Trying to tame the beast
- 18 Jul 08, 02:51 PM
I've inadvertently become Birkdale's "Horror Hole" correspondent - and I blame the kids.
At home, my mind has been turned to mush by the chaos that having three children normally provides. You know - toast in the dvd player, spilt juice over the carpet, mud in the dishwasher. That kind of thing.
But as they cause their own brand of havoc back home this week, my brain has had to find another way to keep occupied.
And it has found a distraction in the murky world of hole statistics, things like average score, greens in regulation, number of birdies and average putts. (Winter nights fly by in our house, you know)
It seems that despite my fearsome predictions about the 12th on Wednesday (don't you worry, though, sweetheart - you are still my number one), it is the 6th that is the beast the professionals just cannot tame this week.
Lying on the northern tip of Royal Birkdale, the players face a lengthened 499-yard par four which dog-legs to the right.
The tee shot is not a massive problem, although cheeky bunkers lie in wait - 228 yards away on the left and 276 yards on the right.
The problems occur with the second shot, which the players must fire into the strong wind comes in off the sea right into their faces.
The trick is to keep it low and out of as much wind as feasibly possible, just like we saw Adam Scott do during Tuesday's practice round.
It is easier said than done.
During Thursday's first-round horror show, there were only four birdies all day while there were 23 double bogeys, 88 bogeys and 38 pars with only 10.3% of the field able to get their ball on the green in two shots. Unsurprisingly, it was the hardest hole on the course.
American Boo Weekley said that he and playing partner Colin Montgomerie both went driver-driver in a bid to get on the green in regulation.
Padraig Harrington, who admittedly had the worst of the weather in the morning, said the players have to consider it a par five. "It wasn't even close to reachable when we played it," he said.
And Weekley, Simon Dyson and Justin Rose were some of those expressing the hope that the tee would be moved forward for the second round.
It wasn't and today the hole is not playing any easier, despite the generally more benign conditions.
Sitting on top of the high bank at the back of the green, you can get some idea of the wind the players have to deal with.
It is strong and persistent and it sweeps through the gap in the dunes behind the green and down the fairway.
I was only perched on the mound for just over an hour, seeing 15 players coming through, and they were struggling.
Many approaches were 20-40 yards short and only one player, step forward John Rollins, got on the dancefloor with his second stroke.
The 15 players carded one double bogey, seven bogeys and seven pars between them. As I write, it is again the hardest hole on the course with 48 bogeys and 44 pars as well as a green-in-regulation stat of 5.9%. Ouch.
(Just for your info, my 12th hole is providing the test I thought it would - and is the fourth toughest hole. You go, girl.)
I reckon there will again be calls for the tee to brought forward after today's play and it will be interesting to see if the powers that be heed the requests.
But for the moment, I will continue to sit back and watch the 6th do its worst, safe in the knowledge that come Monday afternoon, my mind will be busy concentrating on other things - like figuring out who has decided to draw all over the banisters with a felt tip pen.
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