Ladies Scottish Open Primer: History, TV, Field

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The LPGA Tour moves from Sylvania (Ohio) to Scotland for the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open.

Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and LPGA, the Ladies Scottish Open will be contested at Dundonald Links, with the 156 player field vying for a tournament-record $1.5m purse.

 
Taking place the week before the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Kingsbarns, the Ladies Scottish Open will kick off a superb two weeks of links golf in Scotland, and conclude the LPGA’s 12 week summer marathon schedule.

12 Week Summer Marathon

This portion of the schedule includes 12 consecutive tournaments including 3 major championships.

Lap 1

  • 5/18-22: Kingsmill Championship – Lexi Thompson (-20)
  • 5/25-28: LPGA Volvik Championship – In-Kyung Kim (-11)
  • 6/2-4: Shoprite LPGA Classic – Shanshan Feng (-19)

Lap 2:

  • 6/8-11: Manulife LPGA Classic – Ariya Jutanugarn (-17)
  • 6/15-18: Meijer LPGA Classic – Brooke Henderson (-21)
  • 6/23-25: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship – So Yeon Ryu (-18)

Lap 3:

  • 6/29-7/2: KPMG Women’s PGA – Danielle Kang (-13)
  • 7/6-9: Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic – Katherine Kirk (-22)
  • 7/13-16: U.S. Women’s Open – Sung Hyun Park (-11)

Lap 4:

  • 7/20-23: Marathon Classic – In-Kyung Kim (-21)
  • 7/27-30: Ladies Scottish Open
  • 8/3-6: Women’s British Open

History

The LPGA Tour announced the addition of four new tournaments to its 2017 schedule. The Thornberry Creek Classic, played earlier this month, and won by Katherine Kirk in dramatic fashion, was the first of these four new events.

 
The second new tournament is this week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open – a tuneup before the Ricoh Women’s British Open, which caps off the LPGA’s aforementioned 12 week summer stretch.

At the start of the LPGA’s fall season, in September, the Tour stops in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indy Women in Tech (IWIT) Championship Presented by Guggenheim, on the Pete Dye-designed Brickyard Crossing Golf Course that weaves through the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 
Following the season’s final major (The Evian Championship), the LPGA will take a week off before traveling to New Zealand for the MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open, the season’s fourth and final new event.


By The Numbers

  • 1 – The first year that the Ladies Scottish Open will be co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA
  • 2 – Catriona Matthew has captured a pair of Ladies Scottish Open wins when it was an LET event in 2013 and 2011
  • 43 – This week’s field has combined for 43 majors
  • 81 – The field has also combined for 81 Solheim Cup appearances
  • 245 – This week’s field has combined for 245 LPGA Tour wins

The Skinny

Tournament: Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open
Managed By: LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour
Title Sponsor: Aberdeen Asset Management
Dates: July 27-30
Course: Dundonald Links
Where: Ayrshire, Scotland
Vitals: par-72, 6,390 yards
Architect: Kyle Phillips
Purse: $1,500,000
Winning Share: $225,000
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


The Course

Originally known as Southern Gailes, the Kyle Philip’s-designed golf course was purchased by Loch Lomond Golf Club in early 2003, and the name was changed to Dundonald Links to reflect the area’s rich history. Dundonald means ‘Fort Donald’ and fortifications have been discovered nearby dated to between 500 and 200 BC.

 
Dundonald has played host to both the European Tour Qualifying School and the Senior Opening Qualifying. The prestigious Boys Amateur Championship came to Dundonald in 2014, before the course welcomed the LET’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open in 2015 and 2016.

 
Dundonald Links will play to a par 72, and stretch to 6,390 yards for the world’s best female golfers this week.


The Field

The 156-player field in Scotland includes five of the world’s top 10 ranked players, headlined by the world’s No. 1 and 2, So Yeon Ryu and Ariya Jutanugarn, respectively – who are both teeing it up for the first time since the U.S. Women’s Open.

 
All eyes will especially be on Jutanugarn, who has struggled badly since mid-June, with her last four starts resulting in a T-22, CUT, WD, CUT.

World No. 4 Lydia Ko, who finished 20th at last week’s Marathon Classic, will also be in the Scotland field, and still searching for win No. 1 of the 2017 season.

 
Shanshan Feng (No. 7) is also making her first start since the U.S. Women’s Open, where she nearly went wire-to-wire for the win, only to run out of gas at the finish line (T5). No. 8 Inbee Park rounds out the world’s top-10 in the field.

A handful of top Americans, who are currently on the south side of the Solheim Cup team bubble, will also be teeing it up, including Michelle Wie, Brittany Lang, Mo Martin and Angela Stanford.

 
The field is additionally highlighted by nine players who have won on Tour this year: Inbee Park (HSBC Women’s Champions), Yeon Ryu (ANA Inspiration and Walmart NW Arkansas Championship), Cristie Kerr (LOTTE Championship), Haru Nomura (Volunteers of America Texas Shootout), Sei Young Kim (Lorena Ochoa Matchplay), Feng (Volvik Championship), In-Kyung Kim (ShopRite LPGA Classic, Marathon Classic), Jutanugarn (Manulife LPGA Classic), and Kirk (Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic).

Other marquee names include Stacy Lewis, Karrie Webb, Cheyenne Woods, Christina Kim, and Paula Creamer.


TV Coverage

*Tape Delay
Round 1: Thursday 9:30-11:30 AM (Golf Channel)
Round 2: Friday 9:30-11:30 AM (Golf Channel)
Round 3: Saturday 3-6 PM (Golf Channel)*
Round 4: Sunday 3-6 PM (Golf Channel)*


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