Hole 12

12th Par 3 Championship tee 184 yards Medal tee 181 yards

Justin Rose says: The 12th hole is probably the best par 3 on the golf course and actually one of the best par 3 s in the world. It s beautifully framed by mounding and when the crowd sit on top of the hill it really is a beautiful site. The green is very narrow in the front and it has two deep bunkers that guard the front of the green. The bunkers play twice as big as they are because all the ground around the bunkers funnels the ball back into them. So this again is a very small green, distance control is paramount here and if you hit it into the middle of the green, you have a realistic birdie opportunity to any flag.

Brian says: This is a classic par 3, although not long by modern standards. It is regarded as the best short hole at Birkdale and is Tom Watson s favourite. It is a great hole because the wind is often off the right-hand side and the players will need to control the ball into that breeze. They will probably play a fade with plenty of club, particularly as when the ball hits the green it tends to fall to the left.

Hole 1|Hole 2|Hole 3|Hole 4|Hole 5|Hole 6|Hole 7|Hole 8|Hole 9|

Hole 10|Hole 11|Hole 12|Hole 13|Hole 14|Hole 15|Hole 16|Hole 17|Hole 18|