Women & Golf columnist and Ladies European Tour professional Meghan MacLaren shares what she's learned after competing in her first major this summer. 

Finding Some Roots

Before playing the British Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, I played the Scottish Ladies Open at Gullane - another first-time event for me. Having spent so much time in the States, getting home and playing links golf felt like a treat. I remember returning to the course on the Wednesday evening to do some more chipping practice and having to drag myself away before I exhausted myself, simply because I was in complete golfing heaven trying to hit the same chip shot with pretty much every single club in my bag!

There really is nothing like links golf. The creativity it allows for a variety of shots; the test of your intelligence and ability when working out how much the wind will affect your ball flight; the emotional turmoil it can give as you walk up to a bunker hoping desperately that you’ll be able to take a semi-normal stance. Even though I got hit hard at times by the nasty side of links golf in both events, I would still put every event on tour on a links course if I could. I love it.

Welcome Home

One of the best things about winning on the LET earlier this year was the door it promised to open.

I’ve been to final qualifying for the Women’s British Open several times, without ever making the step through, or even getting particularly close. I can vividly remember every one of those experiences - the quiet hope, the desperate intensity, the putts that kept you going and the putts that crept agonisingly past. Final qualifying offers you more hope than you dare to believe, as there are often 10 to 15 spots available, and then there you are on one of, if not the biggest stage in women’s golf at the British Open.

Yet despite having a good amateur career that gave me plenty of highlights, playing the British Open was never one of them. So the realisation in Australia that my win would give me an exemption directly into a major, the one every Brit, probably every European (and a few smart Americans), has dreamed of playing in ... that was exciting to say the least.

Baby Steps and Major Strides

Being part of the Scottish and British events that featured the best players in the world was a huge stepping-stone. When I played the US Open last year (my first major), everything felt like a huge stage. This time around I felt much more comfortable with my own game; I did a lot of very good things in Scotland, and eventually got caught out by a bunker late in the second round that cost me a triple. A birdie at the last wasn’t enough to stop me missing the cut by one... and trust me, that hurts! It was tough to take, as every missed cut is, but I was aware my entire game and mindset was in a much better place than it had been a month or two previously.

To take that into the British Open and make the cut only reinforces my belief that I’m on the right track. Again, links golf got the better of me in spells in the final round, and watching all your hard work unravel uncontrollably is no fun at all. But while I’ll learn from that, I’m not letting it take away all of the great moments - the threaded drives through bunkers, controlled iron shots into dangerous greens, relentless holing out for par. There’s no better opportunity to learn than when you’re in the toughest environment and I can’t wait to continue that through 2018 and beyond. 

Image credit: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

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