TROON, Scotland — It’s a simple little thing, really.
It’s the 18-handicap hole on Royal Troon, which means it’s been deemed the easiest hole to par on the course.
Yet the 123-yard, par-3 eighth hole, affectionately named “Postage Stamp,’’ strikes fear into the best players on the planet.
It’s treacherous enough that it has potential to wreck a player’s chances to win this week’s British Open should he post a big number on it.
Much like No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass, with its famous island green, No. 12 at Augusta, which is the centerpiece of “Amen Corner,’’ and the iconic seventh hole at Pebble Beach that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, if there’s one hole to keep an eye on during this week’s Open, it will be the “Postage Stamp.’’
If you’re a spectator who’s fortunate enough to be at Troon to watch, posting up a seat at the “Postage Stamp’’ with a pint or two in hand is highly recommended.
If you’re at home watching, consider it must-see TV.
The “Postage Stamp’’ is like a small dog that appears docile at first glance but, depending on its mood, will tear into your leg and draw blood.
“It’s a very simple hole,’’ Tiger Woods said ahead of Thursday’s first round. “Just hit the ball on the green. That’s it. Green good. Miss green bad. It doesn’t get any more simple than that.’’
Except when you miss the green.
The tee box sits atop a dune with a long and narrow green set into the side of a sandhill. There are five intimidating bunkers waiting like hungry animals poised to feast on wayward golf balls affected by the cross winds.
One of the world’s most famous bunkers, named “Coffin,’’ protects the left side of the green. Many a player’s round has died in that steep and rectangular trap.
“It’s a simple hole, but it doesn’t take much of a mistake to pay a severe price,” Woods said. “You don’t need a 240-yard par-3 for it to be hard.’’
Bryson DeChambeau called No. 8 “diabolical, for sure,’’ and he hadn’t even played it yet. He was speaking merely from the hole’s reputation.
The hole got its name when a 1922 article in Golf Illustrated referred to the green as “a pitching surface skimmed down to the size of a Postage Stamp.”
Woods, playing in his first Open as a professional in 1997 and after shooting 64 in his third round, found a bunker on the Sunday, took a triple-bogey 6 and fell from contention.
That same year, an Englishman named Steve Bottomley took quadruple-bogey 7 in the first round and 10 in the second round.
Not everything on No. 8 has resulted in carnage. In the 1973 Open, Gene Sarazen, at age 71, carded one of the four hole-in-ones in Open history on the hole. And, when asked afterward if he could describe what he saw, Sarazen famously said, “No, I can’t see that far anymore.’’
Jim “Bones” Mackay, who caddied for Phil Mickelson when he finished second in 2016 and is working as an on-course reporter for NBC Sports this week, called the Postage Stamp one of the top-five spectator holes in golf.
“And I may be underselling it,’’ Mackay said. “It may be one or two. If I was a patron there this week and the gates opened, I’d be sprinting out there to spend the day. As we go through the week, we’re going to see quite a few 2s and also some 5s or 6s. I can’t wait to see how it plays out this year, especially if we get a little bit of wind.”
Brad Faxon, a former PGA Tour player who also is working for NBC this week, said, “If you were going to put together your top-10 list of the best par-3s in the world, I don’t think anybody could leave the Postage Stamp out as one of the best holes in the world. It could be No. 1.’’
Reigning PGA champion Xander Schauffele called the hole “refreshing.”
“It’s kind of cool to have a hole that’s super scary that is that short,’’ Schauffele said. “I think it’s going to provide a lot of entertainment if that wind picks up off the left.’’
Colin Montgomerie, who grew up playing Troon, called No. 8 a “potential card wrecker,’’ adding, “It’s amazing how one can design a course back in the 1870s and it still stands the test of time today. Nearly 150 years old and it can still generate excitement and drama.’’
Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, said, “I get frustrated sometimes when the solution to distance is just making holes further and further.’’
“No. 8 is a good little way to almost step back in time and control your ball a bit more. You don’t have to make a par-3 230 yards to make it a great hole. Great short holes like that are fun.’’
Until they aren’t.
