The start of 2024 ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open was delayed for an hour due to play and was again supended at 11:24 a.m. and until 1:30 p.m., a delay of just over two hours.
After waiting over three hours to tee off, Australia’s Minjee Lee finally got her round going on a breezy, partly cloudy Scottish afternoon with a birdie on No. 2. Slow and steady, the Aussie would go on to make three-straight pars before grabbing another birdie on the second par-3 of the front, No. 6. With three more par-4s in her way of the turn, she managed to take those down with ease, securing pars with nine holes to go and the top of the leaderboard in sight.
Lee kept that momentum going with a birdie on No. 10, and later notched her fourth birdie of the round on the Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole, the par-5 14th. After that birdie, she joined the then leaders at 4-under with four holes remaining. With sunlight dwindling, Lee took her final swing at a solo-lead on No. 18, securing her fifth and final birdie of the round while going bogey-free.
“Yeah, I just — I like the creativity of links golf,” said Lee. “You know, obviously there was a lot of wind today so it was playing like a true links kind of golf course. Sometimes we don’t get as much wind but today was blowing a gale and I feel like just picturing the shots and just having to execute those shots, I think is I didn’t find it fun to play. Just when you execute it correctly, you get rewarded. So I like that aspect of playing in the wind and obviously there’s a lot of things like if you’re off the green, you can putt or chip or you can hit a hybrid. There’s so many options. I also think that’s kind of fun as well.”
The conditions were less than ideal for American Megan Khang as she began her day at Dundonald Links with a bogey on No. 10. She quickly corrected however and recorded three birdies in her next five holes before the horn blew for a weather delay. Coming out of the break, Khang was tied at 2-under with four other players. As play continued, Khang, adjusting to the Scottish conditions, dropped a position recording her second bogey coming out of the turn on No. 1. As the weather calmed and the sun began to shine, so did her game, securing three more birdies on Nos. 2, 5 and 7, turning in a 4-under 68 and tied for second.
The 2020 U.S. Women’s Open winner A Lim Kim also tied Khang in second after her 68. After beginning her day up-and-down trading bogeys and birdies on the front nine, she flipped the switch at the turn, going bogey-free in her last nine holes and firing off four birdies, including back-to-back on holes 13 and 14.
“You know, I think that’s how you have to look at the course and the conditions,” Khang said about if playing in extreme conditions is fun. “It’s just how creative you can be out there on the golf course. Links-style golf, there is definitely a lot more imagination going on and especially with the wind kind of going sideways. It definitely can be fun. A little stressful sometimes but for the most part, I’m trying to make the most of it and trying to enjoy my walk out there.”
Ladies European Tour winner Lily May Humpheys is also currently at 4-under through 12 holes of her opening round. Five players are currently in a tie for fifth at 3-under, including the most recent Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko, LPGA Tour winner Lauren Coughlin and 2022 ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish open champion Ayaka Furue. The 2021 Women’s Scottish Open winner, Ryann O’Toole, is among 12 players in a tie for 10th at 2-under.
Defending champion Celine Boutier caught the brunt of the weather to start her round, finding herself 5-over through 11 holes. She turned it around to keep herself near even-par at 2-over with three birdies in her final seven holes. First-round play was called at 9 p.m. BST due to darkness and will resume on Friday, Aug. 16 at 8:30 a.m. BST. The second round is set to play at 9 a.m. BST.
Related: Pieter Moolman takes opening lead with brilliant back nine
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