Scottie Scheffler — and an ‘underrated skill’ that needs to be encouraged

It’s beloved, yet agonizing.

Because it’s short, but hard. 

It’s the Postage Stamp, Royal Troon’s par-3 8th, which stretches out to around 120 yards but typically plays longer due to Scottish breezes. Hit its green from its elevated tee? You’re dancing. But miss? It’s easy to do so, of course — the Stamp is named not as an ode to mail carriers, but as a nod to its green’s size. If you’re left, right, long or short of it, pray for par. Beside the left-to-right-sloping green are five bunkers. One of ’em, on the left, is shaped like a coffin, and we’ll let you come up with your own deathly line about that.

Naturally, the hole’s been a popular topic this week as the Open Championship returns to Troon, and the par-3’s been popular among the pros, with the reasoning being notable. 

Said Tiger Woods: “It’s just a simple — I hit 9-iron and a pitching wedge the last two times I played it. I’ve hit as much as a 7-iron. But it’s a very simple hole; just hit the ball on the green. That’s it. Green good, miss green bad. It doesn’t get any more simple than that.

“You don’t need a 240-yard par-3 for it to be hard.”

Said Xander Schauffele: “It’s refreshing. It’s really hard. I played it for the first time today, so pretty fresh in my mind.

“Yeah, it’s really nice. Most of the holes we play are 255 yards. It’s kind of cool to have a hole that’s super scary that is that short, and I think it’s going to provide a lot of entertainment if that wind picks up off the left.”

Said Tommy Fleetwood: “I think the majority of the best par-3s in the world, there’s very few that are over 150 yards, and I think the Postage Stamp is probably one of those. I think it should be a simple wedge shot, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

“I think the punishment for lack of concentration or a slightly bad shot is obviously very severe, but I think that’s what makes it so — you know, one of those unique holes and one of those that will keep people talking all the time.

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“Yeah, I think it’s a fantastic hole because also there’s a huge amount of acceptance that goes into not trying to stiff a 100-yard shot really. I think that along with holes like the 12th at Augusta, they’re all like a mental game as well with you where you feel like you probably should be able to do better, but a 3 is a good score.”

There’s a theme there: A hole is not hard because of its yards. The thought isn’t new, but it’s become more relevant as golfers get longer and holes get longer and folks in charge wonder if all that’s sustainable. 

Then there’s Scottie Scheffler. Count him among that chorus that says short is sexy. 

On Tuesday, during his pre-Open press conference, the world No. 1 called the Postage Stamp great. He said you don’t have to make par-3s “230 yards” to make them great. He grouped Troon’s 8th with Augusta National’s 12th and TPC Sawgrass’ 17th as being the world’s best par-3s. 

“It leaves a lot of opportunity for you to hit a shot,” Scheffler said. “If I don’t hit the green on No. 8, it’s mostly likely going to be a bogey unless you’re in the front of the green. If you miss it in the right bunker or the left bunker — if you hit it in the left bunker, you’re going to be glad to be making a bogey because it’s probably going to plug, and you’ll be hitting up-and-down for your bogey.

“I think great little short holes like that are fun.”

Scheffler then made a plea. 

He said longer holes encourage players just to hit longer — and take away the idea of ball control.  

“I think it’s an underrated skill for guys nowadays to be able to control your ball,” Scheffler said, “and I think it’s something we need to encourage in our game, not just building golf courses longer and longer. 

“You can make a short hole with a small green, and it’s pretty dang tough.”

(It’s here where you may be asking: How do you control your ball? Good question — and this article, this article and this article are good places to go.)