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Golf Courses: Ranking the top 10 Par 3 holes around the world

By Brandon Raper

9 Nov 1996: With the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, Sandy Lyle of Scotland hits his tee shot on the eighth hole during the third round of the Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International golf tournament at the Plantation course in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. Lyle fired
9 Nov 1996: With the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, Sandy Lyle of Scotland hits his tee shot on the eighth hole during the third round of the Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International golf tournament at the Plantation course in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. Lyle fired /
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Royal Troon Postage stamp best par 3s
TROON, SCOTLAND – JULY 14: Jason Dufner of the United States putts on the 8th green during the first round on day one of the 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon on July 14, 2016 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) /

No discussion of the greatest par-3s in golf is complete without mention of the eighth hole at Royal Troon. As a matter of fact, it was voted as the greatest par 3 in all of Scotland in 2017. Considering how seriously the Scots take their golf, and just how many golf courses there are to select from, that’s high praise indeed.

The “Postage Stamp” has more than earned its nickname over the years, as the shortest hole in the entire Open Championship rota. How small is this green, anyway? 2,700 square feet, with several surrounding bunkers. As is the tradition, those bunkers are about the worst place to be at Royal Troon. Even the world’s best have been beaten by this hole.

In the 2016 Open, Rory McIlroy needed six shots just to get out of the bunker he found himself in here. Jordan Spieth got caught up as well, although not quite as badly. Shugo Imahira went bunker-to-bunker here on his way to a quadruple bogey seven. And that’s just in one year.

Still, there’s a feeling of belonging here. A true Open-caliber links is going to put up defenses when the winds start blowing as they so often do. This is a legendary hole befitting its place in Open lore.

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