YouTube golf star Peter Finch has claimed one hole at the 152nd Open Championship was unlike anything he’s ever witnessed at a major before.
Royal Troon showed its teeth over the weekend as wind and rain pushed the world’s best players to the absolute limit.
Xander Schauffele was the man to battle the elements best and seal his first Claret Jug on Scotland’s west coast.
Justin Rose, who finished T2 behind the American, has claimed Schauffele is now at the same level as the likes of Scottie Scheffler.
Peter Finch names the toughest hole in major championship golf
Despite Nick Faldo claiming the course was set up perfectly, several high-profile names, including Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Tiger Woods, all missed the cut.
Before the week, much had been made of the back nine being the tougher stretch of holes. However, during the first two days, the opening nine proved to be more testing
However, Finch, who had been working at The Open, claimed that the par-four 11th hole was the most challenging hole he’d ever seen in major championship golf.
Speaking on the latest Rough Cut Podcast, he said: “I was walking around on Tuesday, and there were a few tees that I stood on and felt nervous.
“Just walking. I didn’t even have a club in my hands and was standing on those tees and getting a bit twitchy just imagining hitting a shot there.”
Finch added: “Honestly, that 11th hole was the most confusing thing to look at ever. You are just looking at a wall of gorse and a train track. It was just terrifying. I think it’s probably the hardest golf hole I’ve ever seen at a major. It was so hard.”
The Open produced the toughest tee-to-green test this year
The Open, without a doubt, provided the toughest tee-to-green test this year.
The wind and rain, coupled with Troon’s testing layout, meant the world’s best carded some extremely high scores over the four days.
The famous Scottish venue provided a very different test compared to the US Open. Pinehurst was, for the most part, a relatively simple tee-to-green challenge, with the course showing its teeth around the greens.
During the last major of 2024, players struggled to even get their ball near the putting surface in regulation, with thick rough and pot bunkers regularly coming into play.
Of course, if the wind and rain had subdued, Troon was there to be got at – but the beauty of links golf is that the conditions rapidly alter scoring.
Schauffele’s performance was the perfect example of managing the harsh conditions and then scoring when he needed to, something several players failed to master throughout the event.
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