Last week before golf starts. Luckily we’ll have another weird week that begins on a Tuesday and throws my whole work cycle into disarray to get it going.
Here’s to a fun and eventful 2023, and the hopes for an even better 2024. Happy New Year’s to you, newsletter reader. If you missed ‘em, we also took some quick looks at the other three venues for next year’s major golf tournaments:
Augusta - Valhalla - Pinehurst
This will be the 10th time the course has hosted the Open and we’ve come a long way from winning 75 pounds. The winner this year will take home $4 million, up from an unknown amount in 2016 since I won’t be doing the math to sort out what £1.1 million was in USD eight years ago.
As always, an excerpt from Ron’s preview article:
Royal Troon Golf Club
Fairway positioning and keeping the ball in play off the tee is essential for success at Royal Troon. With potentially windy conditions, anything too high in the air with excess spin will disappear into the deep foot-long fescue rough. Fairway bunkers are among the course’s biggest defenses. They are dotted around the landing area making strategy and accuracy off the tee paramount. The greens at Troon are among the smallest at an Open course venue and will emphasize pinpoint accuracy in tough conditions.
Royal Troon is a “tale of two nines.” Royal Troon’s front nine heads south along the Firth of Clyde, making a sharp, 180-degree turn on the 10th hole. It plays shorter and downwind allowing golfers of all lengths off the tee to have a chance for success provided they can keep the ball in the fairway. Deep bunkers line the first six holes, although the southerly breezes make them the most scorable on the course.
The middle six holes move inland, characterized by hills, gorse bushes, and higher fescue. A series of blind shots make these holes much more difficult than the first six. The back nine plays into the wind making it longer and more difficult overall. Within this stretch are two of the shortest and longest holes in the Open Championship rotation. The par-3 8th hole is called the “Postage Stamp” which measures 123 yards and plays slightly downhill to a narrow green surrounded by bunkers on all sides and slopes that will repel inaccurate shots into thick rough or deep bunkers. The back nine also has a par-4 called “The Railway” that ranks as one of the toughest Open Championship holes in history…
Read More (there are a couple of good videos worth watching in the full article as well if you have the time)
2024 Odds
I don’t like Rory, I’ve probably mentioned that before. But, I think being done with the committee and not having to focus so much on being the Tour’s PR man could have him back in the winner’s circle at a big one this year. He’s favored in the European Major as of right now, and after how he looked last year at the Scottish Open, I like him quite a bit to grab a Jug next summer.
NEWS & TWEETS
very short, very weird thread from the Irish Open account
This was such a big narrative for folks betting on Cam every week last year, interesting that the partnership only lasted as long as it did
The comments and replies disagree, but maybe that was the point of putting Blockie’s face on this.
I dunno what my take on “Greatest Golf Story” of 2023 is. The rise of Ludwig, the “merger”, the longshots that won majors?
It’s tough to choose because I love the Ryder Cup so much and the drama surrounding the event this year was sooo good, but…
…mine for sure was the final putt of the Canadian Open.
I didn’t care for the course, I didn’t have an outright bet in the mix, but lordy that playoff was the best kind of theater. A walk-off winner of that magnitude from a native son was tough to put into words (plus we got the bonus memes of Adam Hadwin getting tackled.)
As always, be good, have fun, bet responsibly, and have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve.
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