​It’s remembered as one of the most infamous bogeys in major championship history—the chaotic, 29-minute tableau on Royal Birkdale’s 13th hole during the 2017 Open, when Jordan Spieth faced an unplayable drop from the side of a towering dune and then played his third shot from the club’s driving range. Yet that five-stroke meltdown, dramatic as it was, won’t be replicated this week. As golf’s oldest major returns to the Southport links, the 13th hole presents a markedly different look after a sweeping renovation in 2024 that touched every hole on the property in some way.
The changes are immediate at the 13th tee. On that Sunday afternoon in 2017, Spieth, who was tied with playing partner Matt Kuchar at the time, blasted his drive nearly 100 yards to the right of the fairway. When the ball struck, Spieth clasped his head in disbelief and briefly pointed with his right index finger. Today, a new left tee box alters the angle into a fairway that now pinches tighter, thanks to fresh bunkering and a more pronounced left ditch that stretches along the hole.
The scene from that era lingers at the property, where Spieth’s ball once sailed into the crowd, struck a spectator, and ricocheted into a treacherous lie near the base of what was then the tallest dune. Broadcast cameras captured the moment with the sense of catastrophe that fans felt as they scrambled to locate the buried ball. Some of the enduring images from that Sunday are Spieth standing atop the dune, weighing his options as the composite landscape around him suggested a long and challenging recovery. Now, that horizon has been reshaped, with a new line of dunes separating the 13th hole from the practice range.
Speaking of the range, Spieth’s line of sight for relief extended into the edge of the range, where equipment trucks still parked. At first, he looked to find a spot behind the trucks, but soon realized his nearest option was actually amid the parked gear—adjacent to the truck belonging to Spieth’s sponsor, Titleist. Later, DP World Tour rules official John Paramor accompanied Spieth as he completed the lengthy drop, which ended with a relief that left Spieth on flat ground roughly 240 yards from the hole.
Spieth’s caddie, Michael Greller, later explained that he intentionally advised Spieth to take a conservative yardage so that Spieth would opt for a 3-iron rather than a 3-wood. “Give me a round number!” Spieth was heard shouting from atop the dune as Greller, perched to gain a clearer view of the green, weighed the options with him. Spieth’s third shot landed just in front of the right greenside bunker, allowing him to execute a deft up-and-down and then hole a crucial 10-foot putt.
Greller reflected on the moment, noting how difficult it is to grasp the full context of the situation. “I don’t think people can appreciate his being in the midst of that moment and the thought process to decide whether the range was in play or out of play,” he said. The question was not simply about distance or target; it was about geography, risk, and optics under pressure—an analysis that showed Spieth’s poise even amid the chaos. The 2017 scene remains a touchstone for major-championship lore, even as the course and its teeing grounds have evolved to present a different challenge for current players.