Royal PortrushS opening hole proved a importent challenge for golfers during the recent championship, with manny struggling to navigate its demanding layout.
The first hole, notorious for its difficulty, terrorized early groups. McKibbin recalled Rory mcilroy’s 2019 opening tee shot, which went out of bounds, resulting in a quadruple bogey. The first hole was ranked as the fifth hardest, leaving a lasting impression on players like McIlroy, Thomas, adn Jason Day.
“It’s 270 to the first part on the right and then 290-ish to the second part on the left,” Jason Day described. “You’ve got to thread it. Wind was in out of the right pretty steady today, out of bounds, and long rough to an elevated green. Once you’re in the rough, very difficult to control the ball coming into it. The greens are so firm, so it’s hard to get the correct distance landing it. And you’ve got to hit the fairway there to get yourself in good position to be able to like get yourself on the green to at least give yourself a chance to birdie.”
In essence, the hole presented a formidable test for all competitors.
