"That's a hard green to hit with any club in your hand, much less a 3‑wood."

So many highlights from Tom Watson's press conference today (covered by Tony Jimenez here, Bill Fields here, Gary Van Sickle here and Jeff Rude here). It's so fun to hear Watson diplomatically explain why the new tee on 14 just doesn't work if there is any kind of hurting wind.

14 is the hole that's going to create some problems from the standpoint that when they move the tee back into an east wind, it's going to be very difficult for most of the field to carry Hell's Bunker.  Now we'll be going into the 4th fairway over there causing all kinds of delays coming in off the tee, like this, and from that standpoint it's going to make it play probably not the way they should play it.  I just don't like the idea of trying to be able to hit a 3‑wood over there and trying to get up around the 14th green.  That's a hard green to hit with any club in your hand, much less a 3‑wood.

That's the one change that I think that they'll probably ‑‑ they'll consider pretty strongly.  Maybe they won't use the back tee there.  

Comments

[George]

It would be pretty hard not to defer to Mr. Watson in matters concerning links golf. His bearings may possibly be a little off after being traumatized by being so close to Mr. Daly's champions dinner jacket, but I suspect he's still correct in his assessment of the 14th.