HOYLAKE, England — Players take great care setting the table for the British Open, a formal — and for many, foreign — event. For this one week, many will take out and polish off a club that, like a salad fork, is reserved for special occasions. It is the 2-iron, the nearest thing the golfers have in their bag to a repellent for the British links courses’ biggest pest, the pothole bunker.

In 2006, the last time the tournament was held here at Royal Liverpool, Tiger Woods used his long irons to steer clear of the penal fairway bunkers, never finding one on his way to his 11th major title. The other players, including Bubba Watson, the longest hitter on the PGA Tour with a 314.1-yard average drive, took note.

When it came time to pack for this year’s event, Watson, the reigning Masters champion, made a trip to the golf room in his Florida house — the same one Woods called home in 2006 — and retrieved a 2-iron from a storage unit.

“I haven’t used it all year until this week,” Watson said.

For Watson, whose driver is like his security blanket, it is a psychological stretch to stake his fortunes on a seldom-used club.