6. Merion Golf Club (East), 11th hole, par 4, 369 yards
One of
the prettiest and most historic holes I've ever played. A
downhill tee
shot leaves a wedge approach into a small green protected on the
left
by one of Merion's famous shaggy bunkers and front, right and back by Cobbs
Creek. This is where Bobby Jones played his last shot as
a career
amateur. After closing out Eugene V. Homans 8 & 7 to win the 1930
U.S. Amateur and the final leg of the Grand Slam, he retired from the
competitive golf.
7. Harbour Town Golf Links, 18th hole, 452 yards
One of the
best finishing holes on the PGA Tour. The fairway is
extremely wide,
but it doesn't appear that way from the tee, where all you see
is the
long carry over the salt marsh to the peninsula and out of bounds right.
The marsh can also come into play if you drive it too long. The green
is small
and difficult to hit, especially with the prevailing wind off
Calibogue Sound,
which abuts the green on the left. How often do you
see red stakes practically
on the green?
8. Muirfield, 8th hole, par 4, 443 yards
The No. 1 handicap
hole on one of the toughest links courses there
is. Bunkers, gorse and
heather on the corner of the dogleg-right hole force you
to play it
safe by keeping your drive left off the elevated tee. Your approach
has
to carry a giant bunker that sits about 30 yards short of the green, but get
lucky and catch the down slope on the backside and you might end up
with a
tap-in birdie as I did last October.
9. Sherwood Country Club, 7th hole, par 5, 570 yards
This is actually the 16th hole
during the Target World Challenge, but whatever the order in the round it's one of
Jack Nicklaus' best risk-reward holes. It's a pretty easy par if you lay up
the whole way, but the temptation is so great to hit your elevated tee
shot close to the brook and then attempt to reach the well-guarded green in
two.
