As a test of tour pro golf Is TOC still up to holding The Open?

[J Sadowsky]

I think the answer is less dependent on the final score and more on whether the players are forced to deal with the challenges the course was intended to present.  E.g., if the players are hitting over the hazards (or better off in the hazards than not), than I think that's a problem.

[Steven Blake]

I am curious as to why this didn't come up after this years masters? -18 this year, -14 and -12 have been winning scores in that major in the past few years.

Point being, Augusta has already been lenghtened enough so why bring it up. St. Andrews is a great venue and still challenges the best players when the wind is up. The past few times TOC has hosted the open it has been calm. Great players + great conditions = low scores no matter where they decide to play (ie this years masters, 2011 US Open etc)

Par means nothing ...

[MCirba]

Well, now that they've put those green side bunkers in on #2, it should be all right.   


To me, The Old Course IS golf, plain and simple.  Winning score matters not one bit; anyone who wins at St. Andrews has proven they can play the game.


That's why I was dismayed at the idea of architectural changes to it.

!

[Steve Okula]

Will this be the year someone makes an ace on #18?

As always some negatives about the Old Course hosting the Open. Have any of the naysayers actually attended an Open there?   I did in 2005 and had one of my best golf experiences ever.  Unlike Chambers Bay you can follow a group although it's tricky, but there are lots of cool vantage points.  The stands are great, most allow observation of play on two greens at once.   The crowds are big but many never leave the beer tents with big tv's. The course is a mine field of danger and the huge greens require great putting.    Who cares what the final score is?   It's all about the weather and "caning the loop," as it's been for decades.   Set the DVR or get up at 4 am, enjoy.  It's a historical event every time.   


And just being in St Andrews is a special time and place even where you're not at the course. 

Agree completely. I was there all week for the 1995 Open and it was the most fun I ever had at a golf event. I had no problem watching the action. It was fairly calm that July, but I went back to play it in September and the wind was blowing the balls off the green.