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Meet the Controversial New Hole at Royal Birkdale That Could Become the Biggest Story at the British Open

Andy Nesbitt|
The par-3 15th at Royal Birkdale is a 241-yard brute of a hole.
The par-3 15th at Royal Birkdale is a 241-yard brute of a hole. | David Cannon/Getty Images

Being a professional golfer who gets to play in the British Open might sound like a fun idea in theory, but then you see what the new 15th hole at Royal Birkdale looks like. Suddenly, opting to watch from your couch instantly becomes a much more enjoyable option.

Why is this hole such a fear-inducing plot of land? I mean, it’s just a par-3. A par-3 that measures 241 yards. A 241-yard par-3 that could be made even more difficult with gusty winds hitting you in the face as you take aim. A 241-yard par-3 that has trouble on both sides of a green that doesn’t have the biggest landing spots, especially if you’re hitting a long iron or fairway wood into it.

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Yeah, all of that doesn’t sound like much fun, does it?

And it’s exactly why this brute of a hole could become the story of this year’s British Open, which kicks off early Thursday morning.

Let’s dive into why this par-3 has already become a hot topic in the days before the championship begins

The par-3 15th is where the old 14th hole used to be. It has been redone since the 2017 British Open that was played at Royal Birkdale, and it’s a hole that could be redone again once the tournament is over.

As we said, it’s 241 yards long but that only tells a little bit of the story. Pro golfers are used to long par-3s. At the U.S. Open last month at Shinnecock, the par-3 second hole played up to 262 yards. But this 15th hole is even more difficult because of the green and what could happen to your ball if it rolls of it to either side, goes long of it, or comes up short of it.

Golf Channel’s Smylie Kaufman walked viewers through the difficulties that can arise if a player hits his shot a little right of the pin. The mounds that protected it, combined with the dried out grass and the rough behind that grass can lead players to trying to use anything from a putter to a 9-iron to a lob wedge to try to get their ball on the green.

Here’s another look at what players will be looking at if their ball ends up right of the green:

Left of the green isn’t a great bail out, either, thanks to a pair of pot bunkers that will make it difficult for players to get up-and-down from to save par.

The green itself is pretty long but not very wide and it slopes from front to back. If the pin is at the front, good luck getting it close if you are able to hit the green with your tee shot.

What the players have said about the 15th hole this week

Scottie Scheffler, who won the British Open last year, had this to say about No. 15 and the other new holes on the course:

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"The one thing I found interesting is it's so obvious as to which holes had been redone," Scheffler said. “They look like they're not even on the same golf course. You look at 14, 15, 16, those green complexes and the amount of slope that they have off of them are pretty severe and quite challenging. The 5th hole is kind of like that; 7th hole as well. It was pretty obvious the holes that got redone because they look like they're on a different golf course. Those are the things that stood out to me the most."

A number of other players told the DP World Tour that the tee shot on the 15th is the hardest shot on the entire course:

Why this hole could decide who wins the British Open

The closing stretch of any major championship can be daunting for players who are looking to get a career-defining victory. With all the pressure that will be on the final groups on Sunday, this difficult par-3 could be the hole that keeps someone from hoisting the Claret Jug later that afternoon. Imagine having a one-shot lead and stepping up to this tee box with a stiff breeze in your face? The green will probably look like the size of a penny and your heart will be absolutely pounding.

It’s going to be really interesting to see how this hole plays all week and how much of a factor it is in the championship. It feels like we’re going to hear a lot about it over the next four days.

Which sounds a lot better than having to try to play it.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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