Nelly Korda back to her best at St Andrews

 

Nelly Korda wrapped up against the elements – image R&A via Getty Images

American Nelly Korda has bounced back from an indifferent run of form in recent weeks to take a three-shot lead into the third round of the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrew, a lead she holds over world number two and fellow American Lilia Vu and England’s Charley Hull.

The winner of six titles in her first seven starts earlier in the year, Korda’s results in more recent times have been well below those she produced in a stunning start to 2024 but it would seem she is well and truly back.

In tough and demanding conditions over the Old Course, Korda was bogey-free in her second consecutive round of 68.

“Yesterday it was just brutally windy throughout the range session until about probably 16,” said Korda.

“ Then today, it was raining for a good bit during my range session, and then it rained up until probably my second or third hole. It was pretty calm the front nine, and then once we got to probably — I think actually 18 and No. 1, that’s when it started to start pumping. But yeah, just adjusted.

Didn’t really take advantage of kind of the calmer conditions on my front nine, the back nine, but I played some really solid golf, and I’m happy with that.”

When asked about her success in so many varying conditions and regions this year she responded:

“I’ve won on just so many different types of grasses in different types of conditions that you just kind of always have to adapt. That’s the same thing in tennis, same thing in life. You’re always adapting to your situations at hand, and I think that’s what’s so fun about links golf is you’re literally starting it 30 yards left of your target, and I’m not a fade player but I’m hitting massive fades. I think it’s fun hitting these little low drivers, too.

“I’m having fun, and I enjoy links golf a lot. Obviously every year that I get to play it, I learn a little bit more about it, too.”

Hull is one of only two Brits in the leading 17 players and as such is the recipient of a great deal of the crowd’s support while the defending champion Vu is a now two-time major winner and very much a strong chance to defend successfully.

Vu was asked how much the opportunity to potentially successfully defend on such a revered and iconic place in world golf meant to her.

“I think I haven’t been able to think about it much. It’s tough out here. You’re kind of locked into a shot in front of you. But I’ll definitely digest it later today. It’s such an honour to play here, just to be in the presence of St Andrews. I’m very grateful to be defending here and I’m not thinking about it too much, I’m kind of thinking about it in the sense of it’s a new week, how can I play the best that I can.”

Lydia Ko again heads what has been to date an overall disappointing Australasian challenge. The Olympic Gold Medallist has mixed results in this event with only two top tens in 12 previous starts but she is just 5 shots back and in a share of 12th heading into the weekend.

“Yesterday was some of the windiest conditions I’ve ever played in, said Ko.

“It’s so windy that it’s not only your ball-striking that you’re worried about but just even a three-, two-footer where you’re trying to hit the center of the club face. It sounds stupid because you’re like, how could you miss the center of the putter, but it’s so windy it’s blowing us over. The balls are oscillating.

“I think that was one of the toughest rounds I had to play yesterday, and the wind picked up towards the end of our round, but I think for the most part today, I think we got very fortunate with the conditions. I know it was a little wet, but I thought that was so much more playable than a sunny, windy day like today.”

Stephanie Kyriacou is in 21st place at even par and Grace Kim 60th at 4 over.

Hannah Green, Minjee Lee Hira Naveed, Gabi Ruffels and Karrie Webb all missed the cut by large margins

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Webb returns to major golf at AIG Women’s Open


Australia’s greatest major titleholder, Karrie Webb, playing at St Andrews – image Australian Golf Media

The world of professional golf plays its final major of the year this week when the AIG Women’s Open is played over the Old Course at St Andrews, the third occasion the home of golf will host the event.

Lorena Ochoa and Stacey Lewis are the two previous champions when the event was played at St Andrews, the women getting the opportunity to play some of the Open Championship’s best layouts over the last 25 years.

Eight Australasians have made the field including seven-time major winner Karrie Webb who will play just her third LPGA Tour event in the last two years.

Webb, who won this event in 1995,1997 and 2002, the latter of which was just after the event became a major, explained why she is teeing it up this week given her lack of competitive play in recent times.

“I think this will be my last opportunity to compete at St Andrews. So even if it’s on the rota before I’m 60, these girls are too good for me to be trying to tee it up when I’m 56, 57.

I didn’t think I would be playing professional golf at 49. So, yeah, I’m just looking forward to having a good time out there as much as you can with the weather forecast, but just see what happens.

“It’s always meant a lot to me, actually. Even winning it the first couple of times, as a non-major, I always came into the Women’s Open thinking of it as a major. I think because it’s the men’s Opens had such a long history in Australian golf and growing up and getting up in the middle of the night to watch it, you know, for me playing in a Women’s Open was always as important as any of the majors we played.

“In 2001, it becoming a major, I think was long overdue. And the tournament’s only grown a lot since then. We started playing the Old Course and Carnoustie and Troon, places where women’s golf had never been played before.

“So it’s very special to be back here. I was looking for my yardage book from 2013. I missed the cut when I played in 2013, and I was, like, next time it’s here I won’t be playing golf again, I won’t be playing again. So I threw it out, so I couldn’t find it.

“But it’s good to be back here. I wouldn’t have thought 11 years ago I’d be teeing up here again.”

Webb is the only Australian to have won the event as a major although Karen Lunn won before the event joined the LPGA Schedule when successful in 1993.

Webb will be joined by fellow Australasians, Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Lydia Ko, Gabi Ruffels, Grace Kim, Stephanie Kyriacou and Hira Naveed.

TEE TIMES

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Fiona Xu and Cassie Porter on target for 2025 LPGA Tour cards

With just five more events before the season-ending Tour Championship on the LPGA’s  Epson Tour, New Zealander Fiona Xu and Australian Cassie Porter are nicely placed to gain one of the 15 LPGA Tour cards for 2025 cards made available to the leading 15 players on the Race for the Card season-long series.

Through 14 events of the 2024 season, Xu tops the standings while Porter is currently 5th, both now assured of graduating, therefore providing Australasia another two representatives on the LPGA Tour next season.

Both 19-year-old Xu and 21-year-old Porter have recorded a win and two other top tens this season.

Xu, a member of the Titirangi Golf Club in Auckland, is a former winner of the Australian and New Zealand Women’s Amateur Championships while Sunshine Coast golfer Porter had a successful amateur career before winning an early event as a professional when successful in a WAPGA event in Melbourne 18 months ago.

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Richard Green adds another runner-up finish on PGA Tour Champions

Richard Green – file photo 

Richard Green has added another US$211,000 to his season’s earnings on the PGA Tour Champions with a runner-up finish at the Rogers Charity Classic in Alberta this morning but the elusive win is still to come.

It was Green’s third runner-up finish of the 2024 season to go with four other top tens and with US$1.584 million for the season he stands in 4th place in the Charl Schwab earnings behind Ernie Els, Stephen Ames and Steve Alker.

Green actually appeared to control the event with five holes to play but two late bogeys and a strong finish by the eventual winner Ken Tanigawa saw him finish two behind Tanigawa who won his second PGA Tour Champions event but his first in five years.

Green had begun the final round one ahead of Steve Alker and Boo Weekly and despite a bogey at the first, he recorded five birdies in six holes through the middle of the round to lead by two before the frustrating finish.

“It’s nice to be competing and contending to do what I want to do, said Green. “It’s just a shame that things at the end there didn’t really fall my way.

“I thought they were going my way there a little bit through the middle of the round, and probably my start today didn’t really help me very much.

“It’s nice to be competing and contending for golf tournaments. It’s fun. I enjoy being out there contending week in, week out, and I’ll keep rattling the cage.

“Everybody wants to win. We all want to do it. I think that’s probably what is the hardest thing to not let that get in your way.

“I probably am battling that at times, you know, just thinking about trying to get it done instead of actually letting myself go.

“Look, at the end of the day you’re playing on the Champions Tour and doing very well, competing in the Schwab Cup for one of the top positions, and I’ll just keep pressing on.

“Hopefully the gods fall for me in the right order someplace soon. We’ll see.”

Darren Clarke and Jason Caron finished one shot behind Green in a share of 3rd place.

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Day, Scott and Davis remain alive in FedEx Cup Playoffs

Cam Davis – just makes it to the BMW Championship – file image Australian Golf Media

Jason Day, Adam Scott and Cam Davis are the three Australians to advance to the second FedEx Cup Playoff event, the BMW Championship in Colorado next week following the completion of the FedEx Cup St Jude Championship in Memphis this morning.

The leading 50 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings now graduate to the penultimate FedEx Cup Playoff starting on Thursday (22nd August).

Scott finished 18th and the leading Australian along with Min Woo Lee at the FedEx St Jude and is now in 41st position in the FedEx Cup standings, Day was 22nd this week and is in 25th overall and Davis was 40th and has just crept into the top 50 in 49th place.

A double bogey at the last hole by Davis so nearly cost him the chance of heading to Colorado but a series of mishaps by others late in their rounds saw him make it through.

The goal for all three now, is to move into the top 30 at the completion of the BMW Championship and advance to the Tour Championship in Atlanta the following week.

Australia’s fourth player in Memphis, Min Woo Lee, finished 22nd this week but starting the week in 62nd place in the standings he needed something special to improve enough to make it to his first BMW Championship and although his final round of 66 made a big move for him, it was not enough.

As the PGA Tour heads to Castle Rock in Colorado, Scottie Scheffler still leads the FedEx Cup standings ahead of Xander Schauffele with this week’s winner in Memphis, Hideki Matsuyama, now in third place.

Memphis leaderboard

FedEx Cup standings 

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Gabi Ruffels continues to impress in Scotland

Gabi Ruffels – a final round of 68 results in 6th place finish – file photo PGA of America 

Australia’s Gabi Ruffels has produced one of best rounds of the day (68) in today’s final round of the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open to finish in a share of 6th and earn a cheque for US$54,000.

For the 24-year-old Ruffels, who is in her first season on the LPGA Tour, the finish takes her earnings for the 2024 season to US$708,000 and further emphasises the path she is on to a hugely successful career. It was her fourth top ten of the season to go with three 3rd place finishes earlier in the season.

Ruffels finished eight shots behind the winner, American Lauren Coughlin, who won her second event of the season after winning in Canada earlier.

Ruffels a former winner and runner-up in the Women’s US Amateur Championship, the only Australian to do so, spent a season on the secondary Epson Tour in 2023 after mistakenly failing to enter LPGA Tour qualifying in late 2022 but that season has clearly assisted her cause in building the confidence needed to have competed so well in what is now her rookie season in the big time.

The finish will ensure Ruffels, currently in second place, moves even closer to the current Rookie of the Year leader, Mao Saigo of Japan who finished 57th this week.

While the news was good for Ruffels, both Lydia Ko and Minjee Lee struggled in the heavy winds that buffeted the Dundonald Links and finished 9th and 12th respectively.

Ko’s round of 74 and Lee’s 78 cost them dearly although Loughlin’s four-shot victory ensured that everyone was facing an almost impossible task in round four.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Coughlin. “Two wins in three events is pretty crazy, but I just stuck in there, tried to stay as present as I could, and got some putts to drop at the end. If you would have told me, let alone beginning of this year, but beginning of last year, I wouldn’t believe this is what I’ve done and it’s incredible. It’s just how hard I’ve worked to get here, and it’s amazing.”

The LPGA and Ladies European Tours now head for St Andrews for the final major of the year in world golf, the AIG Open Championship at the Old Course.

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Lee and Ko not without hope in Scotland

Minjee Lee – during round three of the Women’s Scottish Open – image LET

Minjee Lee and Lydia Ko face a big task if they are to feature in the finish of the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire but are not without hope as they trail the leader Lauren Coughlin by four and five shots respectively as the event enters its final round this evening.

American Loughlin’s third round of 66 saw her take a one-shot lead over her fellow American Megan Khang but a blunder by joint 36 hole leader Minjee Lee on her final hole today where a visit to the burn resulted in her third bogey of the back nine could prove costly by the end of 72 holes.

“It was kind of up-and-down,” said Lee. “You know, I just wasn’t as sharp on the back nine. I mean, I started pretty good. You know, I made two birdies in the first three holes, but I just didn’t carry on the momentum.

“A couple of the putts just missed the holes, and were pretty close to going in. So I think with links golf, sometimes it is what it is and sometimes you just have to take it on the chin.

“I was just telling myself just then, overall, it didn’t feel too bad but I think the score kind of didn’t really reflect how I felt — how I feel. So yeah, hopefully tomorrow I can get a bit more momentum going and make a couple more birdies during like the middle section.”

After a slow start to her day with two early bogeys, Ko recovered with three birdies in the middle of her round with three birdies and at 7 under and five behind she is not without hope but will need something special tomorrow.

In the final event before the last major of the year at next week’s AIG Women’s Open, Ko is aware of the importance in keeping the momentum from her win last week in Paris going.

“I think it’s nice to kind of play your way into a major championship. Having the three tournaments in Europe, obviously travel-wise is so much easier than being in Tokyo or something and coming over here. So I was always intending to play the three.

It is a long week, so it can get draining. So I’m sure by some point next week, I’m going to be tired but I think that’s part of my job to keep my energy levels high and make sure that I’m still feeling fresh for Thursday to Sunday next week as well.

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Minjee Lee leads on disrupted opening day in Scotland

Minjee Lee during her first round – image Ladies European Tour 

Just a few players were still to complete their opening rounds of the ISPS Women’s Scottish Open at the Dundonald Links in Ayrshire in Scotland. But when rain then eventually darkness stopped play at 9.00pm Minjee Lee led the way with an opening round of 5 under 67.

“Yeah, I mean, I feel like I played pretty solid today,” said Lee perhaps stating the obvious.

“No bogeys today. So always a happy girl after a bogey-free round. So yeah, I feel like I played smart golf, I’d say. I gave myself a lot of opportunities for birdie, but you know some putts went in, some putts didn’t.

“I feel like when I was in trouble, I kind of missed it in the right spots and could get up-and-down, so that was good.

“I think I kind of got a little lucky with not playing in the morning with the rain but it was pretty windy out there. So I guess we just didn’t have the rain. But yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed my day out there today.

“I like the creativity of links golf. You know, obviously there was a lot of wind today so it was playing like a true links kind of golf course. Sometimes we don’t get as much wind but today was blowing a gale and I feel like just picturing the shots and just having to execute those shots, I think I find it fun to play.

“Just when you execute it correctly, you get rewarded. So I like that aspect of playing in the wind and obviously there’s a lot of things like if you’re off the green, you can putt or chip or you can hit a hybrid. There’s so many options. I also think that’s kind of fun as well.”

Amongst the chasers and just two off the lead is last week’s Gold Medallist in Paris, Lydia Ko. Ko recorded as many birdies as Lee but two bogeys saw her finish with 69 and in a share of 5th place.

“I think it was crucial to make a few up-and-downs, especially on my front nine because there weren’t many greens that I hit I would say in the first few holes,” said ko referring to the demanding conditions.

“I’ve played in sunny but I’ve played in a bit of bad weather. I was trying to go through some of the worst British Opens I’ve ever played. Hoylake was really horrible in 2012. Even when we were at Troon just down the road here a few years ago, that was really bad, where I had to play with my hat backwards.

So yeah, I think when you come here, obviously like at the British Open last year, we had beautiful weather at Walton Heath. So we could potentially expect that but we could expect the weather that we had this morning and that’s just part of the experience of coming over. If you don’t like it, you’re probably not going to play that good, anyway.

“But luckily since the wind was so strong the two par 5s on the front nine were reachable and I could take advantage of that. But it was almost so hectic that I think I was having more like fun out there rather than getting so stressed.”

This week’s event comes ahead of next week’s AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course at St Andrews.

Gabi Ruffels and Stephanie Kyriacou also managed to finish their rounds, both with one under par 71’s.

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Four Australians make FedEx Cup Playoffs

Jason Day – looking to finish a solid season well – image courtesy of Getty Images

Four Australians have made it into the to 70 of the FedEx Cup standings and made it to the first of the Playoff Series beginning with this week’s FedEx St Jude Championship at the TPC Southwind in Memphis.

Jason Day (26th),  Cam Davis (44th) Adam Scott (46th) and Min Woo Lee (62nd) will all begin the three-event series in which the leading 50 will graduate to the BMW Championship in Castle Rock in Colorado next week followed a week later by the Tour Championship in Atlanta where the top 30 get to play for the riches of not only the event but the pointy end of the bonus pool also.

Day won this week’s event or its equivalent in 2015, albeit at another venue, in what was his stunning year on the PGA Tour and played well in several events earlier but in more recent times at the TPC Southwind he has struggled, missing four out of his last five cuts.

Adam Scott also won the event in 2013, his victory coming at Liberty National in New Jersey, and was runner-up in 2006 and has a series of top ten finishes in addition but again at different venues.

Davis is playing the event for just the fifth occasion but he too enjoys a good record in the event with a 5th place in 2023 and a 13th place in 2022, both of those finishes coming at the TPC Southwind.

Lee is playing the event for the first occasion but has been twice runner-up on the PGA Tour this season and could do well.

Scottie Scheffler with 5,993 points leads the FedEx Cup standings by nearly 2000 pions over Xander Schauffele.

FedEx Cup Standings

 

 

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Lydia Ko wins Gold and joins LPGA Hall of Fame


An emotional Lydia Ko stands atop the Olympic dais following her stunning victory- image PGA Tour / IGF

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko has established herself amongst the legends of golf with victory at the Olympic Women’s Golf Competition in Paris, holding off a brilliant final-round burst by Germany’s  Esther Henseleit to win by two and not only complete her collection of Olympic medals but in doing so she now joins the immortals of the LPGA Tour by qualifying for its Hall of Fame.

Beginning the final round sharing the lead with Switzerland’s Morganne Metraux, Ko quickly established a substantial lead when Metraux dropped five shots in her first five holes and although she too ,would also drop a shot at the first, she recovered to make the turn in 2 under 34 and through 12 holes her lead was five.

Then came a hole that threatened her lead. At the par 4 13th Ko found the water with her second and eventually took a double bogey six and with Henseleit recording birdies at five of her first ten holes and then going on to birdie the 17th and 18th the gap was just one.

Henseleit finished her round 45 minutes ahead of Ko and waited to see if her great final round might have been good enough to force a playoff or win outright.

Ko, however, would steady the ship with four straight pars before one last birdie at the 18th to claim Gold.

“Going into the final round with a two-shot lead with Morgane, I think when I was younger, I would have been, oh, man, everyone trying to catch me and get almost more pressure from that,” said Ko.

“I think it’s one of the things I’m most proud of is I stuck to my game plan and stuck to being aggressive off the tee, and that’s been something that I’ve been struggling with and been working really hard with on with my coaches. And for to progressively get better these past couple months and for it to hits peak here at the Olympics, it doesn’t get better than this. To be holding and wearing this Gold Medal, it’s pretty crazy right now.

“Going into this week, everyone was saying, Oh, what if you finish and collect all the Gold on top of the Silver and Bronze you have the complete set. Of course I want to do that, complete it, too, but it’s much easier said than done.

“I wanted to focus on my golf and nothing else. And that’s why I deleted my Instagram because I just didn’t want to be fazed by what other people were saying and just enjoy this opportunity because this experience has been unbelievable and the fans have been great.

“The French fans have been awesome, kind of taking me in as one of their own. And it’s definitely a life peak for me here. I don’t think I’ve experienced this kind of adrenaline before, and to do it here, it really can’t get any better.”

Ko was asked if the emotions she displayed on the victory dais were the most she had ever shown on the golf course?

“I cried a lot winning the CME TOUR Championship in 2022 because that was actually the first win with my fiancée at the time, now husband, there with me. Seeing him, I was getting very emotional and my mom and my sister was there, as well.

“So I think those moments are what makes it extra special. Like because I know that because of them, I’m here today, and you know, my husband may be in America right now but I felt like he was with me. I had a marker that had his name on it.

“So you know, thanks to them, I’m a Gold Medallist now, and you know, I think all of those emotions combined was why I was crying.

“I definitely don’t have our National Anthem on repeat on Spotify. Listening to my National Anthem, I can understand why Scottie Scheffler was so emotional last Sunday. It’s a feeling that you can really not repeat unless you are in that position again. I know that it’s probably never coming again.”

Henseleit plays the LPGA Tour but has yet to win there and is currently ranked 54th in the world so her performance to finish second was outstanding.

China’s Xiyu Lin finished third, one shot behind Henseleit.

Hannah Green’s effort to finish in a share of 4th as the leading Australian was made even more impressive given her horror start on Wednesday when she opened with a round of 77.

She would eventually finish just one shot out of the medals after playing her last 54 holes in 11 under.

Minjee Lee finished 22nd.

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