Padraig Harrington during the first round of The 2024 Senior Open at Carnoustie. | Getty Images
Carnoustie Golf Links, the host of this week’s Senior Open, is giving the best players in the world over the age of 50 absolute fits.
Carnoustie Golf Links is widely regarded as the most challenging course on the Open Championship rota. Many also call it ‘Golf’s Greatest Test,’ an ode to its sheer brutality that brings seemingly every player to its knees.
Just ask Jean van de Velde, who, while holding a three-shot lead on the 72nd hole in 1999, made the most improbable triple-bogey in major championship history to force a playoff. He ultimately lost to Paul Lawrie in extra holes, but van de Velde’s finish will forever live on in golf infamy. His collapse on the 18th hole, a 487-yard par-4 at the time, is a perfect metaphor for how demanding this Scottish course is.
It’s cruel, which explains why Carnoustie is colloquially known among fans and pundits as ‘Carnasty.’
No wonder only 18 players finished under par after round one at this year’s Senior Open on Thursday. The Senior Open returns to Carnoustie for the first time since 2016, when Englishman Paul Broadhurst won his first of two senior majors. Carnoustie also hosted The Open in 2018 and the Women’s Open in 2021.
“The golf course is tough. There’s a lot of defensive shots on the course,” explained Padraig Harrington, who carded a 1-under 71 on Thursday.
“You go to the 6th with the out-of-bounds down the left; 8 with the out-of-bounds there, plenty of bunkers; and 18, there’s trouble everywhere looking at you. It’s a golf course that intimidates you.”
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Padraig Harrington chips across the Barry Burn on the 18th hole during the final round of the 2007 Open Championship.
Harrington, of course, won the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie, defeating Sergio Garcia in a playoff. But his march to victory almost came undone on the 18th hole, much like van de Velde’s eight years before. Harrington visited the Barry Burn twice, perhaps the most famous burn in golf that crosses the 18th fairway roughly 50 yards short of the green. That led to a double-bogey on the 72nd hole, and if Garcia had not missed a 10-footer for par moments later, the Claret Jug would have gone home with Garcia to Spain.
But even though Harrington emerged victorious on this course, he still has nightmares about it.
“I have plenty of demons out there, but I do enjoy myself here,” Harrington said.
“So I can enjoy the fact that I’ve won here. I can enjoy the reception I get here.”
Harrington enters the second round at Carnoustie trailing Canadian Stephen Ames by three shots. Ames posted a brilliant 4-under 68, a round that included only one bogey on the 248-yard par-3 16th, the most challenging hole on the course on Thursday.
“I hit the ball nicely. I hit some good shots, and I missed a lot of putts out there, unfortunately, for birdies,” Ames said.
“But overall, this is a good test for us this week. So I quite enjoyed the 68.”
Anyone would take a 4-under 68 on this golf course, especially the 133 golfers who shot over par on day one. That includes Bernhard Langer, who, without a golf cart, shot a 3-over 75.
Van de Velde, returning to Carnoustie 25 years after his infamous finish, also shot 75.
‘Carnasty’ has undoubtedly flexed its teeth so far this week, and it will only continue to do so as this championship wears on.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
