A hot topic at Royal Liverpool yesterday was the penal nature of the bunkers. The greenkeepers had been instructed to flatten the floor of the bunkers in tournament preparation, meaning balls would be more likely to get trapped in the corners. We saw some extremely testing lies yesterday with players commenting on their severity. A number of players were forced to play out sideways, including Rory McIlroy on the final hole.
Rory McIlroy makes a big par save at the last from a tricky spot in the bunker! pic.twitter.com/czjwrW15yWJuly 20, 2023
After consideration, The R&A decided the penalty was a degree too severe.
Overnight, greens teams have been working to make the surfaces of the sand more concave, so balls are more likely to roll into playable positions within the traps. The R&A has released a statement to explain their decision. It reads as such:
“We would like to advise you of an adjustment we have made to the way the bunkers are raked overnight. Yesterday afternoon the bunkers dried out more than we have seen in recent weeks and that led to more balls running straight up against the face than we would normally expect. We have therefore raked all of the bunkers slightly differently to take the sand up one revet on the face of the bunkers. We routinely rake bunkers flat a most Open venues but decided this adjustment was appropriate in the light of the drier conditions which arose yesterday. We will continue to monitor this closely for the remainder of the Championship.”
Whether flat or concave, the bunkers are one of Hoylake’s principal defences and success this week depends on avoiding them. Off the tee, the punishment is almost always one stroke and around the greens, the challenge of getting up-and-down is high, even if the ball is sitting cleanly in a playable spot.
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