The world’s greatest golfers are bracing for a brutal test of nerve and skill as foul weather threatens to turn this week’s British Open into a battle for survival.
As if 206 bunkers weren’t enough of a challenge, three-times champion Tiger Woods claims the nasty, knee-high rough at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s is borderline unplayable.
Rain bucketed down on Monday and with more wet weather and wind forecast, Woods warned of scorecard carnage for anyone in the 156-man field who strays from the fairways.
“Oh my God, it’s just that you can’t get out of it,” said the world No.4 and 14-times major winner.
“The bottom six inches is so lush. The wispy stuff, we’ve faced that at every British Open, but that bottom six inches is almost unplayable.”
Adding to the perils, Lytham is also home to the most gruelling finishing stretch of five holes on the Open’s rotation of famous links courses.
“I’ve never played a course where the first nine holes are pretty much downwind and where the last nine are straight in,” said US PGA champion Keegan Bradley.
“You really have to drive it well here to score.”
Australian No.1 Adam Scott, who has been familiarising himself with the Lancashire course since Friday, said there were dangers at every turn but hoped the best ball strikers would be rewarded.
“As much as you’ve got to avoid the bunkers, the rough here this year is so brutal,” Scott said.
“Just off the fairway is okay. But if you spray one, there’s big penalties for that.
“So you’re avoiding a lot of the course when you’re trying to avoid bunkers and the rough as well.
“It’s tough, but it’s fair because the course isn’t super firm as it’s been raining so much.
“So if you hit a good shot, it’s going to stay on the fairway. It’s not going to run through into a bad lie.
“I really believe if you’re hitting it well off the tee, you’re going to at least give yourself an opportunity to have a good score.”
For defending champion Darren Clarke, the worse the weather, the better.
“I grew up in it,” said Clarke said after handing back the coveted Claret Jug to Royal and Ancient chairman Peter Dawson.
“I played a lot of links golf at home in Ireland and we haven’t always had good weather over there.
“The course is going to play really tough this week. It’s quite narrow. The rough is very, very penal and we’re forecasted some rough weather.
“But that’s the Open championship, I think. That’s what we expect and that’s what we’re going to get.
“If conditions are tough, that doesn’t particularly bother me. That’s fine.”
With three victories already this year, after going winless since his 2009 Australian Masters triumph, Woods has once again returned as the bookmakers’ Open favourite.
His three previous Open successes came at St Andrews in 2000 and 2005 and at Royal Liverpool in 2006.
He finished tied for 25th, nine shots behind fellow American David Duval, last time the event was contested at Lytham in 2001.
But in 1996, Woods shot a second-round 66 en route to winning the Silver Medal for leading amateur at the venue before turning pro the following month.
