Controversial Open par-3 set for complete overhaul

Somewhere, Pete Cowen, and players alike, will be jumping for joy.

The Par-3 17th hole at Royal Liverpool was under heavy fire last week, and after fierce criticism, the Wirral golf club is set to make radical changes to ‘Little Eye’.

The legendary golf coach was one of many who blasted the penultimate hole at Hoylake, telling bunkered.co.uk that it could ‘ruin someone’s career’.

And due to the barrage of complaints, Telegraph Sport has revealed that the 136-yarder will remain, but Royal Liverpool will be ‘blowing it up’.

An insider said: “In truth, the majority of members have not liked this hole since it was opened a few years back.

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“It has caused all manners of problems in the club’s competitions. There was one women’s tournament held when there was a host of ‘no returns’ at the 17th.

“It was taking 20 to 30 minutes for each group to complete, and it caused a huge tail back.

“They are not getting rid of it, but they will be blowing it up and making it much fairer and appealing to play.”

Multiple sources have confirmed to Telegraph Sport that plans were already in place to make the hole fairer.

As well as elevating the tee, the green on the right will be filled in and flattened out, offering the chance to play a percentage shot onto the putting surface.

After three rounds of the Open, the stroke average on the 17th was 3.126, while 12 double bogeys and 9 triple bogeys or worse were carded.

Matt Fitzpatrick fell victim to the hole his caddie, Billy Foster, described at the start of the week as ‘a monstrosity’.

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Foster predicted that players would be humiliated by it, making “sixes, sevens, and eights all week”.

The 2022 US Open champion proved him right when ruining his chances on Friday with a triple bogey six to derail his charge up the leaderboard.

The Englishman was two-under-par when he left two shots in the waste area off the back of the green before finding another pot bunker with his fourth.

When asked what he would change, Fitzpatrick said: “Start again… I mean, I think if you ask the majority of people out here, their opinion would be on the absolutely more negative side.”

Eventual champion Brian Harman had no such bother with the hole, however. The American made par on all four days, with relative comfort.

There was one ace, too, as Australian Travis Smyth had a moment to remember before missing the cut.

Smyth made the only hole-in-one of the championship, but the party quickly came to a halt as Just Stop Oil invaded the course under an hour later.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.