By Michael Sweenie and Andy Carter
The 8th hole is a stunning but challenging right to left dog leg which, during last year’s Race to Dubai finale, proved to be one of the toughest holes on the course for the best players in the world – certainly for eventual winner John Rahm who played this hole in over par for the week!
Like so many of the tee shots on Earth, the cleverly designed bunkers set up an intimidating tee shot. The tee shot favours a draw and the aggressive line required to leave a shorter approach is down the left side of the fairway. But don’t be fooled into trying to carry the deep fairway bunker down the left – end up in here and it’s like a dropped shot with players being forced to play out blind and sideways!
A tee shot down the right side will leave a slightly longer approach but open up a view of the green, which is one of the most undulating on the course, sloped from back to front. The green is narrow and requires an accurate approach shot to avoid ending up in one of the run off areas to the left and right. The key is to pay attention to the flag location as the pin being positioned at the front or back can be the difference between two to three clubs. Regardless of the pin location, the smart play will always be to play for the middle of this green.
Walking off this hole with a 4 (par) is a more than acceptable result any day of the week!
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