Click here for the field at the Ricoh Women's British Open.
A final qualifier is being played Monday at St. Andrews where more than 100 players are playing for around 20 spots in the field. Click here for scoring.
Top-Ranked Players To Compete at Kingsbarns
There doesn’t seem to be a venue ill suited for So Yeon Ryu’s game and Kingsbarns will likely be no different as the world No. 1 hasn’t finished outside a tie for 17th in her last four appearances at the Ricoh Women’s British Open. Ryu is already a two-time winner this season with victories at the season’s first major, the ANA Inspiration, and Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She is joined by Amy Yang as the only two players to start both the 2016 and 2017 seasons with top-15 finishes in the season’s first three major championships. Ryu finished tied for 14th at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and tied for third at the U.S. Women’s Open. She’s joined in the field by world No. 2 Lexi Thompson, No. 3 and defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn, No. 4 Sung Hyun Park and No. 5 Lydia Ko.
Thompson did not play at last week’s Scottish tune-up at Dundonald Links, but her game doesn’t look to need much work. She arrives in Scotland as the new world No. 2, which is the highest she’s been ranked in her career. Thompson is fresh off her fifth runner-up finish of the season and looks to pick up her second win of the year this week at Kingsbarns. But Thompson has had mixed results at this championship where she has just one top-10 in five starts which came in a tie for eighth last season at Woburn Golf Club.
Ko, on the other hand, did make the early trip to Scotland where she missed the cut for just the third time since joining the Tour in 2014. Her best finish at the Ricoh Women’s British Open came in 2015 when she finished tied for third at Turnberry.
Defending Champion
Seven of the last 18 and five of the last 11 majors were won by players 20 or younger, including this week’s defending champion, Ariya Jutanugarn, who captured her first major title at the Ricoh Women’s British Open at the age of 20. She made history with her win as the first player from Thailand, male or female, to win one of golf’s major championships.
But the Thai has struggled on links style courses, like in 2015 at Turnberry where she missed the cut and in 2014 at Royal Birkdale where she was tied for 45th. Her victory at Woburn Golf Club, site of last year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open, wasn’t on a traditional links layout, but more like a parkland course with heavily tree-lined fairways. But it’s not just the venue that draws into question how Jutanugarn might perform this week, but also her play over the last month, which includes missed cuts at the last two majors.
I’ll Take Another
Six former winners join defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn in the field this week at Kingsbarns Golf Links. There, Jutanugarn will attempt to become the first player to successfully defend a title this season and the first to go back-to-back at Ricoh since Yani Tseng in 2010 and 2011. Tseng has struggled to return to the form that earned her those major titles, but she arrives at this week’s championship off her fourth made cut of the year.
Also in the field this week is 2002 champion, Karrie Webb, who nearly won her 42nd event on Tour at last week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open, as well as Catriona Matthew (2009), Stacy Lewis (2013) and Mo Martin (2014), who all finished in the top-5 last year at Woburn.
Inbee Park, whose victory in 2015 completed the Career Grand Slam, also returns to the field after skipping last year’s event due to an ongoing thumb injury.
Thanks For The Memories
Ai Miyazato continues her farewell Tour as she wraps up her final few events before retiring from the LPGA Tour. The nine-time winner received a sponsor invite to this week’s Ricoh Women’s British Open for what will be her 14th and final appearance. She has four top-10s at the championship, her best finish coming in a tie for third in 2009 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club.
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