5 things you need to know about Royal Troon

For the first time since 2004, The Open Championship returns to Ayrshire, Scotland and Royal Troon Golf Club. This will be the ninth Open Championship hosted by Royal Troon, tying it for seventh among Open hosts. Todd Hamilton won the 2004 event with a 72-hole score of 10-under par. He then went on to defeat Ernie Els in a four-hole aggregate playoff.

Here's a look at five key storylines and things to watch out for at the home of The 145th Open Championship:

Harder, Faster, Firmer

Thanks to a three-year renovation of Royal Troon, the greens will be 25 percent firmer than they have been for previous Open Championships hosted by the club. The greens hold significantly less water, due to a 58 percent reduction in organic matter. The process was accomplished by substituting a sand-soil combination for pure sand.

The club has topdressed the greens, tee decks and fairways over the past three years. The switch was prompted following The Amateur in 2012, when poor weather left a lasting impact on the ground, leading to soft conditions. Course manager Billy McLachlan says the course has a prototypical links feel, meeting the criteria of firm, fast and bouncy.

Par 3 8th: "The Postage Stamp"

Measuring a measly 123 yards, the par-3 8th ranks as the course's 13th toughest hole, with a scoring average of 3.09. Ernie Els aced the hole in 2004, propelling him to his runner-up finish. While some have success, others have blown their Open Championship hopes on this hole.

The worst tournament score ever carded on The Postage Stamp was that of German amateur Hermann Tissies in 1950, who stumbled his way to a 12-over 15. Even Tiger Woods wasn't averse to the difficulties of the hole during his 1997 rookie season. He posted a triple-bogey 6 during the final round.

Par 4 11th: "The Railway"

Aptly named due to the presence of a railway track running down the right side of the hole, the 11th at Royal Troon is infamously known for inducing a Jack Nicklaus quintuple-bogey 10 when the hole was a Par 5 in 1962. It was converted to a Par 4 ahead of the 1997 Open, and it played as the toughest hole on the course in 2004, with a scoring average of 4.41 strokes.

Players have next to no chance of reaching the green 482 yards away in two shots when the wind is up. If the weather isn't cooperating, bogey should be considered a success at No. 11.

The Back Nine

Royal Troon is a classic links style course; the front nine leads away from the clubhouse, while the back nine brings golfers back in. The back nine is considered by Gary Player as "the most difficult in the world when the wind is blowing."

The back nine is played closest to the Atlantic Ocean, which induces strong breezes. With a par of 35, players have little room for error if trying to make up ground Sunday afternoon.

Finding the Perfect Player Profile

The 2004 Open Championship was the only major victory of Todd Hamilton's career, and one of just two PGA Tour wins. He came out of nowhere to win that week, as he made just 19 of 27 cuts on the season, with only one other victory and one other top-10 finish. He averaged just 297.6 yards off the tee, and he hit just 53.57 percent of fairways.

While Hamilton's victory illustrates the standard wide-open field at Open Championships, there is some pedigree for success. Driving Accuracy is considered much more important than Driving Distance. Par 4 Scoring Average is most important on the par-71 course, with 11 Par 4s, three Par 5s, and four Par 3s. Two of the Par 3s measure 209-plus yards.

As is standard on Open Championship and all links-style courses, Scrambling is a key statistic. Don't look too closely at Sand-Save Percentage, as Royal Troon possesses many pot bunkers which can't be compared to the style of bunkers the stat draws most of its data from. Royal Troon also boasts hard, small greens, so look at golfers with a good grade in Proximity to the Hole.