Birkdale's royal Open shift
The Man Out Front has seen the course changes that were made to accommodate more spectators. The course will look — and likely play — vastly different than in 2017. And not for the better.
Jordan Spieth won the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 2017, but when he returns in July for the 154th Open, the course will not look anywhere close to the same.
When the 23-year-old won his third major, he did so hitting tee shots wildly over the historic course and that provided Spieth with views of the course that most golfers never see.
The most memorable wayward shot came on the par-4 13th, which finished 100 yards right of the fairway and near the driving range. This year, that shot will likely be impossible due to the major changes made to the Southport links.
Earlier this month, The Man Out Front visited Royal Birkdale and found the Fred Hawtree and J.H. Taylor design had, indeed, changed considerably.
