British Open playoff format and rules: 4-hole aggregate score used as tiebreaker - SBNation.com Golf British Open playoff format and rules: 4-hole aggregate score used as tiebreaker Unlike the U.S. Open, which goes an extra day and 18 holes to break a tie, the Open Championship settles a winner with a same-day four-hole playoff. Rec Andrew Redington/Getty Images The British Open is the oldest major championship in golf and it is now on its third version of playoff rules in the modern era. If players were tied after 72 holes, the playoff used to be a 36-hole slog. That format was last put in play in 1963 and after that, the playoff was reduced to just 18 holes. We're already finishing this 2015 edition of The Open a day late, so fortunately, that 18-hole playoff went out of use in 1986. Only the U.S. Open uses a full 18-hole playoff now. For the past 30 years, the R&A has used an aggregate playoff format. If two or more players are tied after the 72nd hole on Monday afternoon, they will play four more holes at St.

Andrews and the final tally from that extra game will decide the winner. The holes will be the 1st, 2nd, 17th, and the 18th. If two or more are still tied after those four holes, it becomes a sudden death playoff from there on out. The last four-hole playoff at The Open took place in 2009 and it was maybe the most crushing in the event's history. It occurred after Tom Watson made bogey on his 72nd hole of the championship at Turnberry, opening the door for Stewart Cink in extra holes. Watson, who was 59 years old at the time, had run out of wizardry and could not keep up in extra holes as one of the greatest major stories, if not the greatest, cruelly evaporated in a playoff. The last Open playoff held at St. Andrews occurred in 1995, when John Daly wiped out Constantino Rocca. Those two played the 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th holes at the Old Course to decide a winner.

Daly was able to comfortably cruise over the Swilcan Bridge and up the 18th after Rocca made a mess on the Road Hole, posting a triple bogey 7 at the 17th. That will be in the rotation again this year and it's the hardest hole on the course, and toughest par-4 in the world. With disaster looming there, it's often the difference in a round and probably would be in a playoff. If necessary, this would be the ninth time The Open has gone to a four-hole aggregate playoff. Only once, in Ernie Els' 2002 win, was a sudden death hole needed beyond that aggregate game. The weather is not supposed to cause a delay on Monday at St. Andrews so everything should finish on schedule. The last group should putt out between 6:30 and 7 p.m. local (2 p.m. ET). It stays light out until 10 p.m. in Scotland this time of year so there would be ample time to get a resolution Monday night. SB Nation video archives: Urban golfing with a U.S. Open champ (2012) What Is the British Open Playoff Format?

What Is the British Open Playoff Format? Updated July 15, 2016. Question: What Is the British Open Playoff Format? So 72 holes of stroke play have come and gone at the British Open , yet there are two or more golfers still tied for the lead. What happens next - what is the playoff format at the Open Championship? Answer: A playoff at the British Open immediately follows the conclusion of regulation play (no waiting until the following day, in other words); It is four holes in length; It is aggregate score - at the end of the four holes, the players tally their scores and the low total wins. If the participating golfers are still tied after the 4-hole playoff, they continue in a sudden-death format (first to win a hole wins the playoff). The 4-hole, aggregate-score playoff format was first used at the 1989 British Open , where Mark Calcavecchia defeated Wayne Grady and Greg Norman . Prior to that, an 18-hole playoff was employed twice, in 1970 and 1975. And earlier than that, the tournament used a 36-hole playoff.

continue reading below our video How to Throw a Perfect Spiral in Football See our British Open Playoffs page for the rundown of every played that has taken place at the Open Championship. The Major Championships - The Open Championship: tournament records 1860 to the present day The Open Championship The Open Championship - Tournament Records The early Open Championships were a very different affair from today's huge events. Eight players entered and contested the first Open in 1860 - 2,499 entered the 134th edition in 2005, before being whittled down to a starting field of 156. From 1860 until 1891, Opens were played in a single day over 36 holes, although the make-up of those holes differed from course to course. The original venue of Prestwick was a 12 hole course, so three rounds were played. Musselburgh was only 9 holes, so four rounds were played. Only St Andrews, of the three venues used, called for a two by 18 hole event.

Played switched to 72 holes, or four by 18 played over two days, in 1892 when The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, who had just moved from Musselburgh to their newly built 18 holes at Muirfield, hosted the Open. Neither Willie Park nor Old Tom Morris, who shared the four Opens from 1860-63, received any prize money. Cash was first awarded to the winner in 1864, when Old Tom walked away with £6. A hundred years on, when Peter Thomson took his fifth and final title, the winner's prize had grown to £1,750, and when Louis Oosthuizen won in 2010 at the 150th anniversary Open it had reached £850,000, over 140,000 times the original amount!

Most victories: Harry Vardon - 6 (1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914) James Braid - 5 (1901, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910) J. H.

Taylor - 5 (1894, 1895, 1900, 1909, 1913) Peter Thompson - 5 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965) Tom Watson - 5 (1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983) Oldest Champions: Old Tom Morris - 1867 at 46 years and 99 days Harry Vardon - 1914 at 44 years and 41 days Roberto de Vicenzo - 1967 at 44 years and 93 days Old Tom Morris - 1864 at 43 years and 92 days Phil Mickelson - 2013 at 43 years and 35 days In 2009, Tom Watson was just an eight foot putt away from becoming the oldest champion at 59 years, 10 months and 15 days - but missed.

Youngest Champions: Young Tom Morris - 1868 at 17 years 5 months and 3 days Willie Auchterlonie - 1893 at 21 years and 24 days Severiano Ballesteros - 1979 at 22 years 3 months and 12 days Consecutive victories: Young Tom Morris - 4 (1868-72, there was no championship in 1971) Jamie Anderson - 3 (1877-79) Greg Norman - 1993, 66-68-69-64=267, Royal St George's Tom Watson - 1977, 68-70-65-65=268, Turnberry Nick Price - 1994, 69-66-67-66=268, Turnberry Tiger Woods - 2000, 67-66-67-69=269, St Andrews Nick Faldo - 1990, 67-65-67-71=270,

 St Andrews Tom Watson - 1980, 68-70-64-69=271, Muirfield Tom Lehman - 1996, 67-67-64-73=271, Royal Lytham & St Annes Ian Baker-Finch - 1991, 71-71-64-66=272, Royal Birkdale Nick Faldo - 1992, 66-64-69-73=272, Muirfield Justin Leonard - 1997, 69-66-72-65=272, Royal Troon Louis Oosthuizen - 2010, 65-67-69-71=272, St Andrews Most under par for 72 holes: Tiger Woods - 2000, 19 under (269), St Andrews Nick Faldo - 1990, 18 under (270), St Andrews Tiger Woods - 2006, 18 under (270),

 Hoylake Champion at first participation : Tom Kidd, 1873, St Andrews Mungo Park, 1874, Musselburgh Jock Hutchison, 1921, St Andrews Densmore Shute, 1933, St Andrews Ben Hogan, 1953, Carnoustie Tony Lema, 1964, St Andrews Tom Watson, 1975, Carnoustie Ben Curtis, 2003, Royal St George's Biggest gap between victories: Henry Cotton - 11 years (1937-1948) Ernie Els - 10 years (2002-2012) Biggest gap between first and last victory: J.

H. Taylor - 19 years (1894-1913) Harry Vardon - 18 years (1896-1914) Gary Player - 15 years (1959-1974) Willie Park - 14 years (1860-1875) Henry Cotton - 14 years (1934-1948) Amateur champions: Bobby Jones - 3 (1926, 1927, 1930) Harold Hilton - 2 (1892-1897) Roger Wethered lost a play-off in 1921 Most frequently used courses: Playoffs: There have been 17 playoffs in the 138 playings of the Championship. From 1860 to 1963 playoffs would be over 36 holes in one day. From 1963 to 1984, playoffs were reduced to a single 18-hole round. In 1985 the rule was further modified to a 4-hole playoff, with sudden-death thereafter if necessary.

Youngest competitor: Young Tom Morris - 14 years 4 months and 25 days, 1865 Oldest competitor: Gene Sarazen - 74 years 4 months and 9 day, 1976 All four rounds in the 60s (by a champion) : Greg Norman (66, 68, 69, 64) Royal St George's, 1993 Nick Price (69, 66, 67, 66) Turnberry, 1994 Tiger Woods (67, 66, 67, 69) St Andrews, 2000 All four rounds in the 60s (by a non-champion) : Ernie Els (68, 69, 69, 68) Royal St George's, 1993 Jesper Parnevik (68, 66, 68, 67) Turnberry, 1994 Ernie Els (69, 69, 68, 68) Royal Troon, 2004 Lowest nine hole score:

 - 28 by Denis Durnian, first 9, Royal Birkdale, 1983 - 29 by Peter Thompson and Tom Haliburton, first 9, Royal Lytham, 1958 - 29 by Tony Jacklin, first 9, St Andrews, 1970 - 29 by Bill Longmuir, first 9, Royal Lytham, 1979 - 29 by David J.

Russel, first 9, Royal Lytham, 1988 - 29 by Ian Baker-Finch and Paul Broadhurst, first 9, St Andrews, 1990 - 29 by Ian Baker-Finch, first 9, Royal Birkdale, 1991 - 29 by Paul McGinley, first 9, Royal Lytham, 1996 - 29 by Ernie Els, first 9, Muirfield, 2002 - 29 by Sergio Garcia, first 9, Royal Liverpool, 2006 Lowest 18 hole score: - 63, Mark Hayes, Turnberry, 1977 - 63, Greg Norman, Turnberry, 1986 - 63, Nick Faldo, Royal St George's, 1993 - 63, Isao Aoki, Muirfield, 1980 - 63, Paul Broadhurst, St Andrews, 1990 - 63, Jodie Mudd, Royal Birkdale, 1991 - 63, Payne Stewart,

 Royal St George's, 1993 Lowest first round score: - 63, Rory McIlroy, St Andrews, 2010 - 64, Craig Stadler, Royal Birkdale, 1983 - 64, Christy O'Conner Jnr., Royal St George's, 1985 - 64, Rodger Davis, Muirfield, 1987 - 64, Raymond Floyd & Steve Pate, Muirfield, 1992 Lowest second round score: - 63, Mark Hayes, Turnberry, 1977 - 63, Greg Norman, Turnberry, 1986 - 63, Nick Faldo, Royal St George's, 1993 Lowest first 36 holes: - 130, Nick Faldo (66, 64), Muirfield, 1992 Lowest third round score: - 63, Isao Aoki, Muirfield, 1980 - 63, Paul Broadhurst, St Andrews, 1990 Lowest 54 hole score: - 1

98, Tom Lehman (67, 67, 64), Royal Lytham, 1996 - 199, Nick Faldo (67, 65, 67), St Andrews, 1990 - 199, Nick Faldo (66, 64, 69), Muirfield, 1992 - 199, Nick Price (66, 67, 66), Turnberry, 1994 Lowest fourth round score: - 63, Jodie Mudd, Royal Birkdale, 1991 - 63, Payne Stewart, Royal St George's, 1993 Lowest last 36 holes: - 130, Tom Watson (65, 65), Turnberry, 1977 - 130, Ian Baker-Finch (64, 66), Royal Birkdale, 1991 - 130, Anders Forsbrand (66, 64), Turnberry, 1994 Lowest 72 hole score: Lowest score in relation to par:

 Tiger Woods - 19 under, St Andrews, 2000 Nick Faldo - 18 under, St Andrews, 1990 Tiger Woods - 18 under, Hoylake, 2006 Best fightback by a winner: Last round: Paul Lawrie in 1999, 10 strokes Last 36 holes: George Duncan in 1920, 13 strokes Last 54 holes: Harry Vardon in 1896, 11 strokes Holes-in-one: This occurrence is too frequent to list, but two of the most most notable holes-in-one were: 'Young' Tom Morris - Prestwick, 1869, at the 166 yard 8th.

This is the first recorded hole-in-one in Championship golf. Gene Sarazen - Troon, 1973, at the 8th (the 'Postage Stamp'). Sarazen was 71 years old at the time, and it was 50 years since his first appearance at Troon for the 1923 Open.

Albatrosses (double-eagles): (Complete records are not available, but the following are confirmed) Gary Evans - Royal Troon, 2004, 4th Greg Owen - Royal Lytham, 2001, 11th hole 3rd round Jeff Maggert - Royal Lytham, 2001, 6th hole, 2nd round Manny Zerman - St Andrews, 2000 Bill Rogers - Royal Birkdale, 1983, 17th Johnny Miller - Muirfield, 1980, 5th 'Young' Tom Morris - Prestwick, 1870, 1st hole, 1st round (Yong Tom made 3 on what was then a 578 yard par 6, en route to what remains to this day the best ever twelve-hole score of 47 - Prestwick was a twelve hole course at the time) Four rounds in descending order of score by a Champion: Jack White - Sandwich, 1904, (80-75-72-69) James Braid - Muirfield, 1906

, (77-76-74-73) Ben Hogan - Carnoustie, 1953, (73-71-70-68) Gary Player - Muirfield, 1959, (75-71-70-68) Four identical rounds by a Champion: Denny Shute - St Andrews, 1933 (73-73-73-73, excluding the playoff, which he won 75+74=149 to 78+76=154 against Craig Wood).

It remains the only instance of this in any major championship.

Best finishing round by a Champion: Greg Norman - 64, Sandwich, 1993 Tom Watson - 65, Turnberry, 1977 Severiano Ballesteros - 65, Royal Lytham, 1988 Justin Leonard - 65, Royal Troon, 1997 Worst round by a champion (since 1939): Henry Cotton - 79, final round, Sandwich, 1934 Reg Whitcombe - 78, final round, Sandwich, 1938 Fred Daly - 78, third round, Hoylake, 1947 Paul Lawrie - 76, third round, Carnoustie, 1999 Worst finishing round by a champion (since 1920): Henry Cotton - 79, Sandwich, 1934 Reg Whitcombe - 78, Sandwich, 1938 Walter Hagen - 77, Hoylake, 1924 Sam Snead - 75, St Andrews, 1946 Worst scores: Scores in the 100s are not uncommon in the early days of the Open at

 St Andrews (18 hole rounds).

The highest recorded would seem to be a 110 by D. Brand in his first round of the 1873 Championship. He improved in the second round with a 103. In 1935 a competitor at Muirfield started his round 7-10-5-10 and took 65 shots to reach the turn. He had another 10 at the 11th, and retired at the 12th having gone into a bunker and failed to get out after four attempts. In 1883 the eventual winner, Willie Fernie, had a 10, the only time a Champion has had a double-digit score for a single hole on his card. Worst score on a single hole: This is believed to be a 21, recorded at Prestwick in the first Championship in 1860. In 1938, one competitor ran up a 14 on the 12th at Royal St George's in the third round, driving three balls out of bounds in the gale that plagued the final day's play.

Many other double-figure scores for a single hole were recorded that day and three players failed to break 90. The par 4 17th at St Andrews (the 'Road Hole') has seen many high scores, including a 13 in the 1921 Open and an 11 by Davie Ayton in 1885 when he was leading the Championship - he finished third, two shots behind the winner, having taken five to get out of the Road Hole bunker. Arnold Palmer had a 10 on the hole, and 9s are commonplace. British Open | golf | Britannica.com British Open Alternative Titles: the Open, the Open Championship Related Topics PGA Championship British Open, officially the Open Championship or the Open, one of the world’s four major golf tournaments—with the Masters Tournament , the U.S. Open , and the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championship—and the oldest continually run championship in the sport. Best known outside the United States as the Open Championship or, simply, the Open, it has been held annually (with a few exceptions) on various courses in Scotland , England , and—on one occasion— Northern Ireland since 1860.

(For more on the tournament’s name, see Researcher’s Note: British Open? Open Championship? .) Jack Nicklaus competing in the British Open (Open Championship) at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club … Steve Powell—Allsport/Getty Images History The first Open Championship was played on October 17, 1860, at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. A field of eight professionals played three rounds of Prestwick’s 12-hole course in one day. Willie Park, Sr., won the inaugural tournament and was presented with the Challenge Belt, a silver-buckled leather belt that each champion was to keep until the following Open. The tournament was opened to amateurs in 1861. In 1863 a purse of £10—which was to be shared among the professionals who finished in second, third, and fourth place—was introduced, and a first-place cash prize of £6 was added in 1864. In 1870 Tom Morris, Jr. , won the Open for the third consecutive time and was thus allowed to keep the Challenge Belt permanently.

As there was no award to present to the winner, the Open was not held again until 1872, when it was determined that the winning golfer would receive the Golf Champion Trophy, now commonly known as the Claret Jug. In 1892 the Open became a 72-hole event (four rounds of 18 holes), and in 1898 a cut (reduction of the field) was introduced after the first two rounds of play. Similar Topics World Cup The Open has always been dominated by professionals, with only six victories by amateurs, all before 1930. The last of those was Bobby Jones ’s third Open, which was part of his celebrated Grand Slam (four major tournament victories in one calendar year). The popularization of golf in the mid-20th century produced a string of noteworthy Open champions, including England’s Sir Henry Cotton (winner in 1934, 1937, and 1948), South Africa’s Bobby Locke (1949–50, 1952, 1957), Australia’s Peter W.

Thomson (1954–56, 1958, 1965), and the United States’ Arnold Palmer (1961–62) and Tom Watson (1975, 1977, 1980, 1982–83). Watson’s final win in 1983 ended an era of U.S. domination, during which American golfers won 12 times in 14 years. For the next 11 years there was only one American winner, with the Claret Jug going to Spain’s Seve Ballesteros , Australia’s Greg Norman , and England’s Nick Faldo, among others. Arnold Palmer. Courtesy, Arnold Palmer Enterprises; photograph, Eiko Oizumi In 1995 the Open became part of the PGA Tour’s official schedule. American John Daly won that year after a play-off with Italy’s Costantino Rocca, beginning another period of American supremacy at the Open in which 10 of the next 13 winners hailed from the United States, including Tiger Woods , who won three championships (2000, 2005–06).

Subsequent years saw a number of victories by golfers for whom the Open was their first major tournament triumph, including Paul Lawrie in 1999, David Duval in 2001, Ben Curtis in 2003, and Padraig Harrington in 2007. American golfer Tiger Woods kissing the Claret Jug after winning the British Open (Open … Leo Mason/Corbis Another notable Open champion is Jack Nicklaus , who won in 1966, 1970, and 1978 and placed in the top five 16 times, including seven second-place finishes. Harry Vardon won the Open six times—more than any other player—and four golfers, including Thomson and Watson, won five championships. South African Gary Player , who won the title in 1968 and 1974, holds the record for the most appearances in the Open, with 46. Harry Vardon. Scientists Ponder Menopause in Killer Whales The Open Championship has always been played on links courses (mostly treeless golf courses that are built along a coast and retain the natural uneven terrain of their locations).

From 1860 to 1870 the Open was played exclusively at Prestwick Golf Club . Since 1872 it has been played at a number of courses in rotation. Initially the three courses were Prestwick, St. Andrews , and Musselburgh, all located in Scotland. The nine courses in the current rotation are the Old Course at St. Andrews; Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Scotland; Muirfield in Gullane, Scotland; the Ailsa Course at the Westin Turnberry Resort, outside Girvan, Scotland; Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland; Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England; Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport , England; Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lytham St. Annes, England; and Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. A Hole in One The Open is a unique event and is of great importance to professionals and amateur golfers alike, as well as to fans of golf. Unlike the play of other majors—which are typically contested in sunny locales in the United States—the outcome of the Open is often influenced by the weather.

On a links course, morning and afternoon tee times can produce vastly different playing conditions, depending on the breeze that comes in off the sea. The weather is just one of the many unique features of the Open that combine with its long history and prestigious reputation to make it an event unparalleled in golf. This author, who experienced a warm reception from his home crowd when he finished second to Tiger Woods at St. Andrews in 2005, looks forward to competing in the Open every year. To him, the Open is pure romance and theatre, and it truly is a special event that every golfer dreams of winning. British Open course preview: Royal Liverpool a difficult place to feel comfortable | FOX Sports British Open course preview: Royal Liverpool a difficult place to feel comfortable Jul 15, 2014 at 2:00p ET 0 Shares The look here is stark, with golf holes stripped down to their bare essentials. Royal Liverpool Golf Club might not be an elegant venue. It’s certainly not scenic. Like many championship links courses, it’s inland enough thanks to intervening dunes and/or residential development as to be isolated from the sea.

But invariably, you can feel the Irish Sea and smell the salt water in the air when the wind comes in, as it always does in July, from out of the west to blow across the golf course. That’s when this austere ground really comes alive. This is the 10th time for the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. They keep coming back because, despite its initial modest look, the course has depth of character. Last time they held an Open Championship here, in 2006, the place looked like a dust bowl. Every time Tiger Woods hit an iron shot – which he did off virtually every tee throughout the windy championship — a cloud of dirt flew up, an austere reminder of what firm, fast links conditions look like. Get all the latest coverage from the golf world at Golfweek.com. This time around, the summer has been kinder, with more rain and, and so Hoylake, as they call the golf course, won’t be quite so stark and boney as it was eight years ago. The par-72 layout, 7,312 yards, only 54 yards longer than the 2006 layout, comprises a staccato rhythm of a routing, consistently shifting directions.

It’s a hard place to feel comfortable playing. The rolling dunes hide as much as they expose to the oncoming golfer. Expect to see lots of fairway metals and long irons off the tees, even on the par 5s. The chief object of drives, other than getting onto the fairway, is to avoid Hoylake’s deep-dish bunkers. The presence of four par 5s will mean that scores are likely to be low at this year’s British Open. But it also leaves the door open for contenders to make up lots of ground late. Two of the last three holes in fact, the 16th and 18th, are downwind par 5s. That means plenty of birdie and eagle chances – providing players hit the fairway. No. 1, 458 yards, par 4 Into a headwind, with three of those small, circular bunkers in play off the tee in the main landing area, and with four more bunkers squeezing the green, three of them up front that carefully guard approach shots. No.

2, 454 yards, par 4 Straight downwind, no need for a driver here given a tightly bunkered landing area and out-of-bounds left. Here and elsewhere, players have to play the fairway contours on their tee shots much as they would play the slope of greens while putting. Australian great Peter Thomson, whose five Open Championships (1954-56, ’58, ’65) include a win here at Hoylake, is found of saying that “in links golf, it’s easy to hit the green, hard to hold it.” That’s exactly the issue here at the second hole. With a trio of greenside bunkers short and left of the entry, the hardest part of this approaching downwind iron shot is to keep it from running long. No. 3, 426 yards, par 4 This is normally the club’s opening hole for everyday play, with the tee shot played right down a line that runs right in front of the clubhouse.

The only unbunkered hole on the course has one ominous hazard that looms over both the tee shot and approach – the club’s 15-acre practice ground (used for corporate tents during the championship), immediately to the right the length of the hole and serving as an out-of-bounds. That’s a tough hazard to deal with on a hole that will play into the wind. It’s easy to lose it left off the tee, into densely grassed dunes and conceivably, for really wayward shots, yet another OB on the left. No. 4, 372 yards, par 4 This is the start of a 12-hole stretch of crosswinds – a real test of championship mettle. On this short hole – the shortest of par-4s at Hoylake, virtually everyone will lay up with a long iron, ideally played as close as possible to the pair of fairways bunkers on the left. That leaves a short iron in to a low-lying green that’s heavily protected along its right side but that opens up on a diagonal axis from the left. No.

5, 528 yards, par 5 Big banana hook of a par 5, steadily right to left, with the wind on the right the whole way, partially into you, then sheer across. The wind drives the tee shot into the short left side of the dogleg, making it impossible to get home in two. The safer drive with the better line flirts with three bunkers on the outside right of the dogleg. From that side, the slightly raised green opens up readily for a bold second shot. No. 6, 201 yards, par 3 Hoylake has four of the most naturally shaped par 3s to be found anywhere in championship golf. A stiff crosswind from the right brings the three steep front bunkers into play. No. 7, 480 yards, par 4 One of the few holes lengthened from 2006, this steady dogleg right plays with a helping wind from the left that pushes everything towards a steep bunker and heavy mounding on the inside of the dogleg. This is one of the magical fairways – dead flat, framed by two diagonal series of sand ridges that create a sense of theatricality upon what is a very simple stage set for golf.

No. 8, 431 yards, par 4 Sweeping dogleg left, with the wind out of the right again, this one bending around a nasty line of briars (thus the name of the hole). There’s a fascinating double-bunker formation on the outside right that’s divided by a ridge that floats out into the fairway. It creates a diving line or fall line: If you get it below that, the balls steers hard left; if you get it just past the crest, the ball power-boots forward and considerably shortens the hole. It’s brilliant natural strategy, created by a routing that makes ideal use of native contours and lets bunkers abut the ideal line of play. No. 9, 197 yards, par 3 Now we’re into the seriously crumpled part of the course, with dunes formations that a shaper on a bulldozer would spend decades working on and never get right. As with all the par-3 holes here, this one sits like a moment of emerald repose amidst random sand-strewn hillocks. No.

10, 532 yards, par 5 Here’s the second-easiest hole on the course, a slight double dogleg whose fairway is interrupted at the farthest end of the drive zone by a wild set of mounds. The crosswind from the right here means drives have to start on the seaward side of the hole to find the fairway. The only real trouble here on the second shot is the unevenness of lies; not enough to deter players of this caliber from expecting to birdie this hole. No. 11, 391 yards, par 4 The tee occupies the southernmost point of the golf course and kicks off a very demanding four-hole stretch. From the tee here, most golfers will hit a long iron or fairway metal/rescue to one of the narrowest landing zones at Hoylake. From there, it’s a short iron lofted into a crosswind from the left to a low-lying, receptive "punch bowl” green nestled in among towering sand dunes. No. 12, 447 yards, par 4 This played as the hardest hole on the course in 2006.

The hole bends left, with the wind pushing tee shots right, into the path of three steep fairway bunkers flanking the outside of the drive zone. Hit it in these steep, re-vetted bunkers and the only escape is a wedge out – there’s no chance of reaching the green from them. From the fairway, the approach is a short or middle iron to a perched green that has a steep mound on the left and a sharp drop off to the right. With the prevailing wind working against the line of approach, players have to use the wind as kind of backboard. It’s the kind of shot that requires exact ball-striking precision; otherwise, the ball will drift way off line. No. 13, 194 yards, par 3 This elegant hole plays slightly uphill to a green set diagonally in the mounds and is protected by a sole (but busy) little pot bunker at the front right. There’s just enough of a divide across the middle of the green that getting the ball onto back hole location requires a carefully struck middle iron that holds up to the crosswind from the left. No.

14, 454 yards, par 4 Tiger Woods hit 2-iron off the tee and a 4-iron into the hole for an eagle during his second round here in 2006 on what proved to be the second-hardest hole on the course for the week. Good luck, as the drive has gotten even tougher thanks to an additional bunker in the landing area such that both sides are now pinched. From there it’s a very awkward approach into the crosswind over an intervening dune that partially obscures the entry path. No. 15, 161 yards, par 3 It’s not unusual for the shortest hole on a links course to play down the prevailing wind. That’s the case here, only 161 yards from an elevated tee to a green protected by five bunkers. It’s one of those little holes that yield a lot of birdies and also a lot of bogeys, thanks to the ease with which those nasty bunkers catch anything hit slightly short or wayward. No. 16, 577 yards, par 5 Hoylake’s easiest hole yielded 27 eagles during the 2006 Open Championship.

Leads of two or three shots will not be safe down the stretch, especially here at what is the first of two reachable (in two), downwind par-5s to close off the round. No. 17, 458 yards, par 4 The last par 4 on the course plays straight into the prevailing wind and is well protected off the tee with more of Hoylake’s circular, revetted bunkers. The green — the longest on the golf course — is well defended up front, which narrows considerably the opportunity for a run up and forces players into flying a bolder approach in than they might otherwise prefer. No. 18, 551 yards, par 5 Two-shot leads are not safe here on a hole that plays downwind and is within reach in two by the entire field. The trick is to avoid driving it right, into the out-of-bounds area. The odd thing when viewed from an aerial camera is watching how much of the ball flight of an average long second shot actually carries over the OB air space. This year the green has been bolstered in its defenses with an additional bunker that limits ground access so that only perfectly targeted run-ups will hold the putting surface.

Otherwise, there will be many recovery shots played from behind, where a newly installed swale complicates the shot back to the green. There aren’t many finishing holes in Open Championship golf – or any championship golf for that matter – so filled with possibilities, both exhilarating and tragic. 0

Question: Over how many holes is The British Open (golfing championship) played?
Answer: 72