Women's Open at the Old Course tomorrow should be interesting

[David_Tepper]

I just watched Lydia Ko's press conference on youtube. She is a very impressive, well-spoken women.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tUsjptRq1Y

[Jason Thurman]

Forget the talk - she hit driver off the deck into the wind on 14 to clear Hell and set up a birdie on the way to an inward 34 while everyone else in contention was coming home in 37+. And her approach to 17 was probably a more impressive shot, somehow.


The men just overpower The Old Course now and it takes a lot of the drama out of the architecture - as they do with so many other courses as well. But watching four elite women coming home into a headwind across the greatest 9 holes in golf was really something... I can't believe there's not more talk about this tournament on this site. It featured not only great competition with big swings constantly throughout the final two days of the event, but also highlighted the architectural quality onhand pretty magnificently.

[George Pazin]

I can't believe there's not more talk about this tournament on this site. It featured not only great competition with big swings constantly throughout the final two days of the event, but also highlighted the architectural quality onhand pretty magnificently.

+1


I watched every day, was impressed as always with the course, and greatly enjoyed watching how the women played it. I preferred it to watching the men, in many ways, it was more relatable. (And I'm not saying any of us can play like the women, I'm simply saying they didn't just whack a driver 350+.)


It is always funny to me to be in my sweatshop, watching golfers wearing vests and beanies!


The one thing I'm always amazed by, watching many of the Scottish events, is the land movement, the roly poly bumps and hollows. I guess you can't really do that in most of North America, with our clay-based soil.

[Joe Zucker]

Thanks for bringing this thread to the top Jason.  Lydia's 3 wood into the road hole should he a shot we remember for decades.  Watching the women navigate the course knowing the ball will be on the ground for a significant portion of the time is fascinating.  Many times they couldn't properly predict the roll out and got into trouble. 


A few years back there was a(nother) thread on why the game was better before titanium drivers and the Pro V. SL_Solow eloquently explained that the game had matured and was in the proper scale.  That was how I felt watching the women.  They hit wedges and 3 woods into greens, but it always felt like their skills were properly aligned to the course. 

[Charlie Goerges]

Thanks for bringing this thread to the top Jason.  Lydia's 3 wood into the road hole should he a shot we remember for decades.  Watching the women navigate the course knowing the ball will be on the ground for a significant portion of the time is fascinating.  Many times they couldn't properly predict the roll out and got into trouble. 


A few years back there was a(nother) thread on why the game was better before titanium drivers and the Pro V. SL_Solow eloquently explained that the game had matured and was in the proper scale.  That was how I felt watching the women.  They hit wedges and 3 woods into greens, but it always felt like their skills were properly aligned to the course.

I'm for the rollback and all, but everything you describe above is how I already play the game now (and most of the people I play with).

[Craig Sweet]

Exactly, Charlie! The other day I hit a 18 degree hybrid 200 yards onto the green, into a head wind, and the ball never got more than a foot off the ground.  The young guy I was playing with laughed out loud, but was impressed!

[JLahrman]

I don't watch much golf these days, but I watched a little of Saturday's round and maybe two hours of Sunday's coverage. It was really fun to watch. First of all it basically turned into a four-way competition between the defending champion, a two-time winner of the event, the current #1 player, and a newly minted Hall of Famer who just won the gold medal in Paris.


But TOC looked great and made for a really interesting tournament. As mentioned, the women can't overpower it the way the men can. Conditions seemed firm but not dry to the point where the ball was rolling out 100 yards every drive. The wind was blowing which was great - especially the cross/headwind coming back in. #18 gets some criticism for The Open because pretty much every male player can drive the green. But 3 was a lot tougher proposition for the women, especially with the wind.


Vu and Jiyai Shin were still on the 16th at the time, but Ko's birdie on the 18th while Korda was simultaneously bogeying 17 felt a little like 1984 when Seve birdied 18 while Watson bogeyed 17.


Credit to Nelly for heading to the Dunvegan after a tough finish: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/nelly-korda-dunvegan-pub-photo-aig-womens-open-golf-st-andrews-the-old-course