Old course a soft touch for new generation

Golfing traditionalists would consider the suggestion to be downright heresy but more and more people are wondering whether the Old Course at St Andrews has outlived its usefulness as an Open Championship venue.

It wasn’t just that the three golfers in last night’s play-off were all on 15 under par 273 but that so many others enjoyed a massive birdie fest, especially in Sunday’s third round when it was almost impossible to keep track of the amazing scoring.

At the end of 72 holes, 11 finished in double digits under par with the leading amateur Jordan Niebrugger among them! A total of 73 of the 80 qualifiers dipped below regulation totalling a massive 432 shots.