2023 Open Championship Preview
Who will take the crown at Royale Liverpool in Hoylake? Will Cam Smith repeat, or will Rory end his 10-year major drought?
The 2023 Open Championship will be contested at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. Royal Liverpool has hosted the annual tournament 13 times (1897, 1902, 1907, 1913, 1924, 1930, 1936, 1947, 1956, 1967, 2006, 2014, and 2023). This year's Open has some major storylines to go along with it, as well as a massive purse. Before we get into everything else, let's go over some fast facts.
Fast Facts
Where: Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, Wirral, United Kingdom
When: July 20th-July 23rd
Defending Champion: Cameron Smith
Purse: $16,500,000; $3,000,000 for the Champion
Course Record: 65 (-6, Par 71)
The Field: Find a list of each golfer participating Here.
Odds:
With McIlroy coming off a heart-racing birdie-birdie finish at the Scottish Open last week, it's no wonder he's favored for a victory this week. He has also had some very close calls, including runner-up at the US Open in June. Scheffler and Rahm are two big names as well, being number 1 and 2 in the world currently. LIV Golf has 2 big names as well, including this year's PGA Champ Brooks Koepka, and defending champ Cam Smith.
The Course
Hole 1, “Royal”
Par 4, 459 yards
The opening hole to the 2023 Open is a tricky slight dogleg left. players will need to avoid the short bunkers with their drive and have a crafty iron shot into the green for their approach. The green is surrounded by bunkers, making a misplayed second shot hard for players to get up and down.
Hole 2, “Stand”
Par 4, 453 yards
The second hole for the tournament seems very similar to the first. However, it doglegs slightly right. Bunkers short are in play off the tee for almost every golfer. The fairway also gets very narrow about halfway from tee to green. Players will need every part of their game to come away with par or better on this hole.
Hole 3, “Course”
Par 4, 426
A hard dogleg right that’s very open can have the wind sneak in and challenge the players as they tee. “Course” doesn’t have many bunkers in the fairway or guarding its green. Players will need to take this opportunity to get a birdie early into their round.
Hole 4, “Road”
Par 4, 367 yards
The 4th par-four in a row requires accuracy off the tee. If the player is accurate, you are rewarded by avoiding bunkers on the left and right side of the fairway. With a second shot, and “good miss” is over the green, missing out on bunkers in front. However, too far back and you likely end up in thick rough. 2 solid shots should lead you to a great chance at birdie.
Hole 5, “Long”
Par 5, 520 yards
The first par 5 of the tournament curves into a dogleg left over a long period of time. A miss right off the tee leaves you in line with bunkers. A miss left off the tee leaves you in the rough, with a worse angle at the green. A second shot requires you to go straight or to the right of the green, avoiding bunkers on the left prior to the green. I could see this hole being one of the easiest or one of the hardest. Wind will play a big factor in that statistic.
Hole 6, “New”
Par 3, 201 yards
The first par 3 and the newest hole of the course, this hole plays just over 200 yards, and its green is surrounded by more bunkers. A sloped green can provide for shots over the intended target to slope back. Some players may also aim for that. Being long is what players should aim for.
Hole 7, “Telegraph”
Par 4, 481 yards
The 7th hole has a fairway that comes to an end. Bunkers hang on the right and left side of the fairway, almost directly across from each other. A straight drive should set up a terrific approach. The green seems like it could be a tricky one, having two bunker’s place to the left of it, and a short side near the back half.
Hole 8, “Briars”
Par 4, 436 yards
Briars is a somewhat straightaway par 4 heading back in to close the front nine. bunkers down the right should lead most golfers to aim left, especially with that slight opening at the front of the green. The green of the 8th hole is almost in a bean shape, and should have shown difficult pin positions day to day. Eliminating the bunkers near the front should help most golfers shoot par or better.
Hole 9, “Dowie”
Par 3, 218 yards
Dowie closes the exciting front nine with a difficult par 3. Players will most likely aim dead on, or a separate shot shape depending on the pin position. Bunkers on both sides mean a pulled tee will require an up and down to save par. This hole could be an important one in the later days of the tournament.
OUT: Par 35, 3,561 Yards
Hole 10, “Far”
Par 4, 507 yards
A very long par 4 to start your back nine could lead to some higher scores, Players teeing off on 10 on Thursday and Friday will face a tough challenge right out of the gate. The game’s distance hitters like McIlroy and DeChambeau won’t have a challenge getting near the green, but that’s where iron/wedge play becomes important. The greenside bunker could also catch many wayward approach shots.
Hole 11, “Punch Bowl”
Par 4, 392 yards
A shorter par 4 continues down the back nine at RLGC. Ridges in the middle of the fair will help golfers get the extra roll out of their drives. A miss left off the tee may leave you unable to reach the green in two. The green on hole 11 is very unique, with bunkers on both sides (one deeper than the other), and a roll-off to its leftmost side.
Hole 12, “Dee”
Par 4, 449 yards
A dogleg left with bunkers down the right side definitely favored the golfer who hit a right to left shot shape off the tee. Anyone who goes right has a big chance of landing in the 3 bunkers guarding the fairway. The green is in a more oval shape, and doesn’t seem to have much around it, making it seem quite easy. Time will tell how difficult Dee will play in 2023.
Hole 13, “Alps”
Par 3, 194 yards
The 3rd par 3 and first on the back nine plays just under 200 yards. Alps has one lone bunker to gobble up all the short shots that miss to the right. Left and somewhat long is the place to miss. Players can take advantage of a tough 4 holes on the back to start and make a birdie. Would NOT be surprised if an ace is made here this week.
Hole 14, “Hilbre”
Par 4, 454 yards
A sharp dogleg left will require an accurate tee shot and a well-struck second shot to have even a chance at a score of 3. Bunkers at the dogleg will make the first and second shots very challenging. Club choice selection will be uber-important to players and their caddies. With this being one of the closing 5 holes, the tournament could be won or lost on this very hole.
Hole 15, “Field”
Par 5, 620 yards
The longest hole of the championship provides a tough test for each golfer. The last stretch of holes on RLGC contains two lengthy par fives, and a short par 3. Golfers will need all types of shots from their bags to successfully navigate the final 4 holes. The field has bunkers down the left-hand side. Tee shots miss right should be ok, but a miss right might be a beach day. Your second shot will also want to stay to the right or lay up before the curve in the fairway. If you were to get it over the curve, that should leave any of these guys with a wedge in. Missed approach shots to the left will end up sandy, and in a tough position in order to make 5 or less. The distance and amount of bunkers make “Field” a show for all of us fans.
Hole 16, “Lake”
Par 4, 461 yards
Hole 16 is another tough challenge. Bunkers guard the sides of the fairways again, along with more reading up to the green and around it. A straight tee shot is required to leave yourself a second shot that has a chance to reach the green. This green also has a bunker built into the side of it, making shots that come up short and right in the direct vicinity of those bunkers.
Hole 17, “Little Eye”
Par 3, 136 yards
A short deceiving par 3 makes the second to last hole that much more treacherous. A green surrounded by bunkers on all sides will require the most accurate shot of your round. A miss short or long might leave you outside of a bunker, but will require excellent short game to get up and down for a par.
Hole 18, “Dun”
Par 5, 609 yards
The final hole of the 151st open is a long par 5 back to the clubhouse. It starts out left but cuts back and finishes as a dogleg to the right. With bunkers short, right off the tee, and bunkers around the green, your first and second shots will determine your score. This green is very similar to number 17, as it’s littered with bunkers, and the only “safe” miss is short or long. Hole 18 should provide for a stellar finish, and many highlights throughout the 4 rounds.
Notable Tee Times
Names in italics are former champions.
Name in italics and bold is the defending champion.
All times in EST (Eastern Standard Time)
3:47 am EST:
Sam Burns, Sepp Straka, and Chris Kirk
4:03 am EST
Jordan Spieth, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Jason Day
4:36 am EST
Patrick Cantlay, Brooks Koepka, and Hideki Matsuyama
4:47 am EST
Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, and Adam Scott
4:58 am EST
Cameron Smith, Xander Schauffele, and Wyndham Clark
5:09 am EST
Shane Lowry, Rickie Fowler, and Robert MacIntyre
5:20 am EST
Cameron Young, Si Woo Kim, and Bryson DeChambeau
8:26 am EST
Sahith Theegala, Emiliano Grillo, and Dustin Johnson
9:37 am EST
Keegan Bradley, Sungjae Im, and Joaquin Nieman
9:48 am EST
Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau, and Justin Thomas
9:59 am EST
Rory McIlroy, John Rahm, and Justin Rose
10:10 am EST
Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, and Tyrrell Hatton
10:21 am EST
Phil Mickelson, Nick Taylor, and Adam Schenk
Notable Story Lines
LIV-PGA Tour merger
LIV Golf and the PGA Tour announced a new golf entity on June 6th, 2023, shocking the golf world. It sent ripples through both tours, with players and management not having any idea of the plans to merge with a rival. This has caused a lot of distrust between the executives and players. In the end, however, LIV will want LIV Golfers to win, and the PGA Tour would love to see one of their own take on the Claret Jug.
Does a LIV golfer repeat?
Cameron Smith was the champion of the 150th Open last year. Shortly after his win, he departed for LIV Golf, one of many big names to join the new golf league. While there have been many haters toward the league, it’s no start-up. LIV completed its first full year in 2022, and now looks to have a second one of their many become a major winner in 2023.
The Drought
Rory McIlroy hasn’t won a major tournament in 10 years. His last was the Open in 2014, held at the same course as 151st, Royal Liverpool. Coming off his win in Scotland last week at the Genesis Scottish Open, he definitely has the momentum and the highest chance of pulling it off for his 5th major.
