Carnoustie for the first time
Carnoustie Golf Links will be the site of the RICOH Women's British Open this year for the first time in the 35-year history of the tournament. Carnoustie, located on the east coast of Scotland in the town of Angus, has been the site of seven British Opens and one Senior British Open on the men's side. Bernhard Langer won the first Senior British Open played at Carnoustie in 2010.
The best 72-hole score recorded was 277 when Padraig Harrington defeated Sergio Garcia in a playoff in 2007. Fans will remember the course as the site of Ben Hogan's third consecutive major championship victory in 1953, Tom Watson's first of five British Open titles in 1975 and Paul Lawrie's playoff victory in 1999 after Jean Van de Velde made a triple-bogey seven on the par-4 finishing hole in regulation.
The RICOH Women's British Open began in 1976, joined the LPGA Tour schedule in 1994 and became a major championship in 2001. Winners have come from the United States, England, South Africa, Spain, Japan, Australia, Sweden, South Korea, Mexico, Scotland and Taiwan. The U.S. leads with nine champions.
Future RICOH Women's British Opens will be held as follows: 2012, Royal Liverpool (for the first time); and 2013, The Old Course at St. Andrews (for the second time). The 2012 tournament will be played in September in order not to conflict with the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.
Key Holes
Carnoustie's par 5s may be the key holes in this week's RICOH Women's British Open. There are only three, none measure more than 490 yards and there will be two par 5s in the last five holes (Nos. 14 at 467 yards and 17 at 433).
Carnoustie's names
Golf history is revealed in the nicknames given to holes at Carnoustie. Names such as Jockie's Burn, Hogan's Alley, South America, Southward Ho!, Spectacles, Barry Burn and Home are both descriptive and historic.
Jockie's Burn is a water hazard on the third hole and Barry Burn is the water that snakes around the final three holes, the most famous portion which captured Jean Van de Velde on the "Home" hole, the par-4 18th, at the 1999 British Open. Hogan's Alley is the name for the sixth hole, a par 5 where Hogan drove down the tight alleyway between bunkers and out of bounds every day in 1953 on the way to victory. It was Hogan's only British Open appearance. "Spectacles" are the two large fairway bunkers 50 yards short of the par-5 14th green.
Yani Tseng's record
At age 22, Yani Tseng has established a major championship record with four victories, quicker than anyone in golf's modern era. Young Tom Morris set the all-time mark at age 21 when he captured his fourth consecutive British Open in 1872.
Tseng was 22 years, 5 months, 3 days when she won the Wegmans LPGA Championship in late June. She had already won the 2008 LPGA Championship, 2010 Kraft Nabisco Championship and the 2010 RICOH Women's British Open.
A look at some historic players and their major championship records at age 22:
Player…………….Number…………..Majors
Yani Tseng………………4……………..2008 LPGA, 2010 Kraft Nabisco, 2010 RICOH Women's British, 2011 Wegmans LPGA
Tom Morris Jr…………..4……………….1868-1870, 1872 British Open
Patty Berg………………3……………….1937-39 Titleholders
Gene Sarazen……………3………………1922 U.S. Open, 1922 PGA, 1923 PGA
Bobby Jones…………….2………………1923 U.S. Open, 1924 U.S. Amateur
Se Re Pak……………..2…………………1998 LPGA, 1998 U.S. Women's Open
Johnny McDermott…….2……………….1911, 1912 U.S. Open
Tiger Woods…………….1……………..1997 Masters
Jack Nicklaus……………1………………1962 U.S. Open
Seve Ballesteros………..1………………..1979 British Open
Nancy Lopez…………..1………………..1978 LPGA
Marlene Hagge………..1…………………1956 LPGA
Morgan Pressel……….1…………………..2007 Kraft Nabisco
Yani Tseng at the RICOH Women's British Open
Yani Tseng won the RICOH Women's British Open last year at Royal Birkdale. That added to her illustrious record in the major championship. A look at her results:
Year……..Finish………..Scores…..Site
2008………2……..70-69-68-66…….Sunningdale
2009………T20…..74-70-78-72…….Royal Lytham & St. Annes
2010………Won….68-68-68-73…….Royal Birkdale
Statistical Dominance
How dominant has Yani Tseng been this season on the LPGA Tour? The 22-year-old leads the LPGA in the following categories: Earnings, Wins, Scoring, Top-10 Finishes and Birdies. The only major category where Tseng is not among the leaders is Driving Accuracy, where she ranks 96th.
The LPGA has completed its halfway point for the 2011 season through 13 tournaments. Here are the statistical leaders:
Earnings……………..…Yani Tseng……… $1,385,508
Wins……………………Yani Tseng………..3
Greens in Regulation……Paula Creamer…. .758
Putting…………………..Jean Reynolds….. 1.71
Scoring………………….Yani Tseng……... 69.68
Rolex Player of Year……Yani Tseng…….. 169
Rolex Rookie of Year…...Hee Kyung Seo… 393
Top-10 Finishes………Yani Tseng, Cristie Kerr…8
Birdies…………………...Yani Tseng…….. 191
Driving Distance………...Brittany Lincicome…271.2
Driving Accuracy………..Christine Song…... .850
The Evian's major move
The Evian will become the LPGA Tour's fifth major championship in 2013. The day after the 2012 event, the Evian Golf Club will be redesigned, led by American course architect Steve Smyers.
The 2013 change will mark the first time that the LPGA Tour has had a fifth major in one season. The 2013 major championship schedule will include (in order) the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the Wegmans LPGA Championship, U.S. Women's Open, RICOH Women's British Open and The Evian.
Here's list of LPGA Tour major championships over the years:
Kraft Nabisco Championship…..1983-current
Wegmans LPGA Championship…….1955-current
U.S. Women's Open…………..1950-current
RICOH Women's British Open…2001-current
du Maurier Classic……………….1979-2000
Titleholders…………………. 1937-42, 46-66, 1972
Women's Western Open………1930-67
The Evian…………………………2013-
Major titles
Since this week's RICOH British Open marks the final major championship of the year, here's a look at the all-time major championships wins list leaders:
Patty Berg…..15
Mickey Wright….13
Louise Suggs…….11
Babe Zaharias……..10
Annika Sorenstam…10
Betsy Rawls………..8
Juli Inkster………….7
Karrie Webb……….7
Pat Bradley…………6
Betsy King………….6
Patty Sheehan………6
Kathy Whitworth….6
Amy Alcott………..5
Se Re Pak…………5
Susie Berning……..4
Donna Caponi……4
Laura Davies………4
Sandra Haynie…….4
Hollis Stacy……….4
Meg Mallon………4
Yani Tseng……….4
Miyazato's major effort
Ai Miyazato, the winner of last week's Evian Masters, hasn't won a major championship yet in 26 career appearances, dating back to 2004. This week's RICOH Women's British Open has been her best opportunity so far, with four top-10 finishes in seven career starts, including three consecutive entering this year's event. Miyazato has won consecutive starts previously, at the 2009 Honda PTT LPGA Thailand and the HSBC Women's Champions. After winning the 2009 Evian Masters, Miyazato finished third in the following week's RICOH Women's British Open.
Stacy Lewis in majors
In three years of major championship participation, Stacy Lewis has shown a propensity to fare well on difficult courses. She has started in 11 career majors, with one missed cut, at the 2009 RICOH Women's British Open. The Texan has finished no worse than T34 in her last seven major championship starts. Over her career, Lewis has five top-10 finishes in majors, including a victory at the Kraft Nabisco earlier this year.
Etc.
ESPN will televise all four rounds of this week's tournament live with additional early round coverage on ESPN3. … Catriona Matthew, the 2009 champion at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, England, is playing in her home country this week. She was born in Edinburgh, grew up and resides in North Berwick and attended college at the University of Stirling, all within a two-hour drive of Angus, Scotland and Carnoustie.
)
)
)
)
