The Loop

Watch Rory McIlroy make a 9 at Royal Troon's Postage Stamp

July 12, 2016
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David Cannon/Getty Images

At 123 yards, Royal Troon's par-3 eighth in the shortest hole in the Open Championship rota. Known as the "Postage Stamp," the eighth's distance has produced plenty of aces -- most recently, Ernie Els in 2004, but Gene Sarazen's hole-in-one remains the benchmark, as the Squire accomplished said feat at 71 years old. Conversely, the hole is not a walk in the park. The Postage Stamp is known by locals as "Wee Beastie," and with good reason. A German amateur named Hermann Tissies recorded a 15 here in 1950, and it brought Tiger Woods down with a triple bogey in 1997.

Rory McIlroy found himself on the business end of the Postage Stamp during Tuesday's practice round for the 2016 Open Championship, taking nine shots on the hole, including six from a bunker (sand shots start with four minutes left in video):

Wee Beastie, indeed.