My first trip to The Home of Golf was a special one. I did not know what to expect arriving in the town of St Andrews but I was beyond excited to get my first glimpse of the Old Course. It was typical Scottish weather when we arrived, wet and windy, but it almost made my first look of the course more iconic. St Andrews is a special haven for golf, and you can feel it in the air wherever you are in the town. Everyone is wearing golf clothes, authentic golf shops on every street, memorabilia everywhere and golf talk in every restaurant and pub. It’s contagious!
Women’s golf is growing rapidly in all areas. The standard of golf is exceptional and the crowds are on the rise. It’s not just the golf that sets the Women’s game apart, the fashion was unique; bright colours, oversize clothing and accessories such as ear muffs and high top shoes catch the eye and get people talking! Global brands such as Adidas are now collaborating with a number of top LPGA Tour Professionals helping the game reach a truly new global audience.
Fans of all ages are inspired by the likes of Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko and Linn Grant, who are superstars of the game and amazing role models for young players to look up to. The fan experience for the week was an engaging one; the #1 podcast in Golf, No Laying Up, was on the AIG Open Radio all week giving a firsthand on the ground insight into the action!
The way they broke down the details of the Old Course and the knowledge they had of the players’ games gave a great insight for the listening spectators who were braving the elements outside the ropes and even those seeking refuge in The Jigger Inn! Worldwide Pop sensation Tom Grennan flew in to perform after the day’s play on Saturday evening in front of a bumper crowd, encompassing the fact that Golf is no longer an event just for Dad but in fact for the entire family! The planning of the event was exquisite and it was one of my favourite sporting events I have attended.
On Thursday and Friday, I walked the course as a spectator, and it was the first time I had seen the course in the flesh. The one piece of knowledge I had of the course was that players can miss left off the tee all day on both nines and be in play. However, if you start missing right, you are staring down a double bogey or worse. This is absolutely true! I followed Maja Stark’s group on the front nine, and they were extremely impressive. Off the tee, they would only miss left of the fairway and you naturally think they’ve made a mistake, but when you walk up with them to see all three balls in play, with a great angle into the green.
They knew their misses and knew not to leak one right with a hard 40mph wind off the left! What made golf a fascinating spectacle was the fact that every player in the field had to be on their A-game otherwise they would suffer the wrath of mother nature. Following one group for a longer stretch of holes is a great way to watch professional golf live, as you really get a look at the consistency they all obtained the way they manage their games around such a testing course.
After following one group for the front nine, we then decided to set up camp in the grandstand on the most exposed part of the course and watch multiple groups come through on the Par 4 7th hole and Par 3 11th hole. This was relentless for the spectators with the wind blowing hard over our right shoulder coming off the Eden Estuary. It was difficult enough for the spectators to hang onto their hats, so much so that I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like for the players! Balls were oscillating on the greens which had a large part to play for the 6 ½ hour round on Thursday & Friday but given the conditions the R&A did well to ensure the course remained playable!
The ball striking throughout the tournament was exceptional with most of the women hitting low punch shots into the back right pin on the 7th hole which was amazing to see live. We saw multiple near hole outs from the fairway. The problems came for most players with the short stick. They were rarely holding putts, and were missing short Birdie putts which meant it was a constant battle to climb up the leaderboard!
From our point of view, it looked like the Pros were struggling with posture due to the blustery conditions, and balls were moving whilst they were in their routine leading to confusion between playing partners whether or not to proceed. Later on that afternoon I heard that both Nelly Korda and Linn Grant had added more weight to their putters, with Korda, in fact, changing to a mallet from her preferred blade. This was to make their stroke feel more stable in the windy conditions which makes a lot of sense.
The scene was set for the final round exactly how the organisers & sponsors would have wished before the first ball was in the air! The best players in the world, fighting for a major at arguably the most famous golf course in the world. There were five players, who have all previously been World #1 at some point in their career, in the hunt to win on back nine. The famous 17th hole, nicknamed The Road Hole, has caused lots of drama throughout the years and it held its own this time around as well. What a brilliant finishing stretch of golf holes, if you make a Par at 17 it feels like Strokes Gained on the field, whereas you can quite quickly find yourself out of contention with a Double Bogey via Hell Bunker!
If you can navigate the Road Hole in level Par then you set yourself up for a rip at the 18th green with the traditional wind direction down off the right! I can’t think of anything better in the world of golf. Lydia Ko proved her patience with a final-round 69 to win by two shots.What a fortnight for New Zealand’s finest export the game of Golf has ever seen, following up her Gold Medal at Le Golf National the week earlier at the Paris Olympics. She has built a serious pedigree in the golf game.
The upcoming Solheim Cup in the United States is set to be a fiery contest! After a tie last year at Finca Cortesin, and Europe retaining the trophy, the US have got a chip on their shoulder and set about proving a point on home soil, with a star studded line up to boot! I’ll be tuning into Sky Sports for sure, to support Suzann Pettersen and the European team. Ole Ole Ole!!
