Royal Troon tactics

Rory McIlroy echoed what everyone has been saying. The front nine at Royal Troon presents opportunities and the back nine is a test of your mettle.

That’s not to say that everyone will be licking their lips on the first tee, there are plenty of quirks to Troon’s unique charms which could out catch even the very best.

Take the par-5 sixth for instance, now the longest hole in Open history. While usually playing straight downwind and offering a great birdie chance, wayward approaches will result in treacherous lies around the green with the putting surface itself presenting severe undulations.

It's the longer grass which can take some getting used to, especially for those used to playing in the US on lightning-fast greens.

That requires a fair amount of adjustment earlier in the week and even McIlroy, fresh from a good showing at the Scottish Open, is still searching for the perfect putting formula.

“I really try to focus on the strike more than anything else here and put a good roll on it because any putt here that's misstruck just doesn't get to the hole,” said the Northern Irishman.

“Luke Donald was walking with me this morning so I picked Luke's brain a little bit and he always said he liked to focus on the tempo of his stroke and, if anything, make it a little shorter and a little brisker on greens like this.

“So possibly the strike and maybe thinking a little bit more about the tempo of the stroke are two good things this week.”

Greens at The Open tend to run at around a 10 on the stimp meter. To put that in context, the green speed was around 14 during last month’s US Open at Pinehurst.

Tiger Woods has even added lead tape to his putter to help give it a little extra wrap, one of the few modifications he’s made to his bag ahead of his 23rd Open appearance.

“I'm monkeying around with the bounce on my 60,” he said. “I got a couple 60s I'm experimenting with right now, one with a little bit less bounce for the chipping areas.

“I like the way my older 60 is going through the bunkers and then getting out. It's not digging. So I've got to make a call on that. I just bent my 3-iron yesterday one degree stronger just to be able to hit it off the deck and get that thing down and flighted and running.”

The rain which has fallen in the early part of the week promises to make bunker shots even tougher. The sand is a little wetter with a slightly darker complexion than normal and a layer of moisture might just give players something else to think about when it comes to their escape shot.

The course has also been lengthened 2.8% since it last hosted The Open eight years ago and even for those who haven’t played Troon before, those extensions are cause for thought.

“It all depends on the wind,” said World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, discussing his approach off the tee.

“On Tuesday we got downwind on a lot of the holes on the front nine and you could hit some drivers if you wanted to and you could hit some irons if you wanted to as well.

“A lot of it is a gametime decision just based on the wind, but most of the time I am going to be hitting with a driver because the holes are significantly longer and are supposed to be playing slightly into the wind.

“So being able to hit the driver into the fairway is going to be a big advantage this week, if you are driving it well.

“It’s been a wet year so far this year so the rougher is thicker than in years past so it is a bit more of a penalty.”

Reach the turn in decent shape and the real test begins on Royal Troon’s back nine, starting with the aptly named Sandhills.

Everyone recalls Henrik Stenson’s record-low score in 2016 but it’s worth remembering that J.B. Holmes in third was a whole 11 strokes off runner-up Phil Mickelson.

Often the seriously low scores tend to be anomalies.

“I haven't seen anybody have a low score here,” said Jon Rahm. “It's a tricky golf course, especially the stretch of nine, 10, 11, even 12, 13, 14 now with the other tee, and I guess 15 can get quite difficult.

“All of them play almost in off the left. That's a difficult part of the golf course.

“You need to do everything well. Obviously having control over the spin and the trajectory of the ball is almost the most important part.”

Even the big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau is considering a change in tact.

“I don't think it's possible to overpower it,” he said.

“There's too many hazards around the fairways, even in the bunkers. You've got to be very strategic out here.”

Even the best golfers in the world have their own points of focus, not just course specific concerns. For every Ludvig Aberg working on his driver is a Brian Harman seeking more practice time with the flatstick.

In true Open fashion, there are no shortage of challenges to consider. From the elements to the extensions and blind tee shots to beastly bunkers, Royal Troon is set to offer a tantalisingly tough test.