Open Championship: Exploring Royal Liverpool’s famous final four holes

Holes 15 through 18 at Royal Liverpool feature a pair of par-5s and a brand new par-3 as The Open will be decided within this stretch.

The Open Championship returns to Royal Liverpool in England this week, a course situated on subtle sandhills that overlook the Irish Sea.

Also referred to as “Hoylake,” Royal Liverpool has produced great champions, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy most recently taking home the Claret Jug in 2006 and 2014, respectively.

Hoylake will undoubtedly produce another terrific Open Championship in 2023, as the course’s iconic final four holes will decide who lifts the Claret Jug on Sunday.

Hole 15 - Par 5, 620 Yards

Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images

In the 2014 Open Championship, this hole played as the 16th hole and measured 577 yards. McIlroy famously eagled this par-5 on Saturday, which ultimately helped him hoist the trophy the following day.

Ahead of this year’s Open, Royal Liverpool lengthened this par-5 to 620 yards, meaning players will have zero chance of reaching the green in two should they play it straight into the wind.

If the field plays this hole with the prevailing wind, which the forecast indicates as of this writing, then the 15th should produce some scoring opportunities.

Yet, the tee shot is daunting, as a pair of gnarly bunkers sit just to the right of the fairway.

Three pot bunkers sit on the left side, where the fairway begins to bend slightly to the right.

This hole is a slight dogleg to the right, as the second shot is perhaps the most difficult shot on this hole.

Players do not have a straight view of the green. The fairway snakes slightly to the left about 120 yards short of this green. At that point, a deep pot bunker will eat any lay-up that misses left.

Four pot bunkers guard the putting surface, with one sitting about 20 yards short and the other three on the green’s left side. The bailout is to the right, but mounds could lead to an uncomfortable lie should players miss there.

Hole 16 - Par 4, 461 Yards

Photo by David Cannon/R&A/R&A via Getty Images

A bear of a par-4, this slight dogleg left features eight total pot bunkers, two of which are situated on either side of the fairway about 275 yards from the tee.

As such, many players will likely opt to lay up short of those bunkers that sit to the left and right of the fairway. But that decision to play conservatively will leave second shots of more than 200 yards into the green.

On the other hand, many big hitters will opt to use their driver, especially if the wind is at their backs. Anything over 285 yards will carry it past the bunkers, as a right-to-left ball flight is desired off the 16th tee.

Five pot bunkers guard this green, with a devilish one sitting about 50 yards before the putting surface. Any player trying to run a low shot up onto the green must avoid this trap.

Two smaller pot bunkers guard the front left of the green, while two others are on the right side.

Any errant approach will be swallowed up by any of these bunkers, which are absolute no-goes. The pot bunkers surrounding the 16th green will likely produce plenty of high scores.

Anybody that walks away from this hole with a four will head to the 17th satisfied.

Hole 17 - Par 3, 136 Yards

Photo by David Cannon/R&A/R&A via Getty Images

This par-3 makes its debut at The 151st Open, the hole that everyone is talking about.

Measuring only 136 yards, the 17th at Royal Liverpool draws inspiration from the famous par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass.

Nicknamed ‘Little Eye,’ any player that fails to hit the putting surface will face a brutal up-and-down as the green feeds away from itself in all directions.

Two deep pot bunkers sit on either side of this green, which sits well above the rest of the terrain, exposing it to the wind thundering off the Irish Sea in the background.

Depending on how hard the wind barrels in from off the coast, players may hit a club as high as a 5-iron into this green.

But finding this green is paramount.

Players cannot miss this green to the right, as Golf Channel’s Aaron Oberholser explains above.

You cannot be short on this hole either, as a rather large pot bunker with elements of sand dunes protect the front side of the 17th hole.

Although it will prove quite difficult, ‘Little Eye’ may also become one of the most picturesque holes on The Open Rota. The views of the Irish Sea are stunning, as the country of Wales sits beyond in the distance.

But the field is not worried about the views; they are only concerned about walking away with a three—a solid score on this hole at any point of the Championship.

Hole 18 - Par 5, 609 Yards

Photo by David Cannon/R&A/R&A via Getty Images

The final hole at the 2023 Open Championship is a tricky par-5 but could prove as scorable should the wind be at the players’ backs.

This hole, named ‘Dun,’ has been extended by more than 50 yards since the 2014 Open. Players now have to carry their tee shots at least 240 yards to find the fairway.

The tee shot is rather daunting, as two deep pot bunkers sit about 320 yards from the tee off the left side of the fairway.

But internal out-of-bounds lurks down the entire right side, which will likely come into play at some point during the Championship.

The white stakes sit yards off the right edge of the fairway.

Hopefully, this does not come into play when the leaders are on the 72nd hole.

Alas, for their second shot on the 18th, players must carry the internal out-of-bounds on this sharp dogleg right par-5.

It is an awkward shot, especially if it plays into the prevailing wind.

Should players decide to go for the green in two, they must avoid the five pot bunkers that guard it.

Three pot bunkers sit on the left side of this green, while two more protect the right.

This hole could easily produce both eagles and double bogeys, some of which may come from the same pairing.

Simply, it is a brilliant closing hole for a major championship.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.