Sandwich Spread

This will be the 13th time the British Open championship has been played at Royal St. George’s, a quirky layout cut among the coastal dunes of Sandwich, in southeastern England. The course will play at 7,106 yards, a par 71 that is 246 yards longer than when Greg Norman won in 1993. Norman had a 267 total in his second British Open title, 15 shots better than Sandy Lyle’s winning score at St. George’s in 1985.

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NO. 1, 442 YARDS, PAR 4

The opening tee shot is played into a prevailing wind and must carry a sunken hollow to the ideal position in the left side of the fairway. Three bunkers guard the front of a green that slopes toward the back.

NO. 2, 418 YARDS, PAR 4

The hole has been lengthened by more than 40 yards, making the carry 280 yards over the bunkers at the corner of the dogleg left. The undulating green is a difficult target, falling away to grassy hollows on both sides.

NO. 3, 210 YARDS, PAR 3

No bunkers to protect the green, but the long, narrow putting surface is closely guarded by mounds, hollows and thick rough. The two-tiered green is 43 yards deep and makes club selection crucial.

NO. 4, 497 YARDS, PAR 5

A tee shot over a massive bunker to the right portion of the fairway gives the best angle to a small, elevated green with sharp slopes. The tee has been moved back 30 yards, and the hole changed to a par five, turning this into an easy birdie instead of a tough par. Whatever it’s called, four is a good score.

NO. 5, 420 YARDS, PAR 4

From the fairway plateau, there is a lot of hidden, dead ground before the green. No bunkers around the green to give perspective to the approach, making it a difficult shot to judge for length.

NO. 6, 172 YARDS, PAR 3

Deep bunkers protect the green on all sides, and the high Maiden sandhill shelters the green from the wind, making club selection deceptively tough.

NO. 7, 532 YARDS, PAR 5

The green can easily be reached in two provided the tee shot finds the fairway. Hole normally plays downwind, meaning anything worse than a birdie will feel like a shot has been lost to the field.

NO. 8, 455 YARDS, PAR 4

The tee has been pushed back nearly 40 yards, and two new bunkers have been added to the right of the fairway. The green cuts back into the sandhills, behind bunkers, making it a tough target.

NO. 9, 388 YARDS, PAR 4

Tee shot must avoid bunkers in valley, which are about 300 yards away. Even with a deep green, it should be nothing more than a wedge for the approach, allowing for good birdie opportunity.

NO. 10, 414 YARDS, PAR 4

The tee has been moved back and to the left. A relatively short hole, but in a crosswind, the narrow, slightly elevated green can be hard to hit. The green drops sharply on all sides, making an up-and-down recovery difficult.

NO. 11, 242 YARDS, PAR 3

Nearly 30 yards have been added since 1993, and the tee shot is difficult with the wind coming into the golfer and from the right. The green is protected by five bunkers.

NO. 12, 381 YARDS, PAR 4

Big hitters can hit a driver that reaches the green, although five bunkers in front make a long iron off the tee a safer bet. That will leave a wedge to the green for a good chance at birdie.

NO. 13, 459 YARDS, PAR 4

The demanding finish starts here, with a hole that has been straightened by moving the tee back and to the right. Two bunkers on both sides of the fairway about 300 yards away, and the green has a ridge from front to back that makes it difficult to get near the pin.

NO. 14, 550 YARDS, PAR 5

This is where Bernhard Langer hit his tee shot over the fence and out of bounds to the right, costing him a chance at winning in 1993. The tee shot must find the fairway and stay short of the creek known as the Suez Canal, which crosses at 332 yards. The green has been moved back 43 yards and is against the out-of-bounds fence on the right. Wind comes into the player and from the left.

NO. 15, 475 YARDS, PAR 4

Into the prevailing wind, this hole plays longer, with a greater premium on the approach shot. It will require a long iron to a green protected by three cross bunkers that run right up to the edge of the green and fall away on both sides.

NO. 16, 163 YARDS, PAR 3

The shortest hole at Royal St. George’s, this has yielded several holes in one. Even so, the green is surrounded by eight bunkers, and attacking the pin can be difficult in tricky winds.

NO. 17, 428 YARDS, PAR 4

A severely undulating fairway can create a difficult stance for the approach shot, which must hold a green that is wide but only 25 yards deep.

NO. 18, 460 YARDS, PAR 4

The left side of the fairway is preferred, short of three bunkers that stretch across at 328 yards. The approach shot must be threaded between the bunker at the front right of the green, and the grassy hollow to the left.

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The Winners at Royal St. George’s

The 12 players who have won the British Open when it was held at Royal St. George’s (x-champion decided in a playoff):

*--* YEAR PLAYER SCORE 1993 Greg Norman 267 1985 Sandy Lyle 282 1981 Bill Rogers 276 1949 Bobby Locke-x 283 1938 Reg Whitcombe 295 1934 Henry Cotton 283 1928 Walter Hagen 292 1922 Walter Hagen 300 1911 Harry Vardon-x 303 1904 Jack White 296 1899 Harry Vardon 310 1894 J.H. Taylor 326

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