European Tour stats attack

STATS PREVIEW FOR THE SCOTTISH OPEN
Loch Lomond Golf Club, 8-11 July

THE LOWDOWN

2003: Els eases to victory

Tom Weiskopf, winner of the Open at Royal Troon 31 years ago, said recently he would rather be remembered as a course designer than a player. He could have no finer epitaph than as the man who created the Loch Lomond course.

Every player to have taken on its testing 7,088 yards is agreed that it's a 24-carot masterpiece. Quite apart from its breath-taking beauty on the banks of the Loch, it offers one of the top five most varied and challenging tests on the European Tour.

A million miles from some of the drive-wedge-and-putt courses in continental Europe and the States, it demands use of every club in the bag. You'll need power, panache and patience to match its par of 71.

Unfortunately for most of us, it also comes attached to one of the most exclusive clubs anywhere in the world. To play on it you need to be a mega-bucks member, royalty or the premier of a G7 nation.

WHERE IT WILL BE WON AND LOST

EASIEST HOLE: The par-five 518-yard third averaged 4.61 on the Reuters Stats last year when Els triumphed. The Big Easy only birdied it one day out of four but the hole is made for Els' power and accuracy.

A straight drive hugging the left of the fairway gives a downhill three-wood or low-iron approach on to a reasonably sized green guarded by a pond and bunker.

If you overdo it from the tee left you'll land in the rough, trees or, worse, the Loch, and if you go right you'll be blocked out from hitting the green in two by trees.

It also has a perfectly placed bunker on the left 300 yards down the fairway which dissuades any idea of cutting off too much from the tee. The stats showed that the hole yielded 188 birdies in 2003 and just 28 bogeys.

HARDEST HOLE: The 10th, a par-four beauty and beast in one, averaged 4.38 shots last year and an abnormally hefty 39 double-bogeys were chalked up here, not to mention 125 bogey-fives.

It's pretty long at 455 yards and it takes two decent strikes just to hit the green. The main problem is the water to the left of the hole and a truly demanding tee shot which offers trouble both left and right. It also has a stream running through the fairway from around wedging range.

Weiskopf ranks it one of the most demanding par fours he knows in golf. And one of the most gorgeous.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Mickelson won the Masters and finished second at the US Open

With the Open only a week away, the tournament has unsurprisingly attracted a first rate field topped by Phil Mickelson, the Masters champion, Retief Goosen, the US Open winner, the defending champion Ernie Els and defending Open champion Ben Curtis.

No matter what your name, though, you need to be on top of your game to triumph at the Loch.

Information provided by Reuters Stats

LOCH LOMOND CARD Total course length: 7,088 yards - Par 71
Hole	Yards	Par		Hole	Yards	Par
1	425	4		10	455	4
2	455	4		11	235	3
3	518	5		12	415	4
4	385	4		13	560	5
5	190	3		14	345	4
6	625	5		15	415	4
7	440	4		16	490	4
8	160	3		17	205	3
9	340	4		18	430	4
Out	3,538	36		In	3,550	35