Royal Portrush’s first hole of the Open Championship, known as “Hughie’s,” has captivated competitors. As a result, audiences are just as mesmerized by its beauty. This significant hole measures 425 yards, creating a difficult challenge for golfers. Straight out of the gate, just 55% of players are able to hit their opening shot in the fairway. The hole’s design, coupled with out-of-bounds areas on both sides, requires precision and strategy, making it one of the most talked-about features of this year’s tournament.
Even 2022 local favorite Rory McIlroy’s use of a painting on the hole’s promo material highlighted the challenge of the landing area. He described it as an important controlling challenge that establishes the mood for the round. The hole’s name commemorates Hughie McGowan. He used to have free ammo on the right side of the hole, but that area is now O.B. The left side was once a thoroughbred horse farm. Thus, adding a compelling historical beauty to this symbolic and important crossroads on the racecourse.
The fairway itself is a daunting 70 yards wide, but the hazards go far beyond sheer distance. Players play under constantly shifting winds that can change the course of their shots. As Thomas Detry explained, the wind is frequently “in off the right,” making an already challenging tee shot even more tricky. The cumulative score on this hole was 4.295 making it the fifth most difficult hole across the entire course.
As players walked to that first tee, they were greeted by galleries 20 people deep which made for a spine-tingling atmosphere. J.J. Spaun definitely had the most picture-worthy Open Championship debut of all time as he tackled this fiendish little hole. As an example, Shane Lowry decided to play a mini driver from the tee. McIlroy decided to take a fairway wood and went for the fairway but pulled it left—it’s a strategy he regretted in hindsight.
Read what Cameron Smith had to say about playing that first hole. He explained the ways warm-ups too frequently lead to a sense of completion. He commented on the challenge of having to commit to swings as he was dealing with the realities of course.
“Talk about committing to swings. We warm up on the range, and it’s kind of down out of the right and you kind of lead yourself into a bit of a false sense of security.” – Cameron Smith
Once players get out of the fairways they have it much worse. As Jason Day noted, it’s difficult to control the ball from those spots. The firm greens and deceptive landing country only add to difficulty. This underscored to him the need to dump both balls in the fairway to create the best birdie chances.
Nico Echavarria was happy to provide an alternate perspective. He noted that the course played very difficult early, as players found their groove many holes played easier with changing weather conditions.
Matt Wallace highlighted another concern for competitors: wet conditions that can lead to unpredictable ball behavior. The unpredictability in each of these factors presents yet another dimension to an incredibly complex opening hole.
Thomas Detry articulated a critical strategy for Hughie’s: aggressiveness is necessary to secure par.
“You have to take on the tee shot. Sometimes there’s a couple of holes where it feels like you just want to get it in play, but here you want to be a bit more aggressive to give yourself a chance to better make par because it’s really long.” – Thomas Detry
Shane Lowry illustrated his approach well by picking his driver that would keep the ball out of the wind and low. He did not hedge at all on his selection.
“I wanted to keep something down out of the wind. So I was like, biggest head in the bag, give it a rip. Thankfully it went straight.” – Shane Lowry
To read what Matteo Manassero had to say on Thursday regarding the difficulties of pin placement. He noted that as tough as the first hole played, it was even tougher potentially in other scenarios.
“Today was not even that hard of a pin. It can play even harder.” – Matteo Manassero
Despite its trials and tribulations, Hughie’s has proven to be an indelible part of this year’s Open Championship. Players will need creativity and precision to overcome its numerous challenges and obstacles, whilst contending against outside forces like the wind and the pressure of the crowd. Competitors are fighting their way through this daunting first hole just out of the fog. Their experiences will undoubtedly help shape how they compete in this elite tournament.
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