Sir Nick Faldo says there should be plenty of drama at the Open Championship thanks to the new 17th hole called ‘Little Eye’ at Royal Liverpool – which is just a short par-3 but loaded with danger.
The new short hole will be the penultimate hole of the 151st Open Championship at Hoylake and it’s a hole that will provide plenty of nerves for the best golfers in the world.
Pretty short by modern standards, there’s danger everywhere around an elevated green with bunkers and links wasteland lying in wait if the wind gets up and sends errant short irons veering off course.
Three-time Open champion Faldo believes it’s a great addition to have such a nervy hole coming right at the end of the round, and tournament, when the Claret Jug will be won and lost.
“That’s great having a hole that is nervy – everybody thinks you have to add on another 100 yards to par-3s but no, I think that’ll be great,” Faldo said of the new 17th.
“You give the guys – especially in a cross wind – you imagine trying to chip an eight or 9-iron in blustery weather, anything can happen.
“That’s a very good choice – just because it’s short definitely doesn’t mean it’s easy – because in tough weather you don’t want loft, you’d probably rather try to chip a 4-iron than chip an 8-iron because if you get it wrong it will go anywhere.
“So that’s going to be a good nervy hole – I think we’re going to see some drama on that one.”
Faldo says that these short tricky holes test out a player’s mentality more than technique, as it’s all about messing up what on paper should be an easy shot.
“It’s more the fear factor,” he added. “You look at all the trouble around it and where it could go wrong. The short par-3s get you mentally more than technically.”
The 17th hole at Royal Liverpool called Little Eye
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Faldo says that almost perpetual cross winds and a plethora of bunkers makes Royal Liverpool such a tough task – especially with some testing weather forecast for the Open.
“Hoylake can be quite awkward with so many bunkers, with the cross winds,” said Faldo. “If the wind gets up it’s a pretty awkward golf course to play. Every hole is a crosswind I found.
“If you luck out and get the weather when it’s just about right – you want it difficult but not impossible.”
And with tough conditions expected, Faldo has a man in mind who could jump out of the pack and surprise the favourites – a man who has already won a Claret Jug in testing conditions.
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