady

Lowest Final 36 Hole Total

133: 1993 Wayne Grady

1993 Greg Norman

1993 Payne Stewart

Lowest First 54 Hole Total

202: 1993 Corey Pavin

1993 Nick Faldo

Lowest Final 54 Hole Total

200: 1993 Nick Faldo

Statistically Most Difficult Hole at

Royal St George’s Since 1982

Par 4 18th 1985 4.62

First Champion To Score Under 70 By Round

Since 1892 Royal St George’s

Round Score Name Year

1st 67 Henry Cotton 1934

2nd 65 Henry Cotton 1934

3rd 68 Bobby Locke 1949

4th 69 Jack White 1904

First Players To Break 70 At Royal St George’s

Round Score Name Year

Ist 67 Henry Cotton 1934

2nd 65 Henry Cotton 1934

William H. Davies

Joe Kirkwood

3rd 69 James Braid 1904

4th 68 J.H. Taylor 1904

69 Jack White

Winners’ Lowest Final Round Score

Name Year Score

Greg Norman 1993 64

Page 14: The Open 2011 - Course

players scoring double bogey or worse – among them Bernhard

Langer who carved it OB on the final day when battling Greg

Norman in the final group.

Hole 15. Those overwhelmed by Sandwich thus far may find

comfort in the fact that Jack Nicklaus was 11-over-par for the

previous seven holes when he arrived on this tee in the first

round of the 1981 Open.

Older club members still refer to the bunkers at on the right

driving distance as The Marmalade Bunkers, named after the

Hartley brothers behind the famous jam empire. The traps

were installed to thwart this 1930s Walker Cup pair (Rex and

Lister) who would invariably fade their drives up this side.

This fairway was the venue for the Long Driving Champi-

onships which preceded the 1922 Open, with The Field report-

ing on the typical distances of 250 yards and the longest of 277

yards by A. Easterbrook.

Sandy Lyle would top that with a final round birdie in 1985

after a huge tee shot and monster putt from the fringe.

It is also here in Goldfinger that James Bond hits what his cad-

die calls “one of the finest shots I’ve seen in 30 years”, a driver

off the deck that “mounted gracefully to carry the distant surf

of the bunkers,” finishing two inches from the cup.

Hole 16. This pretty par-three made national headlines at the

1967 Dunlop Masters when Tony Jacklin holed a 7-iron for the

first televised ace on his way to a course record 64 on the old

(pre-Pennink) layout. His card hangs in the clubhouse.

When the Open returned to St George’s in 1981 there were

two aces here: one by Roger Chapman and the other by Gordon

Brand Jnr. on his way to the first 65 here in the Open since

Henry Cotton in 1934. (Marking Brand’s card that day was An-

drew Chandler – better known as Chubby – chief of ISM that

manages many of today’s top stars on the European Tour).

This hole was also the site of a pair of thrilling twos that Neil

Coles and Eamonn Darcy delivered in the aforementioned sud-

den-death playoff at the 1976 Penfold PGA.

Of course, the surprisingly shallow greenside trap on the

right is better known as Bjorn’s Bunker after the luckless Dane

took three to get out (misjudging the unforgiving slope of the

green on this side) when leading the 2003 Open by two shots. 

FEATURE SANDWICH

GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 201174

A trio of bunkers threaten thedrive at the tough 13th hole(above) played towards theclubhouse at Princes.(Right) The out of bounds bor-der adds to the perils at ‘Suez’,the long 14th.

Sandwich is famously associ-ated with Ian Fleming, who wasa member here when writinghis 1959 classic, Goldfinger,with its thrilling golf match be-tween 007 and the villain.

Dane in pain. Thomas Bjorntook three shots to escapefrom the greenside bunker atthe short 16th when leadingthe 2003 Open by two shotson the final day.

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Page 15: The Open 2011 - Course

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Page 16: The Open 2011 - Course

Hole 17. Another classic hole with rugged undulations that

epitomize the driving challenge of Royal St George’s.

Into the prevailing wind it’s easy to balloon the ball into the

right rough where Goldfinger’s caddie miraculously ‘finds’ the

cheating villain’s ball in Ian Fleming’s story (though note the

2011 changes – see sidebar).

Real life highlights here include Paul Lawrie’s second shot in

the final round of the 1993 Open, that pitched and rolled at

perfect speed into the cup for an exceptional eagle two (now on

YouTube) – apparently causing panic among TV commentators

searching for background on the then relatively unknown Scot.

Bernhard Langer’s approach hit the same stick later that day

when chasing Greg Norman right to the end. Another that failed

to drop was Henry Cotton’s birdie putt in 1934 that hit the back

of the hole and stayed out when he so narrowly failed to beat

Sarazen’s 72-hole record Open aggregate.

Hole 18. Many a cup has been “dashed from the lips” here

down the years. Sandy Herd took six when a four would have

won the 1911 Open, while George Duncan’s plight at the 1922

Open is immortalized by Duncan’s Hollow, the greenside dip

from where he failed to make a par to match Walter Hagen.

Over the years the story has been embellished to suggest that

Duncan’s ball rolled back to his feet – as happened in 1985 to

Sandy Lyle, who collapsed ruefully to the turf thinking it had

cost him the title.

But the Golf Illustrated report of 1922 clearly describes Dun-

can leaving his 30-yard chip some five yards short from where

his par putt pulled up within inches of the cup.

Payne Stewart narrowly missed a 20-footer here for a Open

record 62 in his final round in 1993 (though he was well out of

contention at the time).

Perhaps the finest shot ever hit here saw the American ama-

teur, Don Moe, complete one of golf’s greatest comebacks in the

1930 Walker Cup against J.A. Stout (a.k.a ‘The Bridlington Den-

tist’). Four down at lunch, Moe was soon seven down as his op-

ponent resumed with three threes. Yet Moe clawed it back to

all-square going down the last from where he struck a 200-yard

4-iron from a divot mark to within inches of the flag.

Stout’s post-match reaction lives long in Royal St George’s folk-

lore: “That was not golf, that was a visitation from the Lord”.

FEATURE SANDWICH

GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 201176

THE 2011 TESTRoyal St George’s has been given only a minor makeover for the

2011 Championship, this July, with some moderate extra

yardage and a few toughening measures balanced by generous

widening of fairways in key places.

As Tiger Woods will be the first to testify, pros in 2003 found

the 1st fairway particularly hard to find and the recent widening of

some five yards down the left at driving distance will be wel-

comed. ‘Tiger’s Rough’ on the right has also been considerably

hacked backed, with the thick ‘Yorkshire fog grass’ replaced with

finely flowing fescue in which the American will be unlikely to lose

his ball this time.

The even more unforgiving 17th fairway now has some 10

yards of extra width down the right hand side with a similar con-

cession at the 18th, thereby improving three of the statistically

hardest driving holes in 2003.

There are five new tees for 2011, including at the 3rd, stretch-

ing this already tough par 3 to a mighty 240 yards making it al-

most as daunting as the 6th at Turnberry. The blind tee shot at

the 7th now requires a 285-yard drive to clear the ridge, while

ultra long par 4s at the 4th and 15th explain the taxing par of 70.

Elsewhere, there are newly fashioned bumps and hollows

around the 5th green, designed mainly to challenge those at-

tempting the carry of some 300 yards over the corner of The

Maiden. The deep trap next to Bjorn’s Bunker on the short 16th

has been decommissioned due to constant maintenance prob-

lems and replaced with a grassy swale.

Most interesting are the changes at the 18th where two new

bunkers have been installed down the left at around 265 yards

and 285 yards from the tee. But those opting for the sanctity of

the widened fairway down the right will be faced with the tough-

est approach over the famous front-right bunker while the sup-

posedly safer line, left, still flirts precariously with Duncan’s

Hollow from this angle.

Of course the weather is a factor at every Open and notably

so at Sandwich over the last three championships. In both 1981

and 2003 the fast running, windy conditions ensured only the

winner broke par while, in 1993, the consensus at the start of the

week was of similarly high scoring given parched conditions and

blustery winds. And yet two days of rain transformed the links

and opened the door for record scoring that included 63s from

Nick Faldo and Payne Stewart, and Greg Norman’s majestic 64.

OFFICIAL CARD OF THE 2011 COURSE

Hole Yards Par Hole Yards Par

1 444 4 10 415 4

2 417 4 11 243 3

3 240 3 12 381 4

4 495 4 13 459 4

5 419 4 14 547 5

6 178 3 15 496 4

7 564 5 16 163 3

8 453 4 17 426 4

9 412 4 18 459

OUT 3622 35 IN 3589 35

OUT 3622 35

TOTAL 7211 70

With a green guarded by anencroaching bunker on theright, and Duncan’s Hollowon the left, the18th at RoyalSt George’s is one of thetoughest finishing holes onthe Open rota.

The stunning par-3 6th hole isone of five holes at Royal StGeorge’s with new champi-onship tees for the 2011Open.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC HEPWORTH

Page 17: The Open 2011 - Course

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