155th Open Championship set to bring the world's best back to the home of golf
24 January 2025 - SHANK Media, by Matt Hooper: On Thursday The R&A and St Andrews Links confirmed that The Open would be returning to St Andrews in 2027, marking the 31st time it will be played on the Old Course. Cameron Smith edged Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy to win the 150th Open back in 2022, and the news confirming the 2027 return means that the 5-year cycle will continue, with the home of golf staging the 155th, 160th, 165th Open and so on.
One of the concerns about the Old Course hosting The Open is its continued relevance in the modern, big-hitting world of professional golf, but even with significant advances in technology, it can be argued that the Old Course's challenge has always been somewhat determined by the playing conditions. In 1990 when the conditions were warm, dry and largely still, the winning score was 18-under-par (Nick Faldo) and 56 players broke par. Fast forward 10 years, to the Millennium Open, and Tiger Woods set the then record low score for The Open, shooting 19-under-par, winning by 8, and 51 players broke par. Woods won five years later with a score of 14-under-par, with again, 51 players breaking par. Louis Oosthuizen cruised to victory in 2010, shooting 16-under-par, winning by 7, with 43 players breaking par, and five years later the South African tied (losing the playoff to Zach Johnson) the low score at 15-under-par. 73 players broke par that week, which was disrupted by extreme wind, and significant rainfall, which softened the course after a dry summer leading into the week.
In 2022 Cameron Smith broke the record score for a St Andrews Open, tying Henrik Stenson's Open Championship low mark set at Royal Troon in 2016. Again, 73 players broke par on a course which was baked by an extremely dry summer, but virtually at the mercy of the best in the world due to a lack of wind.
The one outlier in the last 35 years is The 1995 Open, which was won by John Daly. The American tied with Costantino Rocca at 6-under-par through 72 holes, and just 19 players broke par in a week which saw wind provide a tough test for the best. The powers that be can though make further alterations to the course to provide the ideal challenge, and it doesn't necessarily mean lengthening certain holes. Indeed, the 17th hole would benefit from being played off the traditional 'White' tee, which would give the players a real decision to make. Players would either have to decide to lay back of the trouble, leaving a much longer approach, or take a driver to try and get within wedge distance of the green, bringing deep rough into play.
The 4th hole would undoubtedly benefit from being lengthened further, restoring the challenge of this once fearsome hole. Currently the 4th plays at 480 yards, making it a 500-yard par 4 would give the player a really pivotal decision to make, do they try to carry the dune on the left, which would now be 330+ yards, bringing more trouble into play, or do they lay back and have a much longer approach to the green? The 13th hole would also benefit greatly from pushing the tee back to the edge of the Eden Estuary, again creating a 500-yard par 4, which would restore the challenge of this once feared hole. The coffin bunkers would be in the 330-yard range and would again challenge the decision making of the best golfers in the world.
Holes such as the 14th would benefit from a simple set-up change, growing rough in significantly from the boundary wall down the right side of the fairway. Other minor set-up changes could add to the challenge of the Old Course, but as it has been shown, regardless in advances in technology, the winning score at a St Andrews Open is only 2 shots lower in the 150th Open, than it was in the 119th.
Whatever the winning score in 2 year's time I am sure we are all looking forward to seeing a competitive championship at the home of golf, 11-18 July 2027.
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