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PGA TOUR: Players can expect challenging course conditions

/noticias.info/ By Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent

STRAFFAN, Ireland -- Water comes into play on 10 holes on the Palmer Course at the K Club, which shouldn’t be a surprise given that its namesake designer, Arnold Palmer, has many times been inclined to employ heroic and penal architectural elements to his layouts to staggering effect.
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That water will come into play rather more consistently throughout the 36th Ryder Cup is a result of the course’s recent redesign master, Hurricane Gordon.

Four-Ball matches beginning at 8 a.m. Friday -- weather permitting, we fear to say -- will signal the start of the latest tangle between the United States and Europe. But all 24 players will find themselves occupied with another adversary, namely the weather, which already has brought more than enough rain to leave this parkland course lacking firm park or land. A forecast for strong winds could mitigate any additional precipitation, though not appreciably. And breezes bring their own challenges, ones potentially much more perturbing and problematic.

Should the wind and woe conspire as expected, this Ryder Cup may be played amid the most challenging conditions in memory. (In fact, so soaked is the turf already that officials have discussed the possibility of competing under lift, clean and place rules.) What’s more, the shots required to successfully navigate in such an inhospitable milieu may be far less suited for the K Club than for its older brethren, the grand and ancient links courses for which the Emerald Isle is famous.

Most links courses have minimal water and few trees and shots can be played along the ground. The Palmer Course, meanwhile, adds to its watery obstacles numerous trees lining the fairways and large bunkers. The only benefit of all the rain is that fairways and greens will hold shots (if not swallow them up).

Still, don’t be surprised if bogeys are conceded and coveted.

While all the players have the ability to adjust to such extremes, the local knowledge the home personnel possess could give them a slight advantage. At least that’s what European captain Ian Woosnam expects.

“I think it’s favorable for us because we’ve played much more in these conditions than the Americans would do,” Woosnam said. “The air is much heavier here and when the ball moves, whether you hit it with a slice or a draw, it moves twice as much as it does in America.”

Countered three-time British Open champion Tiger Woods, “I think we’ve all played in weather like this, we’ve all played in bad weather around the world, so that’s not anything new. It’s all about quality of ball-striking controlling your flight. That’s something all these guys can do.”

Added U.S. skipper Tom Lehman, “Everybody has to play in it, so it's just a matter of who has the mental toughness to deal with it through to the end.”

The K Club, opened in 1991, underwent a recent renovation under Palmer’s direction that stretched the sylvan par-72 layout to 7,315 yards with the lengthening of eight holes, which wouldn’t be so significant were it not for all the precipitation. Now it’s a factor. “The golf course is playing very long, and with the wind blowing the way it's been, length is a really big deal,” Lehman said.

In addition, Palmer, a former Ryder Cup captain and competitor, installed new bunkers while moving or removing others, redesigned several greens and added trees in select areas. The rough has been grown to a moderate length.

The order of the holes on the Palmer Course was flip-flopped with the exception of 9 and 18. This sets up a finish consisting of a strong par-4 sandwiched between two par-5 holes that heretofore were thought to be reachable in two, but with the soggy conditions might only be carried by just a few of the very longest hitters. Water hazards lurk on each of the closing four holes.

Colin Montgomerie believes the changes have had minimal impact on the course’s core strategy. It is an American-style course in the heart of Ireland.

“We saw the new tees the last time we played the European Open here, so there's no worries with the course, the conditions, or anything like that,” he said. “We're very used to this golf course. It's a home course for us, it's a home course advantage, and it plays to us. We know what's going on around here. We're very comfortable around here.”

Given the forecast, comfort might be a relative term as the matches progress. Or it might be unattainable altogether. But the Ryder Cup has never been about comfort, only good and fair competition, and, no matter what the conditions, that old bromide applies: it’s the same for everyone. notas_de_prensa_archivo