With 21 completely different ladies having gained within the final 22 main golf championships, there’s little marvel that Australian star Minjee Lee nonetheless stands out.
Stretching again to the 2019 Women’s PGA, Perth’s Lee is the one girl to have lifted multiple main in that interval – and she will make it three successive years of main titles if she will add the Women’s British Open crown to the US Open title she gained final 12 months and the 2021 Evian Championship.
It hasn’t been the perfect 12 months for the 27-year-old by her personal searing requirements and he or she’s right down to No.10 on this planet rankings, her lowest for 2 years. This time final 12 months, she was second within the rankings.
But although she had a disastrous first spherical of 80 within the warm-up Scottish Open occasion final week on the Dundonald Links, Lee’s subsequent rounds of 66, 68 and 66, that elevated her to joint-Thirteenth, urged she was regaining a few of her greatest kind coming into the season’s ultimate main.
Lee shall be out early, simply earlier than 0800 (1700 AEST) on Thursday on what seems to be set to be a wonderful morning on the course in Surrey, to the south-west of London, as she companions Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and American Danielle Kang.
She’ll be one among six Australians in motion, searching for to grow to be the nation’s solely Open winner aside from Karrie Webb, who took the 2002 title at Turnberry.
Not that the Australian’s kind compares to that of Celine Boutier, the Frenchwoman who’s capturing for a 3rd successive title in as many weeks, after her maiden main triumph within the Evian and final week’s Scottish victory.
Boutier is now as much as No.3 on this planet as a three-time winner on the LPGA Tour this 12 months after changing into solely the third participant since 2010 – after Inbee Park and Ariya Jutanugarn – to win a significant earlier than taking the very subsequent occasion up for grabs on the LPGA Tour.
“It’s definitely a little bit tiring because it’s now been three weeks on the road,” Boutier admitted.
“It’s not easy to stay focused and motivated. But at the same time, it’s also the last major of the year. So I’m just trying to focus on that and trying to finish strong.”
The huge downside at Walton Heath, venue for the looks of maybe the best US Ryder Cup workforce ever again in 1981, is not deep tough however the alluring heather that appears beautiful however is something but when your ball lands amongst it.
World No.1 and Olympic champion Nelly Korda smiled ruefully on Wednesday after tangling with the heather: “Yeah, almost broke my wrist today.
“It’s not simple. It’s actually bouncy. If you get a superb lie, then perhaps you may advance the ball however I might say 95 per cent of the time you can be pitching out with a 58 diploma wedge simply to attempt to get it again into play. It’s actually robust to get out of that.”
AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN
07.14 (16.14 AEST) – Steph Kyriacou
07.58 (16.58 AEST) Minjee Lee
11.10 (20.10 AEST) Sarah Kemp
11.54 (20.54 AEST) Grace Kim
13.00 (22.00 AEST) Hannah Green
15.28 (00.28 AEST Friday) Kelsey Bennett
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
