For complete groups and tee times, click here. (All times are Eastern)
Laura Davies, Cristie Kerr, Pernilla Lindberg (1st tee)
This grouping has a major champions feel. Laura Davies is just two weeks removed from winning the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Chicago Golf Club, where she won in convincing fashion with a 10-stroke victory. Davies has had a topsy-turvy year on the LPGA. After a T2 finish at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup early in the season, she missed five cuts and her second best finish is a T36 at ShopRite. There were several in the media, including LPGA.com contributor Ron Sirak, that felt the win in Chicago would trigger more success on the LPGA. Cristie Kerr has had an interesting season. She has shown signs that a 21st career win is possible with a T2 at the Kia Classic and T9 in Arkansas, but she hasn't truly contended since March. Kerr played well in Scotland last year, finishing T4. Pernilla Lindberg is the third major champion in this group. Lindberg, who won the ANA Inspiration, hasn’t been able to use the major triumph as a springboard. She has just one top 10 since the leap into Poppie’s Pond. That said, Lindberg has held steady in the rankings. She ranks 23rd on the Race to the CME Globe and 32nd in the Rolex Rankings. She missed the cut last year at the Scottish Open.
Ariya Jutanugarn, Georgia Hall, Anna Nordqvist (1st tee)
Ariya Jutanugarn is one of the hottest players on the LPGA right now. However, she has no top 10 finishes in her last four starts after reeling off five top 10s in a row. Jutanugarn still leads the Tour in money earned, the Race to the CME Globe standings, the Rolex Player of the Year race and scoring average. The laundry list of categories that she leads also includes total birdies, top 10 finishes and putting average. The charismatic Georgia Hall is waiting for her breakout moment. Hall enters the week fresh off her best finish of the year, a T7 at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic. As an Englishwoman, it would be expected that links golf wouldn't be an issue. She finished T9 last year at the Ladies Scottish Open. Anna Nordqvist didn’t play in the Ladies Scottish Open last year, so she’s making her first appearance in the co-sanctioned event with the Ladies European Tour. There is reason to believe that her first win of the year is around the corner. She has three top 10 finishes in her last four starts, including a tie for third at Thornberry Creek.
So Yeon Ryu, Charley Hull, Karrie Webb (1st tee)
Since So Yeon Ryu came up disappointingly short at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, she skipped the last two domestic events and has spent three weeks getting ready for the Ladies Scottish Open. Ryu turned around a somewhat slow start to the year with a victory at the Meijer LPGA Classic and then had a second place result at KPMG. There are only two players – Ariya Jutanuagan and Nasa Hataoka – that have earned more than Ryu this year. Ryu finished T23 in Scotland last year. She has made it very clear that the career grand slam is at the top of her priority list, so playing well into the Ricoh Women’s British Open will be important. Charley Hull had a chance in 2017 at the Ladies Scottish Open, but a third round 80 left her looking up at the field and finished T44. Hull is having a strong year with five top 10s, which includes all three majors. Karrie Webb came close to winning in Scotland last year, so she’s likely a favorite heading into the week. It’s hard to gauge where Webb’s golf game with just six starts this year.
Sung Hyun Park, Michelle Wie, Catriona Matthew (1st tee)
Sung Hyun Park and Michelle Wie ought to consider themselves lucky. They get to play with the unofficial host of the tournament, Scotland’s own Catriona Matthew, who is a member at Gullane Golf Club, which she has played since she was 12-years-old. Park won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and is one of only two players with multiple wins this season. It remains to be seen how she handles links golf, but fellow Korean Mi Hyang Lee won in Scotland last year, so no reason to believe she can’t adjust. Driving accuracy will be key for Park. She ranks 88th on Tour in the category and will have to avoid the fescue and the penalizing pot bunkers. Wie’s stinger shot should play well this week if the wind picks up, which is a safe bet. She finished 19th in Scotland last year and has a good track record at the British, where she finished T3 last year. Matthew, a four-time LPGA winner, won the Ladies Scottish Open in 2013 and lives five miles from Gullane Golf Club. She’d love nothing more than to secure a fifth win. Her lone top 10 this year came at the Kingsmill Championship.
Minjee Lee, Caroline Inglis, Trish Johnson (1st tee)
This is a sleeper group that may fly under the radar. Minjee Lee has a win and seven top 10 finishes this year so she clearly has a chance to win. Lee has a good track record in Scotland where she finished eighth a year ago. Rookie Caroline Inglis has three top 20 finishes this season. Her playing partner, Trish Johnson, won the Senior LPGA Championship last year at French Link Resort, which features a similar links-style layout to what she's facing this week. Johnson also recently contended at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open.
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