When it comes to the toughest golf courses in the world, there’s always going to be a bit of a split in opinion among the pros and the amateurs of the world.
Most amateurs will never get the chance to play somewhere like Augusta National or Pebble Beach, while even the Old Course at St Andrews is an expensive experience for most.
Obviously, then, we rely on the professionals to portray just how tough some of the best courses can be.
Jack Nicklaus famously claimed Pebble Beach would be his go-to course if he had one final round in the game to play, while President-elect Donald Trump named Turnberry as his best.
In terms of the players, Sergio Garcia picked Valderrama despite it’s difficulty, while Patrick Cantlay picked Riviera as his top course.
But when it comes to difficulty and favourites, they can be two different things. And according to PGA Tour player Si Woo Kim, the toughest course out there isn’t even Augusta National or Pebble Beach.
Si Woo Kim names the toughest golf course on the PGA Tour
Kim was speaking to YouTube star Micah Morris about a number of different golf related subjects.
But when it came to favourite and most difficult golf courses, Kim was clear in his views.
Naming Augusta and Pebble Beach as his two favourites, Kim then switched it up when it came to the hardest.
“Winged Foot. The first time playing that tournament [I was like] this has no chance to me. That time it was cold and long rough. It was too long for me,” Kim said.
Why Winged Foot was so difficult when Si Woo Kim first played it
Kim mentions in the interview that the first time he played it was when the dates were moved due to Covid-19, which means Kim’s debut at Winged Foot came at the US Open.
That was a brutal week for scoring and Si Woo exited the tournament after two rounds, posting nine over par.
Indeed, eventual winner Bryson DeChambeau was the only player to finish under par at six under, such was the difficulty the course presented that week.
| US Open 2020 – Final Leaderboard |
| Bryson DeChambeau: -6 |
| Matthew Wolff : E |
| Louis Oosthuizen: +2 |
| Harris English: +3 |
| Xander Schauffele: +4 |
| Dustin Johnson: +5 |
The property has seen the West course host the US Open six times and the PGA once, while the east has hosted the US Women’s Open twice, the US Senior Open, and the US Amateur twice.
Clearly, then, Winged Foot is for the more established golfers among us and if a PGA Tour pro is finding it tough, then you can bet your bottom dollar that an amateur would be shooting close to 100!
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