Bunker mentality: British Open changes rake pattern in pot bunkers at Hoylake

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — The bunkers at Royal Liverpool were not the place to be Friday in the British Open. They just weren't quite as bad as they were in the opening round.

The R&A made adjustments early Friday morning to prevent shots from running through the sand and stopping at the face of the vetted walls. Sand in the bunkers typically descends toward the bottom. These were raked flat, leading to some atrocious lies.

“We routinely rake bunkers flat at most Open venues,” the R&A said in a statement, “but decided this adjustment was appropriate in light of the dried conditions which arose yesterday.”

Padraig Harrington says bunkers typically are raked flat for the British Open, which which is why the Road Hole bunker on the 17th at St. Andrews is a beast in the Open and playable at the Dunhill Links on the European tour.

“The problem here is the bunkers are very small,” said Harrington, a two-time Open champion. "The change they made today was right. The bunkers are still severe without them being absolute penalties. Every fairway bunker is a chip out. A lot of the greenside bunkers — now with the change — you can get out of them, but you’re not necessarily getting up-and-down.

“They’re still not a great place to be.”

HOBBLING KIM

Tom Kim says he slipped on a patch of mud outside his rental house after his opening round and sprained his right ankle. It hurt enough to consider withdrawing.

Instead, he shot 68 and got back to even par for the championship.

“Very unfortunate thing. It’s pretty bruised. I can’t take off my shoe really. I don’t know how I really walked,” Kim said. “But once the adrenaline popped in, I got away with it. Now I’m surviving.”

Kim said his trainer advised him he could play without doing any more damage, so he taped it and dealt with discomfort.

“I definitely went out there with low expectations,” Kim said. “I hit the ball better than yesterday without a bad foot, so maybe it’s a good thing.”

TRAVIS SMYTH COMES UP ACES

Travis Smyth had reason to despise the new par-3 17th hole at Royal Liverpool after making a double bogey in the opening round. One day later, he was celebrating a hole-in-one.

“It was amazing,” Smyth said. “I had a shock of the day before, made double bogey, and I was just really happy I hit a good shot because I was just so disappointed from the day before. Yeah, huge surprise that it went in the hole. It was just the perfect distance, perfect wind and the club. Everything just kind of came together, and it was a moment I’ll never forget."

He hit a high 9-iron that bounced twice before going in. The cheer resonated across the links, and Smyth raised his right arm to celebrate as his caddie and playing partners came over to congratulate him. It was the first hole-in-one at Hoylake this week.

The 17th was redesigned to add drama to the Open at Royal Liverpool this year, challenging players with an elevated green well protected by steep slopes and deep bunkers. High wind coming from the Irish Sea made it difficult for players to find the putting surface.

FOX REBOUNDS

Brian Harman had the round of the tournament, a 65 that gave him a five-shot lead and matched the lowest score at Royal Liverpool for the British Open.

Overlooked was the round by Ryan Fox of New Zealand.

Fox played his final 14 holes in 9-over par on Thursday for a 78 and looked certain to miss the cut. He was 11 shots better on Friday, a 67 to make the cut on the number.

HARRINGTON MOVES ON TO WEEKEND

Padraig Harrington still plays when he can on the PGA Tour to try to keep his game sharp, and the 51-year-old Irishman is holding his own.

Harrington had an even-par 71 on Friday and made the cut on the number, which was significant for a couple of reasons. He played three majors this year and made the cut in all of them. Harrington is a former British Open and PGA champion, and he got into the U.S. Open as the reigning U.S. Senior Open champ.

That's not all. Harrington played four other regular PGA Tour events and made the cut in all of them. His best finish has been a tie for 10th in the Valero Texas Open. His strong play has sparked talk of him getting picked for the European Ryder Cup team, and he even got a phone call from captain Luke Donald.

“It's every PGA Tour event I've played this year,” Harrington said of his improbable cut streak. “Look, I haven’t played as well the last couple of weeks now but I’ve started driving the ball really well, not creating any drama.”

A year ago, he missed the cut in all four majors.

DIVOTS

Jon Rahm was among 12 players who made the cut in all four majors this year. That makes four straight years the Spaniard has not missed a cut in any of the majors. ... LIV Golf had 10 of its players make the cut this week, though none is among the top 10. ... The top 10 on the leaderboard going into the weekend are represented by seven countries — the United States, England, Austria, Australia, India, Spain and Argentina.

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