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The 17th hole at Open Championship host Royal Liverpool has been the source of much chatter this week.
The redesigned par-3, which plays nearly 130 yards, is pretty short by Tour standards, but potential disasters abound. The turtle green requires extreme precision, as stray shots will cruise into deep pot bunkers or a natural sandy area behind the green, which has a sharp, riveted face.
Matthew Fitzpatrick and his caddy, Billy Foster, revealed their disdain for the new design even before the tournament began. Foster called the new hole “wild” to golf per monthwhile Fitzpatrick simply called it “interesting” in a pre-tournament press conference, refusing to go into further detail.
In what may have been an example of a self-fulfilling prophecy, Fitzpatrick was bumped on the 17th during his second run, when his tee shot hit a long distance. It took Fitzpatrick three attempts to get his ball out of the sand, and he eventually caught a triple bogey 6. Fitzpatrick then set his foot on the 18 to ensure he would make the cut.
After rising to prominence with a third round 67 on Saturday, Fitzpatrick is back in second round disaster.
“I hit a bad shot, so that’s it – that’s on me,” he admitted. “Was it too punitive? I think it’s too punishing there.
“I hit a bad shot, and I was punished. At the same time, I think the punishment was a bit severe.”
Despite taking some responsibility for his score, Fitzpatrick couldn’t resist making one more pass at the demonic “little eye”.
He said “start over”. “I don’t see what’s wrong with the last hole personally. Yeah, I don’t see — up a par 3, I don’t particularly like any uphill par 3 contests. I think it’s a bit intense in a way. I remember playing the last hole a long time ago, last time, it was a par-3 that went the opposite way, I thought it was great. It was a really good par-3. Yeah, that’s just my opinion.”
Perhaps somewhat ironically, Fitzpatrick has birdied the hole in two of the three rounds he has played so far. What will Sunday’s final round bring? One thing is for sure: it will be “fun”.