Royal Troon: The Open's hardest back nine?

Fergus Bisset takes on the back nine at Royal Troon

Royal Troon: The Open's hardest back nine
Is Royal Troon The Open's hardest back nine?
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Many consider the final nine holes at Royal Troon to be the most difficult stretch in Open golf. Fergus Bisset played them to see if Troon really does have The Open's hardest back nine

Royal Troon: The Open's hardest back nine?

By Fergus Bisset

Featuring five par 4s measuring over 450 yards and generally played into the wind, the back nine at Royal Troon has a fearsome reputation as one of the toughest stretches in championship golf.

It’s arguably the toughest nine of any course on The Open rota and over the years it has been the undoing of many of the game’s best players. In 1982, Nick Price led by three through 12 holes of the final round but dropped four shots over the last six to hand the title to Tom Watson; in 1997, Jesper Parnevik bogeyed the 13th, 17th and 18th holes to lose out to Justin Leonard.

I had a chance to play the Old Course at Troon this April to see for myself just how hard that back nine is, and what awaits the professionals this July.

On the day I tackled the grand old links the wind was gusting strongly but not prohibitively, and it was coming from the prevailing westerly direction. This meant it was largely helping on the front nine and largely hurting on the renowned run for home.

Screen Shot 2016-07-05 at 15.35.10

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-05 at 15.35.21

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-05 at 15.35.34

Total: 38

The nine as I tackled it was some 700 yards shorter than what the pros will face, but I still had to play out of my skin to complete it in three-over-par and accrue 17 Stableford points

Nick Bonfield
Features Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, writing, commissioning and coordinating all features across print and online. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x