Muirfield changes set tough test for Open stars

LONDON (AFP) –

Tiger Woods hits a fairway shot while the crowd watch his ball during the first round at the 131st Open Championship at Muirfield, Scotland on July 18, 2002. Woods, Rory McIlroy and the rest of the leading contenders for the British Open title have been set a tough task after organisers at this year’s Muirfield venue added an extra 158 yards and plenty of rough to the course.

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and the rest of the leading contenders for the British Open title have been set a tough task after organisers at this year’s Muirfield venue added an extra 158 yards and plenty of rough to the course.

New tees have been added on seven of the holes, taking the overall distance of the course from 7,034 yards when Ernie Els won the Open there in 2002 to 7,192 yards, par 71 for this year’s Championship from July 18-21.

The biggest difference is on the ninth, where a land swap with neighbours the Renaissance Club has enabled the tee to be moved back almost 50 yards — extending the par-five to 554 yards — with a new bunker added on the right of the fairway and bunkers moved closer to the green.

“We are absolutely delighted to be back at Muirfield for the 16th time,” said the chief executive of golf’s governing body the R&A, Peter Dawson.

“It’s immensely popular with the players. Jack Nicklaus’ comment about ‘What you see is what you get’ at Muirfield was perhaps directed at other links courses with blind shots and where more luck is involved.

“The ground here is relatively flat and every hole seems to be going in a different direction but we will be setting the golf course up to challenge these golfers.

Tiger Woods walks along the 11th fairway during the fourth round at the 131st Open Championship at Muirfield, Scotland on July 21, 2002. Woods, Rory McIlroy and the rest of the leading contenders for the British Open title have been set a tough task after organisers at this year’s Muirfield venue added an extra 158 yards and plenty of rough to the course.

“The rough has been cut down over the winter but will regenerate over the coming weeks. We will see the rough up and you are unlikely to win an Open Championship at Muirfield from the rough.

“The amount of rough is weather-dependent but we will get plenty.

“It has been lengthened by 158 yards since 2002 but that is only a two percent increase.”

Other new features for this year’s tournament include a free “Open in the Square” event in Edinburgh the weekend before the championship and LED scoreboards on the seventh, 11th, 16th and 17th in addition to the famous yellow scoreboard on the 18th.