The Hole To Watch: Royal St. George's 14th

With the bizarre practice round winds, Jim McCabe notes that No. 14 played unusually short.

The only par 5 back on the homeward holes, No. 14, seems a pushover based on the yardage – 547. But there’s out-of-bounds down the right side and some 300 yards out is the “Suez Canal,” a burn that cuts through the middle of the fairway. With the hole playing dead downwind Tuesday, the sensible tee shot was a 4- or 5-iron to get it out there 250, 260 yards and not bring the water into play.

Dustin Johnson did just that, but then he re-loaded and gave it a go. His first attempt with the driver found the burn, but his second cleared it on the fly, much to the delight of a marshal who stood there in amazement.

Regardless of the wind, expect 14 to once again play a pivotal role in the championship: OB, water, a bumpy landing area and sound strategy make it fascinating. Though I'm not a fan of OB as a hazard, it is a course boundary and ample width is allowed to avoid it on No. 14. 

A few photos taken a year ago when I visited Royal St. Georges. Click on the images to enlarge:

The Royal St. George's tee markers and yardage boxes.

Extending the tees means players are driving over the back of No. 13 green.

The player's view with the excessively marked out of bounds down the right.

Mounds in the fairway will deflect drives, unless you can bomb it over them, a huge advantage.

The OB is certainly not a secret!

A burn dissects the fairway.

The view after the burn shows fairway bunkers that add interest for those laying up.

The closer one flirts wit the out of bounds, the better the angle of approach to all hole locations.