By Will Pearson, europeantour.com
at Lake Malaren
Ahead of the BMW Masters, europeantour.com explores host venue Lake Malaren Golf Club and its celebrated Masters Course with the help of defending champion Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño.
Opened in October 2011, the Masters Course – designed by 18-time Major Champion Jack Nicklaus – comes in at more than 7,500 yards and is in every way a world class championship layout.
As the name suggests, water features prominently at Lake Malaren, as do large bunker formations, with 92 sprawling and often deep sandy hazards peppering the course.
And while beautiful and hugely aesthetically pleasing to the eye, danger also lurks in the form of vastly undulating putting surfaces.
Exposed and fairly flat, the wind can often play a factor in the course’s test but good play generally goes well-rewarded.
The course, which this week hosts the first of four events comprising The European Tour’s ‘Final Series’, was voted China’s greatest in 2011 and it is certainly one that found favour with Spaniard Fernandez-Castaño, who claimed a one-shot victory here last year at the BMW Masters.
“It's great to be back,” says the 2013 champion. “Even though it has not been a great year for me, I haven't played great, but, well, when you come back to a course that you've won, it always brings great memories. It's a good feeling and hopefully it brings to the best of my game, too.”
Overview
“I think that this is one of the longest courses we play all year,” reflects Fernandez- Castaño. “And considering it's going to be wet then that's not going to make it any shorter, that's for sure.
“So I think it's quite a demanding golf course, it's pretty challenging. You've got holes like nine and like the second and the 18th with water so you’ve got to be careful of that.
“It’s wide off the tee, the fairways are generous, but still you need to put the ball in play to be able to attack these greens. And as I said, especially being such a long course, you're going to be hitting long irons and even a few hybrids into these greens, so you need to be on your game all round.”
Hazards
“As far as I know, they haven’t invented a ball that floats yet so all the water is something that you always have to keep in mind. You have to keep the ball in play and of course avoid the hazards.
“On this course, you've got a few holes where the water comes into play – on the second, the eighth, the ninth and the 18th – so there is that, but then almost more importantly, you've got a lot of bunkers and they are all very well positioned for your tee shots.
“Some of them are very deep. There is a very deep number on the middle of the 12th, the par 5, which is kind of a reachable par five depending where the wind is blowing. But if you hit it in a bunker, which is in the middle of that fairway, the hole is over, that birdie chance is pretty much gone.
“So you have to stay away from all these hazards if you want to be able to score around Lake Malaren.”
Key Holes
“I like number nine, it is very scenic - especially off the tee. You've got all that lake in front of you that you have to fly the ball over it, it’s very beautiful.
“And then I also like number 11 because I think it gives you chances, especially when they move the tee upwards. It gives you a chance to drive the green and create an eagle chance. Those two are probably my favourite holes around here.”
How it has played in previous years
Made up of ten par fours, four par fives and four par threes and measuring 7,606 yards from the tips, Nicklaus’ Masters course is a beastly test.
However, with 2,261 birdies made in the first two editions of the BMW Masters in 2012 and 2013 compared to 1,715 bogeys, there are plenty of scores out there – just ask course record holder Jamie Donaldson, who fired a sublime 62 here in 2012.
In what is a tale of two lengths, the longest hole on the course has surprisingly played the easiest while the shortest hole has played the toughest.
The 612-yard 15th hole has averaged 0.41 under par while the 201-yard par three 17th has ranked the hardest, at an average of 0.31 over par.
When Peter Hanson won the inaugural edition of the BMW Masters in 2012 it was by a formidable aggregated total of 21 under par, however last year’s champion prevailed on just 11 under par. One under par to win this week, anyone? Maybe not.
