Last year’s final round wasn’t just any final round at Winthrop Gold. The near constant rain combined with steady wind and chillier than normal temperatures made for one of the toughest Winthrop Gold tests to date.
You can see just how tough the final round was on these world class professionals by looking at scores one day earlier when the weather was much better.
Only 6 players shot below par for 2015 Round 4
Only six players managed to shoot below par during the final round which saw temperatures in the low’s 60’s (a drop in 12 degrees Fahrenheit from the average) and 1.35 inches of rain. Those players included: Paul Mcbeth (-6), Henrik Johansen (-3), Nate Doss (-2), Ricky Wysocki (-1), Paul Ulibarri (-1), and Avery Jenkins (-1).
The weather was more typical of Winthrop conditions during Friday’s round 3 when 31 players shot below par. Though the wind was heavier than Saturday, according to wunderground.com (a historical weather website), the pleasant temps in the 70’s, with no rain, allowed these pros to do their thing.
61 players finished round 4 over par, compared with only 37 players during round 3. During round 3, a score of 67 (even par) was rated 1005, but on the rain soaked final day it was a much more monumental task, with a rating of 1036. Mcbeth’s (-6) was rated at 1063.
Birdies were cut in half in round 4 compared to round 3
The 414 birdies made during round 3 were cut nearly in half to 218 on Saturday. Only one eagle was made on that challenging round 4, on hole 10 by Alex Geisinger. One day earlier, there were 10 made on that hole.
Looking at the individual holes reveals more. Hole 11 is a tough hole in ideal conditions. In round 4: only 6 % of players made birdie and 29% made par. One day earlier, birdies tripled to 18% and pars up as well at 38%.
Hole 1 not so easy in the rain, wind
Hole 1, known as the easiest hole, went from 56% of players birdying it on round 3 to only 35% the next day. On Hole 17, known for making and breaking many Championship runs, during round 3 its average score was 3.16. A day later it had mushroomed to 4.13.
The only holes where the average score was not higher in round 4 than in round 3 were holes 6 and 7, which are near the bottom of course difficulty.
Looking now to this year, with forecasts calling for similar wet conditions for rounds 3 and round 4, we’ll see what kind of affect it well have on the players after mostly pleasant conditions the first two days.
