Heading into the 2023 edition of The Open, it was expected that Royal Liverpool would provide no shortage of challenging golf for the field.
The course is notoriously difficult, with the very best players in the world usually triumphing when the event take place at the venue. Rory McIlroy was the most recent winner there back in 2014, with the layout of the course changing somewhat since then.
The 17th hole is a completely new one, with the old 458-yard par four being replaced by a 136-yard par three. While the new hole is a full 60 yards shorter than any other at Royal Liverpool, it is far from an easy one.
It possesses a severely elevated green, one that boasts deep bunkers right in front of it to punish any tee shots that come up short. There is certainly little room for error, with the potential for some very high scores if golfers were wayward in their initial approach.
Golf: Matt Fitzpatrick hammers brand new hole at The Open venue
Matt Fitzpatrick provided a prime example of the perils of the brand new 17th on Friday. While he would birdie the hole in two of the first three rounds, he would come out with a triple bogey on the other occasion after finding himself in the bunker off the tee.
In fact, it would take three attempts for the Englishman to get out of the sand trap, only for his shot to then roll into the other bunker.
At the start of the week Matt Fitzpatrick described the 17th hole as "interesting." 🍿
He just took 3 shots to get out of one bunker, only to go to the next bunker 😅 pic.twitter.com/wilqBtlrHt— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 21, 2023
A golf purist, Fitzpatrick is certainly not impressed by the new hole. This is something he spoke openly about earlier in the week, an opinion he has only doubled down on since the start of the tournament.
Speaking after yesterday's third round, he gave an emphatic response when asked what changes he would make to the hole.
Start again. I don’t see what was wrong with the last hole personally. I don’t particularly like any uphill par threes. I think it’s a little bit too severe in a way.
I remember playing the last hole a long time ago, the par three which went the other way round (towards the clubhouse rather than out to the Dee Estuary), I thought was a great par three.
I think if you ask the majority of people out here, I would say their opinion is on the slightly more negative side.
I hit a bad shot (on Friday) so that’s on me. Was it too penal? I think it is too penal down there.
I got punished but at the same time, I think the punishment was a bit too severe.
The 17th has split opinion among the field, with the likes of Cam Smith and Brooks Koepka praising it due to the potential drama it could bring to this week's tournament. Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm have essentially summed it up as 'harsh, but fair'.
Matt Fitzpatrick is certainly not among that group, with his caddie Billy Foster labelling it a 'monstrosity'.
One thing that is clear: it provides quite the challenge for those at the top level of golf.
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