Lucas Herbert was having a dream opening round at the British Open — until he wasn’t.
Herbert was tied for the lead, a 3-under par, heading to the short par-3 17th at Royal Liverpool.
But the 126 yards the hole plays on Thursday belies the danger that exists.
The hole is new this year at Liverpool — replacing the par-3 15th — and it plays to a raised green and is surrounded by deep bunkers.
Herbert felt the brunt of its potential on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Australian hit his tee shot just left of the green, but then made a critical mistake.
Herbert hit his chip past the back-right pin position and the slope dragged the ball into the treacherous back bunker.
Herbert’s awkward first attempt to get out of the sand ended up back at his feet.
He hit his second shot out and onto the green about 18 feet away, but missed the putt and ended up with a painful triple bogey.
“I could have told you there would be carnage,” Herbert said, according to Golf.com. “I could have predicted it for you… I think it’s a great hole. There’s no wind.
“It’s a gap wedge and you can make a two pretty easily, but when that wind gets going, you can’t really feel it too much on the tee and it becomes a really tricky shot.”
Herbert still finished even par to put himself in a decent position heading into Friday.
About halfway through the first round, the 17th was playing as the ninth hardest hole with a 3.11 scoring average.
“I felt like there was about 5,000 professional golfers sitting around us in the stands watching it,” Herbert said of the spectators. “But it’s just not easy. I felt like if I had have hit it just a fraction harder I could have been back in the bunker on the other side.
“It was just a really tough shot. Just didn’t come out the way I wanted it to and it rolled back in. I could have hit a poor different shot and made a bogey there and got away with one, but I made a triple. Doesn’t make lunch taste any better.”
Amateur Christo Lamprecht and Englishman Tommy Fleetwood were the clubhouse leaders on Thursday morning at 5-under.