Minjee Lee at her media conference today – photo R&A via Getty Images
The fifth and final major of the season for women’s golf, the US$6.8 million AIG Women’s Open, begins on Thursday at the famed Muirfield in Gullane in East Lothian to the north and east of Edinburgh.
Typically, the event has been rotated around most of Britain’s great courses in the last 45 years but more especially in the last twenty years with most of the Open Championship’s venues being used.
A notable absentee from that list has been Muirfield and in 2022 it gets its chance to expose its great layout to the elite of the female game.
Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist arrives as the defending champion following her narrow one-shot victory at Carnoustie last year.
From an Australasian perspective, however, the genuine chances of success appear to lie with Minjee Lee, Lydia Ko and Hannah Green although Ko and Lee are in the best recent form, Ko in particular, producing six top five finishes in her last eight LPGA Tour starts.
Lee on the other hand is the current US Women’s Open Champion and two starts later finished runner-up in the following major at the KPMG PGA Championship.
She can be forgiven for two finishes below that level in her last two attempts at the Evian Championship and the Women’s Scottish Open but Lee remains as the leader of the LPGA Tour’s Race to the Globe in 2022 and is the world number two behind Jin Young Ko.
Lee has recorded top 5 finishes in each of the last two starts in this particular event, her last round of 66 at Carnoustie last year the best of the day so her chances of adding a third major championship to her resume appear good.
Referring to her 18th place finish last week at the Scottish Open, Lee suggested she was transitioning to links style golf again after her time in Asia, the US and France to date this season
“I think just getting into the rhythm of playing on links-style courses. It wasn’t quite that windy at Dundonald, so I’m not sure how windy it’s going to be here. But I feel like Muirfield is maybe a little bit more traditional like links golf.
“I live in Dallas and it’s really windy and I grew up in Perth, which is also very windy. So I think just playing — I think playing in the wind, you just subconsciously kind of know how to spin the ball properly in the wind and also keeping it through the wind, like how it’s going to affect it, I think I know what it’s sort of going to do. So I think that’s what makes you sort of a better wind player.”
When asked if winning the Women’s British open would mean a lot to her Lee responded; “It’s the British Open. I really love playing at links golf courses.
“It’s just — I just really love like the hard conditions that we get and just how much creativity we have to sort of — we sort of have to think about around these types of courses. It could be really cool and it would be a great honour to be able to win the British.”
Ko, on the other hand, while playing some fine golf at present, does not enjoy a great record in this event for one of her standing. In ten starts at the Women’s British Open Ko has recorded just one top ten, that coming in 2015 when 3rd behind Inbee Park.
Both Ko and Lee are facing the prospect of a third major championship, Lee with her two in the last twelve months and Ko earning her two in her first over an eight month period in 2015 and 2016.
Ko indicated last week following her 5th place at the Women’s Scottish Open that while her record at the Women’s British Open is not as she would like playing Muirfield was an exciting prospect.
“I haven’t had the greatest I think track record at The Open, said the New Zealander. “So I’m excited for Muirfield. Obviously it’s the first time that the women’s championship is there, so it’s a pretty historic venue and historic championship.
“I’m excited. I’ve heard a lot of great things about it. Seen it on TV. So I’m excited to go play. It’s going to be pretty different to here even though they are both links. So just enjoy it and see what happens at the end of next week.”
Hannah Green, Stephanie Kyriacou, Su Oh and Whitney Hillier are the other Australasians in the field.
Green has played the event on four occasions for a best of 16th, Kyriacou twice for an impressive best of 13th last year, Oh on eight occasions for a best of 15th and Hiller is playing the event for the sixth occasion but has yet to make the weekend in any.
Sue Wooster misses out in US Senior Women’s Amateur final
Sue Wooster in action in today’s final – photo Steve Gibbons USGA
Victorian golfer Sue Wooster has again missed out on the US Senior Women’s Amateur title after being beaten in today’s final in Anchorage, going down to American Shelley Stouffer 4&3 in the 18 hole final at the Anchorage Golf Club.
It was the third occasion that 60 year old Wooster has made it to the final but as yet she has been unable to claim the trophy.
To even get to the final Wooster was forced to produce a stunning comeback in yesterday’s semi-final against American Christie Blasi, surging back from 3 down on the front nine to win, 3 and 2, to advance to the final for the third time in four years.
The final would turn out to be a one sided affair unfortunately with Stuffer racing to a 5 up lead at the turn and although Wooster dragged one hole back it was a case of too little too late, the match finishing on the 15th green.
Moments after Wooster missed an 8-foot birdie putt at what would be their final hole, Stouffer calmly rolled in a 3-footer for par to end the match. She raised her arms in celebration and hugged her 15-year-old son, Brett, who caddied for her throughout the championship in Alaska.
“I’m so proud of myself for making three finals in four years,” said Wooster. “I’m not going to give up on winning this trophy one day. It didn’t happen today, but things happen in funny ways. I think my day will come.”
Minjee Lee starts well at Murifield
Minjee Lee – file photo LPGA / Getty Images
Minjee Lee has made a strong start in her quest to add the Women’s British Open to her US Women’s Open title in 2022 with an opening round of 68 at Muirfield in Scotland and finds herself in a share of 5th place and three shots from the leader, Hinako Shibuno of Japan.
Lee took a while to get warmed up today and it was not until the 12th hole that she was able to move under par for the round. She finished off with two further birdies for her afternoon round. Tomorrow she will have the benefit of an early tee time (7.58).
“I made really quite a few good up-and-downs on the back nine and to be 3-under the back nine, I think is quite good considering like 14 and 15, they play really tough.
“You know, I feel like the wind got up — it was pretty similar to yesterday when I played in the Pro-Am, so I think kind of the — I got a little used to the conditions while I was out there yesterday.”
LPGA Tour rookie, Stephanie Kyriacou, from Sydney, did best of the other Australasians in the field with a round of 70 to be tied for 13th while Hannah Green and Lydia Ko had rounds of even par 71, Whitney Hillier 72 and Su Oh 77.
Hinako Shibuno in action today – photo R&A via Getty Images
Shibuno, the 2019 champion in this event, birdied her opening three holes today and would go on to record a total of eight birdies in her round of 65 as she looks to add a second consecutive win on the LPGA Tour for Japan following her countrywoman, Ayaka Furue’s success in the Scottish Open last week.
Shibuno leads by one over Jessica Korda, who, despite significant success on the LPGA Tour, is yet to record a victory in a major.
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Australian golf’s unsung hero, Sue Wooster, at it again
Sue Wooster in action today – photo Steve Gibbons USGA
The remarkable run of Victorian golfer, Sue Wooster, continued today when she reached the quarter-finals of the US Senior Amateur Championship in Anchorage in Alaska.
In June, Wooster, from the National Golf Club on the Mornington Peninsula, won the European Senior Women’s Championship to go with her many other Senior Amateur titles worldwide and she has now earned the right to play Idaho golfer, Terri Frohnmayer in tomorrow’s quarter-final.
60 year old Wooster qualified in 9th place in the 36 hole strokeplay on Monday and Frohnmayer six shots worse in 32nd position. Frohnmayer, though, was the 2011 US Senior Amateur Champion.
Wooster comfortably won her opening two match play encounters before taking on 8th qualifier Suzi Spotleson of Ohio today who she defeated in impressive fashion by a 5&4 margin.
Wooster has not trailed through three matches and did not lose a hole against Spotleson.
Wooster was runner-up in both the 2018 and 2019 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateurs and has made the match play stage in all nine U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur appearances.
In 2018, she won the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur, the Canadian Women’s Amateur, the Australian Senior Women’s Amateur and the North & South Senior Women’s Amateur.
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Min Jee Lee and Lydia Ko provide Australasian hope at Muirfield
Minjee Lee at her media conference today – photo R&A via Getty Images
The fifth and final major of the season for women’s golf, the US$6.8 million AIG Women’s Open, begins on Thursday at the famed Muirfield in Gullane in East Lothian to the north and east of Edinburgh.
Typically, the event has been rotated around most of Britain’s great courses in the last 45 years but more especially in the last twenty years with most of the Open Championship’s venues being used.
A notable absentee from that list has been Muirfield and in 2022 it gets its chance to expose its great layout to the elite of the female game.
Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist arrives as the defending champion following her narrow one-shot victory at Carnoustie last year.
From an Australasian perspective, however, the genuine chances of success appear to lie with Minjee Lee, Lydia Ko and Hannah Green although Ko and Lee are in the best recent form, Ko in particular, producing six top five finishes in her last eight LPGA Tour starts.
Lee on the other hand is the current US Women’s Open Champion and two starts later finished runner-up in the following major at the KPMG PGA Championship.
She can be forgiven for two finishes below that level in her last two attempts at the Evian Championship and the Women’s Scottish Open but Lee remains as the leader of the LPGA Tour’s Race to the Globe in 2022 and is the world number two behind Jin Young Ko.
Lee has recorded top 5 finishes in each of the last two starts in this particular event, her last round of 66 at Carnoustie last year the best of the day so her chances of adding a third major championship to her resume appear good.
Referring to her 18th place finish last week at the Scottish Open, Lee suggested she was transitioning to links style golf again after her time in Asia, the US and France to date this season
“I think just getting into the rhythm of playing on links-style courses. It wasn’t quite that windy at Dundonald, so I’m not sure how windy it’s going to be here. But I feel like Muirfield is maybe a little bit more traditional like links golf.
“I live in Dallas and it’s really windy and I grew up in Perth, which is also very windy. So I think just playing — I think playing in the wind, you just subconsciously kind of know how to spin the ball properly in the wind and also keeping it through the wind, like how it’s going to affect it, I think I know what it’s sort of going to do. So I think that’s what makes you sort of a better wind player.”
When asked if winning the Women’s British open would mean a lot to her Lee responded; “It’s the British Open. I really love playing at links golf courses.
“It’s just — I just really love like the hard conditions that we get and just how much creativity we have to sort of — we sort of have to think about around these types of courses. It could be really cool and it would be a great honour to be able to win the British.”
Ko, on the other hand, while playing some fine golf at present, does not enjoy a great record in this event for one of her standing. In ten starts at the Women’s British Open Ko has recorded just one top ten, that coming in 2015 when 3rd behind Inbee Park.
Both Ko and Lee are facing the prospect of a third major championship, Lee with her two in the last twelve months and Ko earning her two in her first over an eight month period in 2015 and 2016.
Ko indicated last week following her 5th place at the Women’s Scottish Open that while her record at the Women’s British Open is not as she would like playing Muirfield was an exciting prospect.
“I haven’t had the greatest I think track record at The Open, said the New Zealander. “So I’m excited for Muirfield. Obviously it’s the first time that the women’s championship is there, so it’s a pretty historic venue and historic championship.
“I’m excited. I’ve heard a lot of great things about it. Seen it on TV. So I’m excited to go play. It’s going to be pretty different to here even though they are both links. So just enjoy it and see what happens at the end of next week.”
Hannah Green, Stephanie Kyriacou, Su Oh and Whitney Hillier are the other Australasians in the field.
Green has played the event on four occasions for a best of 16th, Kyriacou twice for an impressive best of 13th last year, Oh on eight occasions for a best of 15th and Hiller is playing the event for the sixth occasion but has yet to make the weekend in any.
Henrik Stenson’s instant success in LIV Golf
Henrik Stenson wins at his first attempt at LIV Golf – Liv Golf
Henrik Stenson has just experienced the most bizarre ten day period in his life.
From being dropped from the Ryder Cup captaincy dues to his sign on with LIV Golf, to winning his biggest cheque in the game, Stenson’s decision to sign on with LIV was perhaps made considerably more palatable for him when he took out the US$4,000,000 winner’s cheque at the third event of the LIV Series in Bedminster in New Jersey. He added to that with another US$375,000 for his share of second place in the team’s event.
“Yeah, it has been a bit of a roller coaster, no question,” said Stenson. “You all seen that, and we talked about it earlier in the week.
“Now it’s about looking forward, for me at least, and yeah, I’m super proud with the focus I managed to have this week and to get my game in — I’ve been working pretty hard to get the game back in shape, and it’s certainly going in the right direction as we know now.
“Yeah, just thankful to the team that I work with and all the supportive from everyone. Yeah, super proud really to come out and grind it out like I did over the last three days and to sit here as the winner.
“I think there might have been a little bit of extra motivation in there this week. When we as players have that, I think we can bring out the good stuff. Yeah, I certainly did that this week.
“I guess that’s been a bit of a theme over the course of my career, I think, when I really want something I manage to dig a little bit deeper, and a lot of times we manage to make it happen.
“Yeah, very pleased with that, and I’m looking forward to some rest now.”
Stenson won by two over Matthew Wolff and Dustin Johnson, Wolff’s final round of 64 the best of the day.
Of the Australians, Matt Jones earns US$200,000 for sharing 19th, Travis Smyth US172,000 for his share of 22nd, Wade Ormsby US$124,000 for 46th and Jed Morgan US$120 for finishing in last place.
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Japan unearths another star as Ko finishes 5th in Scotland
A stunning final round of 62 earned rookie Ayaka Furue her first LPGA Tour win – photo Mark Runnacles LPGA
Lydia Ko has recorded her 6th top five LPGA Tour finish in her last eight starts with a share of 5th place at the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open at Dunbarnie Links.
Ko was unable to capitalise fully on the lead she held through both 36 and 54 holes and fell victim to a stunning late challenge by Japanese LPGA Tour rookie, Ayaka Furue, who began the final round four shots adrift of Ko and eventually finished five shots ahead of the New Zealander.
Ko was frustrated by the lack of progress especially after her brilliant start to the week but with the final major of the year for women’s golf, the AIG Women’s Open, just a few days away at Muirfield then there is a lot to be excited about as she chases a third major title.
“I feel like I wasn’t able to get things going over this weekend,” said Ko. “Never really got off to like a good momentum.
“Overall I played really solid. Even the last couple days, hit a couple not-so-good shots, but other than that, it was — I feel like there were a lot of good things, and like I said, sometimes when you get in a good rhythm of things, you’re able to keep it going.
“But I just was never on that train on this weekend but hopefully this is a good momentum for next week.
“I haven’t had the greatest I think track record at The Open. So I’m excited for Muirfield. Obviously, it’s the first time that the women’s championship is there, so it’s a pretty historic venue and historic championship.
I’m excited. I’ve heard a lot of great things about it. Seen it on TV. So I’m excited to go play. It’s going to be pretty different to here even though they are both links. So just enjoy it, and see what happens at the end of next week.”
Lydia Ko during her final round – photo Mark Runnacles Getty
The winner Furue won her first LPGA Tour title after graduating through the LPGA Tour Q Series last year. A prolific winner of seven titles on the JLPGA Tour, she has already been runner-up in one event earlier this season and at the age of just 22, Japan appears to have un-earthed yet another star.
Her round of 62 in one of her very early appearances on a links layout highlighted just how good she could become.
“I’m very happy. I was four shots back,” said Furue. “I thought it would be difficult to catch the top, good players. But I’m very happy I played good golf and I was able to come out as a winner.”
When asked how she managed to cope with such a foreign golf course she replied. “I didn’t change anything other than with my ball. I concentrated on how to play the wind.
“My caddie was very helpful. He gave myself a lot of good advice. He was very helpful with after it landed, how much it would roll. He calculated that very well and helped me out with wind direction and how the wind affects play.”
Furue won by three over Frenchwoman Celine Boutier with another shot back to Cheyenne Knight and Hyo Joo Kim.
of the Australians Minjee Lee was 15th and Hannah Green 34th.
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Cam Davis leads Australians in Detroit but improvement for Jason Day
Jason Day – file photo PGA of America
It was an encouraging week for Jason Day at this past week’s Rocket Mortgage Championship in Detroit, the 34 year old producing his third best PGA Tour finish in 13 starts this season and his best in his last six starts with a share of 17th at the Detroit Golf Club.
Day’s final round off 66 moved him from 29th to 17th overnight and moved him to 106th in the FedEx Cup standings assuring him of a start in the first of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, beginning on August 11th.
2022 has been Day’s worst season in terms of FedEx Cup standing since first joining the PGA Tour via the then Web.Com Tour in 2008.
His worst season came in 2021 when finishing 114th in the final standings and although he has struggled in 2022, his finish in Detroit gives some hope to make a late charge up the standings during the, hopefully, three Playoff events.
Defending champion Cameron Davis finished as the best of the Australians when he tied for 14th after only just making the cut on Friday. His weekend rounds of 65 and 67 now have him in 61st place in the FedEx Cup standings.
Adam Scott’s roller coaster of a week continued on Sunday recovering from a third round of 78 which came after a second round 66, with a final round of 65 to finish 39th.
Scott now finds himself in 73rd place in the FedEx Cup standings.
The leading 125 players will play the opening FedEx Cup Playoff.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic was won by Tony Finau who made it two wins from two starts after for so long being considered a player who struggled to break through despite his many near misses.
Finau has recorded nine runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour but until two weeks ago had only one win to his name.
Great fightback from Cameron Davis but still well back
Cameron Davis – file photo
Defending champion Cameron Davis has bounced back with a third round of 65 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, improving 43 places after just making the cut and is now in a share of 16th place, albeit 11 shots from the joint leaders, Tony Finau and Taylor Pendrith.
Davis who won his first and only PGA Tour title to date in this event last year was on track for a course record 63 when he finished in the middle of the fairway and just 114 yards from the hole at the last but a thinned approach saw him miss the green and he took bogey.
Still, it was a great bounce-back from his second round of 73 and while contending for the title is out of the question it was an encouraging recovery for the Sydney golfer.
“I mean, it was a nice bounce-back from yesterday where I felt like for the first, at least the first few holes I feel like I completely lost my swing, I had no idea where it went,” said Davis.
“On the back got some good stuff going yesterday afternoon and then brought it into today and made some putts with it today as well. A little sour end there with a wedge, but 17 really good solid holes. But I’m not on the number anymore, I’ve kind of worked my way back into the middle of the pack somewhere, which is nice.
“It was just more of a relaxing round. You’re playing in the morning, the greens are smoother, there’s no wind, you pick your number. If you hit it solid, you know where it’s going to go rather than being left up to the wind above the trees that you can’t really feel.
“Today was just a little bit more relaxed on the greens. I wasn’t trying to make a putt to hopefully make the cut on the number, it was just trying and make some progress and have a good round. Yeah, it just worked a lot better than it did yesterday.”
Jason Day is two behind Davis and in a share of 29th while Adam Scott somehow managed to record a round 12 shots worse than his third round 66 and slumped to a share of 66th with a round of 78.
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Stenson casts aside distractions to lead LIV Golf Bedminster
Henrik Stenson heads out to play his second round today – photo LIV Golf
Henrik Stenson has cast aside the distractions of the past two weeks to lead the LIV Series Bedminster event into the third and final round in Bedminster in New Jersey.
Stenson’s second round of 69 has him three clear of Dustin Johnson with co-first round leader Patrick Reed another shot back in a share of third place with Taylor Gooch and Carlos Ortiz.
The highlight of Stenson’s round was a massive eagle putt at the 8th and although he would drop a shot at the 18th, that he has the lead after such a emotional week during which he lost the Ryder Cup captaincy is particularly impressive.
“Yeah, it’s certainly been a busy and emotional week, no question, or 10 days,” said Stenson. “But I was very happy with how I managed to channel the concentration and go out and play the best round of the season yesterday.
“I didn’t have my best stuff today, but I was still focused and good attitude, and that’s what kept me in the ballgame. Yeah, pleased with the way I’ve kind of kept my head down and focused on business.
“Today I definitely didn’t have my best, but I was hanging in there. It was tougher conditions with the wind. It’s a tough golf course, and the greens are extremely quick and quite undulated. With the wind it’s even harder to put the ball in the perfect spots, and yeah, it was a bit of a grind at times, and then we kind of came through with some really good shots and made some nice putts.”
Travis Smyth added a 73 to his opening 69 to be tied in 14th place and lead the four Australians in the 48 man field.
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Dustin Johnson – photo LIV Golf
Adam Scott improves at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Adam Scott – file photo
While much of the focus was on the potential defence of the title by Australian Cameron Davis, it was his fellow countryman, Adam Scott, who put his hand up in the opening two rounds of the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
Scott finds himself in a share of 7th place after a second round of 66 and he is six shots behind leader Canadian Taylor Pendrith as the event heads into the weekend.
Jason Day who has slipped to 150th in the world rankings is tied for 35th and at 5 under par and tens shots from the lead while Davis himself only just made the cut on the number at 3 under par after being unable to capitalise on his opening 68.
“Yeah, it’s a good start,” said Scott. “Yesterday I think we in the afternoon had the toughest conditions and 3 under was a pretty good score, especially when there was a lot of low numbers already posted before I teed off.
“So I kind of, I clawed my way around yesterday and nearly really got it going today and generally playing pretty solid. I’m sure I’ll be quite a few back starting the weekend, but my game is in a good spot and I think I can play well on the weekend and make up the ground.”
Scott was asked about a change of the angle of attack in his driving and explained; “Well, I made a conscious effort after the U.S. Open when I started practicing a week or so after the U.S. Open to change that because although my play is OK, generally.
“I think if a couple of errant drives a day was costing me the chance of shooting rounds like today or even the good rounds I played at the open at St. Andrews, so just bringing the ball a little more under control. It’s funny because I haven’t — I don’t feel like I’ve sacrificed any distance even though we all think you’ve got to launch it high to hit it far.
“But it’s helpful when you play St. Andrews to do that because it runs. So I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing too much, but I’ve certainly hit more fairways and feel like I’m going to.”
Scott is currently in 72nd place in the FedEx Cup standings but given current circumstances with the LIV Golf defectors that will improve and if he can finish this week off week, then even further.
The leader Pendrith is yet to win on the PGA Tour but was twice a winner in Canada. He leads by one over his fellow first round leader and last week’s winner, Tony Finau,
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