Solheim Cup Captain Catriona Matthew and British No. 1 Charley Hull set to compete
Local talent, Michele Thomson joins the action
Gullane, Wednesday 16 May, 2018 – Major champion Michelle Wie is set to headline the 2018 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open alongside defending champion, Mi Hyang Lee, Solheim Cup Captain Catriona Matthew and British No. 1 Charley Hull, at Gullane Golf Club from the 26 – 29 July.
The championship will return to the same venue as the Men’s Scottish Open, which will be hosted two weeks earlier and will be co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA for a second year running, with a prize fund of $1.5 million.
For the first time in Ladies Scottish Open history, the championship heads to the East Lothian links with Wie looking to capitalise on early season form, having returned to the winners circle in March at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Currently ranked 18th in the Rolex Rankings, Wie returns to Scotland for her second Scottish Open appearance, having finished 19th in Dundonald last year, before a career-high third place finish at the Ricoh Women’s British Open the following week.
Commenting on her return to Scotland, Michelle Wie said, “I love coming over to play golf in Scotland, the fans are always amazing and it’s the ‘Home of Golf’ after all, so you always feel a sense of excitement being here. Last year was very testing conditions and I managed to learn a lot about my game having to hit a variety of different shots. The tournament proved to be the perfect preparation for me heading in to the Ricoh Women’s British Open where I had my best ever finish. Hopefully I can continue to learn more this year.”
Joining Wie in the field is home crowd favourite Catriona Matthew, who will head down the road from her home in North Berwick with a wealth of Ladies Scottish Open experience, having made seven consecutive appearances including victories in 2011 and 2013. Defending champion, Mi Hyang Lee, returns to Scotland after a sensational final round of 66 saw her capture her second LPGA title by a stroke in Dundonald. British No. 1, Charley Hull completes the line-up of stars confirmed with the 22-year-old Englishwoman, currently ranked 25th in the Rolex Rankings, chasing a second LPGA and LET title.
Speaking ahead of the first hosting at Gullane Golf Club, Catriona Matthew said, “I can’t wait to play the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open at Gullane this year, it’s so exciting to play a course that I know so well and a luxury to be able to play such a big event and stay at my home in North Berwick. The fans in Scotland are always so loud and I’m looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces in the crowd.”
Joining the list of stars in support of the championship is Scottish Ladies European Tour player, Michele Thomson, who has qualified for her second appearance in the event.
Talking about playing in Scotland and the co-sanctioning agreement between the LET and LPGA, Thomson said, ‘It’s amazing to have the chance to play such a big tournament in my home country and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to play against some of the best players in the world.”
Commenting on the field, Martin Gilbert, co-CEO of Aberdeen Standard Investments, said, “We are delighted to bring the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open to a new venue this year at Gullane Golf Club and excited with the initial uptake of world-class players committing their participation in the event. Michelle Wie is one of golf’s biggest names and along with Scotland’s most successful female golfer, Catriona Matthew and UK No.1 Charley Hull, we believe we have a strong foundation to build another world-class field in partnership with Visit Scotland, the LET and the LPGA.
Paul Bush, Director of Events with VisitScotland, said: “In Scotland we are proud to host the world’s biggest golf events and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open now firmly sits in that category with a truly world-class field. Last year we hosted the strongest field in the event’s history with eight of the world’s top fifteen players competing at Dundonald and we look forward to more stars signing up to challenge themselves this year in Scotland, The Home of Golf.”
Taking place the week before the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open will kick off a superb two weeks of women’s links golf in the UK. The back-to-back stretch of events echoes the successful strategy employed by the Men’s Scottish Open taking place the week before The Open – an approach proven to be a competitive advantage for those players competing in both Championships. The Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open is also a key element of Scotland’s commitments to the staging of The 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles.
Wie and Thomson spoke to media as part of a joint-promotion of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open and Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, which will both be played at Gullane Golf Club this July.
Tickets for the 2018 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open are FREE.
For further championship and ticket information, please visit: https://ladiesscottishopen.com/
or follow us at @LadiesScottish
About Michele Thomson
Born in Aberdeen, Michele turned professional in 2009 after a successful amateur career which saw her represent GB&I in the Curtis Cup and win the Scottish Ladies Amateur Championship in the same year (2008). She went on to secure conditional Ladies European Tour status at the end of 2008. After initially struggling to with life on the Tour, Thomson took a break from golf and joined the police force and worked in a pro shop until getting back in to full-time golf in 2014. Returning straight to form, Michele finished 8th in the 2015 LET Access order of merit before finishing 4th in 2016 to secure her full card on the LET for 2017. Last year, she came close to her breakthrough victory at the Hero Women’s Indian Open, finishing second.
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