Listening to so many of the world’s top players in recent days explain how they plan to tackle Royal Birkdale, one issue has stood out above all others.
Birkdale is a golf course that is extremely narrow and demanding off the tee, putting a premium on accuracy and an ability to hit fairways. A bomber’s paradise it most certainly is not.
That would be true in any conditions. But, with the scorched turf and fast and fiery fairways, the importance of accuracy increases tenfold.
It has even been suggested that some players may not carry a driver in their bag, given that some of them are hitting five-iron close to 300 yards in any case.
Then again, there will still be a temptation to carry driver, in the knowledge that could run-out to about 400 yards.
Bob MacIntyre believes Birkdale will be a battle of wits as much as anything else, a chess match where players will have to plot their way around the course.
Bob MacIntyre in practice yesterday at a Royal Birkdale course playing very firm and fast
MacIntyre splashes out of the sand in one of Birkdale’s many deep and difficult bunkers
The Scot enjoys a refreshment in the searing heat and staying cool on the course will be vital
This element is strategy is something he is relishing as he seeks to win his first major and lift the Claret Jug come Sunday evening. Plainly, Bob plans to box clever.
‘I’ve still got the driver in the bag, you still need it on certain holes on the front nine,’ explained MacIntyre.
‘We sent Kenny [McKenzie, his fitness coach] down the fairways the other day to check how much roll-out I was getting.
‘The ball was running out for fully 50 yards on some tee shots, even with like a six or seven iron.
‘Some guys will flip the coin and go with driver anyway, but then you run the risk of bunkers and all the other trouble.
‘For me, hitting greens in regulation is the key, so it’s about playing smart golf and hitting fairways.
‘There’s a lot of short clubs off the tee, just to stay out the pot bunkers, get it on the green from there and just try and take your chances.
‘I think it’s a very strategic golf course. You’ve really got to stay disciplined to your gameplan and trust that it’s right.
‘I honestly don’t know the last time I played a course this firm and fast. Maybe the Open at St Andrews [2022], or a Scottish Amateur an Panmure when it was really burnt and shiny, like concrete basically.
MacIntyre is his backswing as he eyes up a shot at Open glory in Birkdale’s fiery links
MacIntyre lines up a putt in practice and touch around the greens is another important factor
‘It does change your approach. You need to play smart golf, know where to miss it in the right spot, and be able to get up and down.’
The layout of the course at Birkdale has seen a few changes this year from when The Open was last held here in 2017.
The 15th hole is a brand new par three which measures 240 yards off the back tees, a monster for even the best players in the game.
MacIntyre believes the course could be fiendishly difficult given how fast it is playing, saying: ‘I played nine holes, the back nine, on Monday afternoon in strong winds – and it was brutal.
‘It’s tough, but yeah, I’ve had a bit more time to work it out since then, so we’ll see.
‘In terms of the new par three, I think it’s fine off the tee box at 200 yards, it’s a good hole.
‘In terms of the tee at 240 yards, I thought they should just build a grandstand on top of that. It’s a long, long way back.
‘I hit rescue earlier in the week and didn’t even get near the green. Especially with it being into the wind, it’s brutal.’
MacIntyre’s form has been patchy at times this season, missing the cut in the Masters and USPGA, as well as falling outside the world’s top 10.
But there have been signs of improvement over recent weeks, most notable a decent run over the weekend in last week’s Genesis Scottish Open as he tied for third place.
The 29-year-old Scot feels confident he can be among the main contenders come the weekend at Birkdale.
Holing a few more putts will be key, after working so hard to improve his approach play which had been such an issue earlier in the season.
‘It was a decent week last week to get ready for this,’ he continued. ‘It’s a different test, but it’s still golf.
MacIntyre gets into the swing of things at an already baked looking course
‘You’ve got to hit it where you’re aiming it and hit the distances. Hopefully I can hole a few more putts than last week.
‘I have found it hard to get a gameplan in place for the back nine. Just the course in general, you need to accept there’s going to be some long approach shots into the par fours.
‘I’m pretty good at it [mental approach]. I think now I’ve got a slightly different perspective on it. I come here, do my job, I’ve got things that I have to do.
‘There are certain things that probably the last couple of weeks I’ve let slip with my putting.
‘I’ve probably not done as much performance stuff on the putting and last week, if I’d putted the way I know I can putt, it was going to be a different story.
‘But it wasn’t, and yeah, just going to put a little bit more focus in on that-like getting back to doing what I’ve done.
‘Maybe spend half an hour more on it because I’ve been putting so much work into the long game because it was a weakness for a while.
‘There is a checklist you go through and it’s the same every week. The same with technical stuff, it’s the same.
‘It doesn’t change. It’s just rinse and repeat the whole thing. But then you do more work on one area and you neglect another area, and then it just flips from a strength to a weakness.
‘It’s just-it’s all about trying to just manage it, and once you get it in a good spot, just keep it going.’
