WATCH: This Open Championship clip will make every hair stand on end…and I’m bald

The 145th Open Championship is here at long last. Many consider Royal Troon to be one of the fairest tests on the Open circuit. The best thing about the Open is the weather’s role in dictating the challenge of the course. It provides some subtly after the U.S. Open, which, to all intents and purposes, places a premium on course manipulation.
 

Professionals give their view on Troon:

“It’s not a golf course that suits long or straight hitters, it suits everybody. I would suggest this is certainly one of the fairest courses on The Open roster.”

Padraig Harrington, 2004

“I think the R&A does an incredible job of setting the golf course up fairly and maintaining the course the way it is meant to be played and not worrying about what the winning score is. The weather dictates that. I think that’s the way it should be.” 

Justin Leonard, 2004

“I remember liking this golf course very much in ’97. I remember Thursday’s round coming home in such a difficult wind I couldn’t reach three or four of the par-4s. And it was so challenging. I would love to see it play that challenging again. As tough as it was, I’d love to see that again, because it was a lot of fun to try to make pars on such a tough test.” 

Phil Mickelson, 2004