The number one skill needed to win at St. Andrews this week is creativity. The latest installment of the AIG Women’s Open returns to the Home of Golf. The Old Course at St Andrews has hosted this major championship on two previous occasions.
Lorena Ochoa walked across the Swilcan Bridge and won in 2007, and current U.S. Solheim Cup Captain Stacy Lewis did the same in 2013. One of the most unique layouts in major championship golf, players are tested more mentally than physically at this venue.
First impressions of The Old Course run the full spectrum, and history has shown us it takes an interpretive mind to tame this beast. As we prepare for the LPGA Tour’s fifth and final major of the 2024 season, the little details that make this course so brilliant are the same features that will help determine the eventual winner. All 25 of the top 25 athletes in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are in the field of 144 players. The top 65 and ties will play the weekend and compete for a share of a $9 million purse.
A large part of that competition will be determined by the weather. The forecast calls for four days in the low 60s, and rain is predicted for Thursday and Friday, along with substantial wind throughout all four rounds. St Andrews rests on a peninsula of land stretching out into the North Sea. Exposed to the elements, 25mph winds with gusts into the 30s will be the top defense of par this week. Coming off a challenging week on the west coast of Scotland at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, these players are either prepared or ready to go home.
The Old Course will play to a par 72 at 6,784 yards, and infinite bunkering adds up to 116 sandy surfaces over 18 holes. Eighty of those bunkers sit alongside the fairways, but these landing areas are the largest on Tour. Give an edge to the longer players in the field. Our strokes gained leaders off the tee this week should increase their advantage on approach. Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, Linn Grant and Jennifer Kupcho are all long and accurate. They tend to surface in majors just for this reason.
The Old Course has a very interesting scorecard. There are two par 3s, two par 5s and 14 par 4s. We know Korda, Ayaka Furue and Lilia Vu are the best par-4 scorers in St Andrews, and those two extra par 4s over the next four days will add up. After all, a player only has to win by one stroke. This is probably the single best separating factor for this field. Both Stacy Lewis and Lorena Ochoa were world-class par-4 players, and it helped them immeasurably during the weeks they won.
Another unique feature rarely encountered are the Old Course's dual greens. Seven joined putting surfaces are design features with a very cool detail. Each of the pairs of joint holes add up to 18 (2-16, 3-15, 4-14, 5-13, 6-12, 7-11, 8-10). Abstract in style, hitting these 13,000 square-foot putting surfaces is not the test. Getting it close to the hole is. Strong approach players like Minjee Lee and Haeran Ryu are ranked inside the top 10 on the LPGA and will give themselves the best opportunity to score.
Not only that, but they will also have the best chance to avoid three-putting. Not many players have competed on courses where 70- and 80-foot putts are common. Throw in wet, windy conditions and slower-than-average green speeds, and only the best putters will contend. If you compare strokes gained putting, putts per green in regulation and putting average, the three standouts in this field are Yuka Saso, Hyo Joo Kim and Furue.
For the second time in three weeks, we are going to see the world’s best women compete on a course made familiar by the men. It led to an epic event at Le Golf National at the Paris Olympics, so expect similar entertainment in St Andrews.
Keep an eye on the common names above and see if you can find a champion golfer. Don’t forget to make a couple of picks of your own. It’s the fifth and final major of the season. What better time is there to pick a winner?
Keith Stewart is an award-winning PGA Professional. He covers the LPGA and PGA TOUR for Golf Digest, SportsGrid, The Sporting News, LPGA, and PGA TOUR. If you are looking to raise your golf acumen and love inside information about the game, check out his weekly newsletter called Read The Line.
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