Royal Troon bunker concerns for 152nd Open - what The R&A has had to say

Organisers insist there should be no need for same reactionary measure at Royal Liverpool in 2023

The R&A is playing down concerns that deep bunkers at Royal Troon could lead to a repeat in the 152nd Open of last year’s reactionary measure to them being deemed by players as too penal in the first round at Royal Liverpool.

Before the second round got underway at the Hoylake venue, greenkeeping crews had been instructed to build up bunker edges to allow balls to roll back to the centre of bunkers. The step was taken after numerous instances in the first round of players facing almost impossible shots as balls came to rest at the bottom of the steep faces.

Rory McIlroy, the winner at Royal Liverpool in 2014, was among the victims, failing with an attempt to splash out sideways from a greenside bunker at the 18th then doing well to escape at the second attempt after having to adopt a treacherous stance.

Host club member Matthew Jordan found himself faced with two shots from right under the faces of bunkers during his opening circuit. “I haven't seen the bunkers like this at all,” said the former St Andrews Links Trophy winner. “They're just so flat and they're so penal. You just can't hit it in any bunkers whatsoever. We know how penal fairway bunkers are, but even the greenside bunkers this week you can drop two shots just like that.”

Following the addition of three new ones, a total of 98 bunkers will be part of the test at Royal Troon for the tenth staging of the Claret Jug at the Ayrshire venue in July. According to club secretary Stephen Anthony, none of those have been dug deeper than the last Open there, won by Henrik Stenson in 2016.

However, in the recent Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open, Ireland’s Kate Lanigan was on course for victory before finding an impossible lie in a cavernous greenside bunker at the par-3 17th and running up a costly triple bogey as the title went instead to Ellie Monk, an English player who is studying at St Andrews University.

A spokesman for The R&A said: “Our preparations for The Open are progressing well and we are working through our usual planning on all aspects of the course set up, including the bunkers. As is always the case, we work closely with the host venue to ensure the course is in peak condition come July for the championship.”