Postage Stamp ‘fun, difficult & horrible’

Just two holes on from one of the longest holes in Open Championship golf comes the shortest – the iconic ‘Postage Stamp’.

Measuring just 123 yards, it should, on paper, be a formality. However, proof that nothing is ever straightforward, Royal Troon’s eighth holes commands the respect of all the game’s top players.

But just what do they all have to say about the arguably one of the most famous par-3s in the world?

Justin Rose: When asked to explain how hard, or fun, or difficult, or horrible the eighth hole is, the Englishman said: “All of the above, depending on the day, really. First time I played the Postage Stamp it was quite a nice day – just a little flick with a wedge onto the middle of the green. Not much to think about. But it’s not until you get down to the green that you realise how narrow it is.

“You realise it’s got quite a steep pitch left to right and you realise that if it falls into a right-hand bunker, it’s a really tough proposition to get out of there with a four, potentially.

CONTINUES BELOW…

Colin Montgomerie, whose father Douglas is a former secretary at Royal Troon, added: “The Postage Stamp is a special hole the way that the short par-3s of this world are special. There’s never been a decent par-3 over 200 yards, in my opinion, built.

“The expectation raises dramatically into, you’re on the tee and you’re a professional golfer. It’s your job and you’re expected to hit this green at 123 yards. You could throw it on, really. I wish I could. And that’s why it’s difficult.”

Speaking to the BBC ahead of last week’s Scottish Open, Graeme McDowell said: “There’s going to be carnage. If the wind blows in the direction I was playing it in last week you’re going to have all kinds of numbers. The bunker pin-high right is unplayable. I hit six-iron. The next day I hit eight. It’s a very changeable golf hole.”

On Instagram, all the Northern Irishman had to say was ‘Wow!’

The famous Postage Stamp hole, the Par 3 8th at Royal Troon.

A video posted by Graeme McDowell (@graeme_mcdowell) on Jul 2, 2016 at 8:50am PDT

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The Postage Stamp :: Crucial this week?

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