The seven big Open questions
6. Who wins at St Andrews?
What type of game tends to prevail on the Old Course? The last 12 winners there tells its own story.
On the Old Course, the safest approach is to stay left off the tee – with its expansive fairways, the course generally favours the right-hander who can draw the ball. Bobby Locke identified this early on, evolving his natural shot from a fade to a draw that often bordered on a hook and going on to win four Claret Jugs.
But as this diagram of the last 12 winners at St Andrews shows, there is no right or wrong way to win on the Old Course. Those who play a more natural fade flirt with the out of bounds that runs down the right on almost every hole, but they’re rewarded with an easier approach to the pin.
