#royal troon

[thenewgentlemangolfer]

Tricky little Bugger (3rd)

Royal Troon: The Postage Stamp

This tiny little hole of only 123 yards has been called one of Scotland’s “most fearsome holes”.

Guarded by five bunkers surrounding the slippery green on all sides, the putting surface of this legendary card wrecker in the dunes can be merely impossible to hold. Depending on the wind, your tee shot could need anything from a small pitch to a full 5 iron. Any first shot missed to the center left is bound to find its way into the treacherous Coffin bunker, an aptly named long, deep and narrow hazard that has buried many hopes and destroyed uncountable scores. Shots to the right will most surely funnel towards one of the three bunkers waiting there. The hole wants precision. Sloppiness will be punished.

In 1950 the Postage Stamp forced reigning German amateur champion, Hermann Tissies to his knees. After missing the green, Hermann found himself in the Coffin and needed a total amount of 15 shots to finish the hole. In recent years the hole has stopped some famous pros in their tracks. Tiger Woods carded a 6 in 1997, as did Bubba Watson in 2016.

One of five hideous bunkers...

But the Postage Stamp has also been generous throughout its history. After failing to qualify for the Open fifty years earlier, Gene Sarazen returned to Royal Troon in 1973. He was 72 years old and hit a five iron during his first round to the green. His ball bounced once and vanished into the cup. The next day, Sarazan found a bunker from the tee, but holed his second shot for a birdie two.

Maybe poetic justice does exist.

[golfhistorytoday]

Weiskopf captures his sole major at Troon

On this day, In 1973 Tom Weiskopf was hoisting the Claret Jug in front of thousands at Royal Troon.  The Columbus, Ohio native won his first major championship by three strokes over opponents Johnny Miller and Neil Coles.  Weiskopf capped a wire-to-wire victory and his 72 hole total of 12-under-par 276 matched the then-existing Open Championship record set by Arnold Palmer on the very same course in 1962.

“I will never consider myself a great player until I win a major championship…”

–Tom Weiskopf

Many in the field made attempts to over take Weiskopf…  Nicklaus who birdied four out of his first seven holes on the final day could on reach fourth place.  Johnny Miller, who made history four weeks earlier by shooting a final round of 63 to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont, also made a charge.  It just wasn’t enough.

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A Wire from Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes, the billionaire recluse who once was a prominent sportsman, finally was heard from around this time. Hughess emergence was in the form of a congratulatory telegram sent to 71‐year‐old Gene Sarazen, who scored an ace in the opening round of the British Open in Scotland on Wednesday.

“Congratulations, you have not changed a bit,” read the wire. “You are still as good as ever. Your accomplishment refreshed many pleasant memories.”

“It took a hole‐in‐one for me to finally hear from my old golfing buddy,” commented Sarazen. “We used to play together from time to time, but it’s been 40 years since I’ve seen or played with him.”

Trivia

This was the last Open Championship as Troon Golf Club; it became Royal Troon Golf Club five years later in 1978

1973: Tom Weiskopf wins The Open Championship wire-to -wire at Troon Weiskopf captures his sole major at Troon On this day, In 1973 Tom Weiskopf was hoisting the Claret Jug in front of thousands at Royal Troon.  

[golfhistorytoday]

Arnold Palmer makes it two straight in ’62

On this day, In 1962 Arnold Palmer hoisted his second consecutive Claret Jug, this time at Royal Troon.  After finishing runner-up in his first Open in 1960, he won it in his second appearance in 1961.  In this edition, Palmer won the Open Championship by six strokes handily over runner-up Kel Nagle.  Palmer and Nagle were quite familiar with each other as they played opposite roles in the 1960 Open Championship.

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Palmer was the leader after thirty-six holes shooting a 71, 69 for a -4 under par 140 total.  Nagle was just one behind with a pair of 71’s for a 141 total.  Four others were tied five strokes off the lead, which was never a threat to Palmer.

During the Friday morning round of play, Palmer shot a five under par 67, which gave him a commanding five stroke lead over Nagle. Arnie shot another dazzling round in the afternoon, shooting three under giving him an walk to the finish.  Palmer buried twelve birdies over the course of the last two rounds. He finished 71-69-67-69 for a 276 total and a six stroke victory in all.  Ironically, the last man to win The Open Championship was also an American.  It was Walter Hagen in 1929 at Muirfield over Johnny Farrell.

Trivia

This was the last Open in which all players had to qualify; in 1963 a system of exemptions for the leading players was introduced.

The PGA Championship was played the next week (19–22 July) near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first of five times in the 1960s that these two majors were played in consecutive weeks in July

The night before, (July 12) The Rolling Stones played their 1st ever concert at London’s Marquee Club. Arnold Arnold

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1962: Arnold Palmer wins his 2nd Open Championship in a row by 6 strokes at Royal Troon Arnold Palmer makes it two straight in '62 On this day, In 1962 Arnold Palmer hoisted his second consecutive Claret Jug, this time at Royal Troon.  

[golfhistorytoday]

1973: At age 71, Gene Sarazen aces Royal Troon's "Postage Stamp" hole

Gene Sarazen aces Troon’s “Postage Stamp” at age 71

Gene Sarazen is often associated with one of the luckiest shots in golf, “The Shot Heard Around the World.”  It was a desperate shot, that came at the closing stages of the 1935 Masters where Sarazen holed a double-eagle from 235 yards away.  This allowed him to tie Craig Woodwho was already in the clubhouse thinking he had sealed the…

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[golfhistorytoday]

1923: Arthur Havers holes out from a bunker on the 72nd hole to win the Open Championship at Troon Englishman Arthur Havers wins The Open On this day, In 1923 Arthur Havers shocked spectators at Royal Troon by holing out from a bunker to win the 58th Open Championship on the 72nd hole.  

[yahoo-devil-ball-golf-blog]

Phil Mickelson puts Open disappointment aside in search for another PGA

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  SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Phil Mickelson can be sad about the British Open another day. Right now, he’s focused on winning a sixth major title.

Denied two weeks ago by Henrik Stenson at Royal Troon, the 46-year-old Mickelson gets another crack at a major in this compressed Olympic summer at a place where he’s won previously. Mickelson won in a wild Monday finish the last time the PGA Championship came to Baltusrol’s Lower Course 11 years ago. He returns confident that, while his memory of that week has faded, he’ll be inspired by his recollection of hoisting the Wanamaker trophy.

If he’s to win a second PGA Championship, he’ll have to put off processing the loss in Scotland.

“Because we have big tournaments coming up right now and because I am playing well, I don’t want to let an opportunity, another really good opportunity, that I have to play a PGA Championship here at Baltusrol at a course I like, while my game is sharp, and let the effects or disappointment linger,” Mickelson said Tuesday.

While Mickelson candidly said that the disappointment of losing to Stenson’s major-record total may grow in the coming years, he was able to joke about the helpless feeling of watching the Swede torch the links.

“I don’t look back on the final round with anything that I would have done different, other than maybe go over to Stenson’s bag and bend his putter a little bit,” Mickelson said, drawing laughter from the room.

The left-hander was a sentimental favorite, in part, because he hasn’t won on the PGA Tour in three years. Among many fans, there was probably a thought that the Open was his last best chance to win a major again. However, the ever-optimistic Mickelson disputes the idea that, at an advanced age as far as golfers go, that he’s running short on time.

“I don’t believe that there is a small window,” he said. “I think there’s a really big window of opportunity to add to my resumé, to continue to compete in big events, for the simple reason that the feel and sensitivity of hitting shots; the ability to play golf courses a certain way, to visualize, to make birdies, to pull shots off, that has not diminished.

“I just haven’t been on plane for a couple years, and all of those sensitivities go away when your golf swing is not on plane. And now that it’s back on plane, I think there’s a really big window of opportunity to have some success.”

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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