The 16th hole (par 4), the beginning of the ‘Namseoul CC Horse Hall’, gave players nightmares from the first day of the 42nd GS Caltex Maekyung Open.
The first round of the tournament was held on the 4th at Namseoul CC in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do. Out of 144 players, only two, Kim Tae-hoon and Kozuma Jinichiro (Japan), made a birdie and cheered.
There are only 68 players who clenched their fists after recording a par. On the other hand, there were 61 bogeys, 7 double bogies, and 2 triple bogies. Jang Hui-min holed out after nine strokes and had to lose five strokes in this hole alone. The average number of strokes on the 16th hole, which was considered the most difficult hole of the day, was 4.59. This hole changed from par 5 to par 4 in 2017 and became an object of fear. Last year, the average number of strokes for this hole was 4.58 strokes. More than half of the players lost strokes on this hole.
Hole 16 was chosen as the most difficult hole in the men’s professional golf tournament held in Korea last year. The reason why professional golfers find the 16th hole difficult is that it is long and the fairway is narrow. Looking at the fairway from the teeing area, you can see two wide and deep bunkers. When the ball enters the bunker, it must pass 2m high, so the players feel a lot of pressure before teeing off.
Lee Jae-kyung, winner of the 2019 Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour Rookie of the Year award, said, “I have a lot of worries when I step up to the teeing area of the 16th hole. The fairway is narrow and there are two large bunkers, so I have to consider스포츠토토 various things when I hit the tee shot.” “Most of the players are thinking that it would be nice to be a par 5 again. I will do my best not to record a single bogey this year,” he raised his voice.
Seo Yo-seop, who has 5 wins in his career, also said, “It is really difficult to set the ball up as much as taking the second shot with a long iron. Also, the slope of the green is tricky, so if you putt from a long distance, you have to be prepared for a three-putt.”
It’s too early to be relieved even if you hit the second shot from the fairway. The greens are fast and hard. Also, the slope is steep, so it is difficult to catch the wave. Last year, there were only 16 birdies in four days at this tournament. There were 189 bogeys and 33 double bogies or more.