Royal Troon: Already Shaping Up To Be Tough Test

Players will need to find their “inner Tom Watson” to conquer Royal Troon next week.

The PGA and European Tours will head to Royal Troon next week for the third major of the year: the Open Championship. The oldest and perhaps most quirky of the four majors, it should provide a tough test for the world’s best players.

But how much of a test is too much?

The weather doesn’t look like it’s going to be doing the players any favors next week. On a course that already stretches 7,175 yards, reports of rain are looking to be all but certain. The players will need to channel the spirit of five-time winner Tom Watson and his success in playing both in the Open and in the rain. Executive editor of Golf Digest Mike O’Malley tweeted this on Thursday morning.

Heavy rains, fog and high winds could be the perfect recipe for a batch of high scores.

So we know the course is going to play tough and potentially slow. With the potential of winds knocking the ball down, it could be a brutally difficult test. Alex Myers of Golf Digest made note of the fact that almost every par 4 on the back nine is above 450 yards. Obviously it’s an easy task for a PGA Tour player to get on that green in two. But if there are downpours and gale force winds at Royal Troon, there’s a good chance most of the field will struggle and make mistakes.

In the midst of the Scottish Open, the players and media are already talking about next week at Royal Troon. England’s Justin Rose skipped the Scottish Open altogether and is apparently already practicing at Troon. There were even reports that Graeme McDowell had to hit a 6 iron at a 125-yd target in a practice round — talk about clubbing down.

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This week’s Scottish Open could be a blessing in disguise for some of the American players who aren’t used to competing on links style courses. With the cancellation of the Greenbrier Classic, we saw more players take the trip across the pond a week early to get a head start for the Open.

That doesn’t seem to be the case for Patrick Reed, though. The American is well-known in Europe for “shushing” the crowd after he sunk a putt during the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland. He must have a bad case of jet lag this week, though — he is already having a hard time staying on his feet. Hopefully, it is kink the American can iron out before next week’s major.

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What do you think will be the result next week at Royal Troon? Will the weather clear up or will it test the field to its limits? Let us know in the comments!