Charley Hull battled the wind to come out on top and take a one shot lead after the first day of the AIG Women's Open
Well, that was fun! I don't think you will have needed to have been walking the Old Course today to get an idea of just how windy it was for the players in the first round of the AIG Women's Open. Whilst the early week forecast of rain stayed away, the predicted wind did not.
The wind was prevalent from the first tee shot, with the 2007 AIG Women's Open Champion I. K. Kim having the honour. The Korean got to the top of her back swing just as a large gust surged up the first and 18th fairways, unsurprisingly, she looked disappointed with the result of her drive and would go on to bogey the first hole.
That set the scene for a battering day on the links but at least the sun was shining!
Ruoning Yin set the early pace
Setting the early lead was Ruoning Yin, the 2023 KPMG Women's PGA Champion, who started on the 10th tee, got to six-under-par after 14 holes. Two bogeys would follow on the par-4 6th and par-3 8th holes but none-the-less, a solid effort from the Chinese player.
An eagle on the par-5 14th helped Jenny Shin to a round of 69 and one shot behind the early leader. The Korean described her first round at the AIG Women's Open as a tough battle against relentless wind, unlike anything she had experienced before.
She wasn't the only one to remark, "the ball was wobbling on the tee," she said, highlighting the intense conditions from the 7th to the 13th hole. Despite this, she was "extremely happy" with her under-par round. With rounds taking over six hours, it wasn't surprising that she mentioned feeling like the round lasted all day and credited her calmness and putting adjustments for her success, particularly on challenging three- and four-footers.
On the 11th hole, facing a tricky 12-footer for par, she admitted, "I was just thinking, Oh, my God, please don't make me miss this." Making that putt sent her adrenaline soaring, making for a memorable and "fun round" despite the difficulties.
Shin was joined at three-under-par by fellow Korean Mi Hyang Lee and American Andrea Lee, 2021 Chevron Champion Patty Tavatanakit and Japan's Mao Saigo.
All-star grouping - Charley Hull rises to the top
The final player in the group tied in fourth was defending Champion Lilia Vu. Vu was part of an all-star grouping which included World Number one Nelly Korda and home fan favourite Charley Hull, which teed off at 1:10pm local time.
It may have been the company but it may also have been to do with a slight ease in the gusty winds, especially on the last three holes, that helped to propel all three players up the leaderboard.
Ruoning Yin held onto her lead for most of the day and in the end it was England's Charley Hull, who with a final hole birdie climbed to the top with the with a five-under-par 67.
Hull kept focused on the front nine, when the winds were stronger and made the turn at one-under-par after two birdies and one bogey. Looking calm and composed, she navigated her way perfectly through the tricky conditions, giving herself plenty of looks at birdie opportunities. Unlike Sunday at the ISPS Handa Women's Open when it felt like some slipped away, this time she capitalised on them and birdied 10, 12, 15 and 18. The birdie on 18 also edged Nelly Korda into a tie for second after she also made one to post her round of 68.
After a draining round both mentally and physically, Hull was smiling and couldn't have asked for a better start as she looks to claim her first major:
"It was loads of fun out there today. Actually before my round I was in there watching it on the TV when I saw the scores, and I thought, how is she 4-under-par; that was an unbelievable score. I'd take that now because it was gusting a lot on the range, and I said to my coach, feels like they could call it at any minute because I don't know how the balls are staying on the greens. To go out there shoot 5-under, play pretty solid, it was a lot of fun."
Korda keeps up the momentum
Having not played at the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open last week, it was difficult to predict how Korda would fair on a windy links course, but we sometimes forget that she is the best player in the world right now. Just the one bogey on the par 3 8th was the only blemish on her card. A big confidence booster heading into Friday.
Did her playing partners help with the momentum?
"Yeah, I'm sure. When you're all kind of playing well, the momentum is kind of up. Charley and Lilia played really great, and I think overall we had a really good day, and hopefully the crowd enjoyed it as much as we did.
"There's something fun about playing in these conditions, too. Not that I would do it every single time. But it's just there's like a different creative side to it, which I enjoy."
Scots have it all to play for
Scottish hopes aren't quite dashed by a five-over-par 77 for Catriona Matthew and a seven-over-par 79 for Gemma Dryburgh means that they have a lot to do on Friday. Afterwards, Dryburgh explained that the opening round was among the top five most difficult she’d ever played, noting that while the absence of rain made it slightly more bearable, it was still a brutal test of skill and endurance.
For the amateurs, it was a great day for Spaniard Julia Lopez Ramirez and England's Lottie Woad, who are both on even par. The World Number one amateur Woad described the round as a "mental battle," with birdies being hard to come by. She focused on keeping her scores down and reading the greens carefully. Despite the difficulty, like most players, was relieved to finish the round, highlighting the importance of sticking to target lines and not getting ahead of herself in the windy conditions.
It's certainly too early to be getting ahead of ourselves but the leaderboard is shaping up quite nicely and with a wet night forecast, the conditions will be soft for the early starters, but it looks like the gusts will be a little less severe for the second round.
View the full AIG Women's Open leaderboard here.
