The par-3 second hole at The Links is where Ernie Els and Tiger Woods shook hands in their playoff to halve the 2003 Presidents Cup match between the Internationals and USA. The result was 17-17. After playing three holes, it was too dark for them to continue. They had both holed tricky putts for pars at No 2. An original feature of the hole’s design was a smallish pot bunker within the green. It’s in the front left slope of the green and is encircled by the putting surface. Except that this disappeared some years ago, when a member of staff decided that the area of green left of the bunker should become thicker grass. It might have stayed that way forever, but for Phil Jacobs, who designed The Links for Gary Player Design, recently spotting what had happened. The green has now been extended so that the bunker again sits inside the green. It’s one of the quirky features of this classic layout.
