Long hitters driving golf crazy

This year’s Open championship is likely to be the acid test for the Royal and Ancient Club, golf’s ruling body outside America, on whether something has to be done to limit how far the game’s top professionals now hit the ball.

Earlier this month Augusta National announced plans to lengthen the course for next year’s Masters and the same week Jack Nicklaus described last year’s Open at St Andrews as ‘‘an absolute joke’’ because the big-hitters were able to carry all the bunkers.