Pressel & Lennarth Lead at Women’s British Open After 1st Round

At the end of the day when everyone was in the clubhouse and the cards were signed, Morgan Pressel (USA) and 2012 rookie Camilla Lennarth (Sweden) were both at 6 under par and sharing the top slot on the board at the RICOH Women’s British Open.

Pressel, ranked 51st by Rolex, is bringing back her game after recovering from injuries.  She’s had no wins this year and only 2 top-10 finishes.  But she played well today and learned from the course, explaining in her post-round interview that she needs to hit the ball “firmer than you think you need to,” particularly on the Old Course greens.

Lennarth, a Crimson Tide graduate, played a steady, bogey-free game today.  She hit all 18 greens in regulation, an impressive accomplishment in any round of golf, moreso at the Women’s British Open in dreary Scottish drizzle.   Lennarth, who doesn’t have a Rolex ranking, birdied 18 to pull even with Pressel in the final shot of her round, with Pressel already in the clubhouse.

Seven players were right behind Pressel and Lennarth, 1 shot off the lead: Nicole Castrale (USA), Mi-Jeong Jong (South Korea), Stacy Lewis (USA), No Yeon Choi (South Korea), Eun-Hee Ji (South Korea), Sydnee Michaels (USA) and Ryann O’Toole (USA).  And behind them, 28 players are within 3 shots of the lead Pressel and Lennarth established for the pace.

Inbee Park (South Korea), making her historic run at a 4th major tournament win in a single year, finished at 3 under par.  Park was playing well on the front 9 and was -5 at the turn, but she lost her edge on the back 9.  An errant drive and a disconcerting visit to one of St Andrews infamous pot bunkers unbalanced Park’s predictable, near-robotic game.  She bogeyed 13, double-bogeyed 15, and bogeyed 17 before she recovered her balance and birdied 18.

Stacy Lewis (USA), #2 world ranked player, finished at -5, 1 shot off the lead.  Lewis has been chasing Inbee Park through one tournament after another for the past 13 weeks, trying to regain the #1 Rolex rank.  Lewis’s drives were a little light today but she stayed in the short grass, made 16 of 18 greens in regulation, and finished her round with 29 putts.  She made no big mistakes and took advantage of 6 birdie opportunities.  She needs to do it again tomorrow if she hopes to stay ahead of Park.

Local favorite Catriona Matthew (Scotland), looking for a 2nd Open win and playing on home ground, finished at -4, 2 shots off the lead and 1 ahead of Park.  Matthew was playing  before a large and very enthusiastic gallery with a hired caddy, her husband, who often caddies for her taking childcare duties at home.  If she can create more birdie opportunities tomorrow, she may be able to make good on her desire to stop Park’s run into history and claim the championship a 2nd time.

Despite 2 bogeys and a double, amateur Lydia Ko (New Zealand) stayed in the mix today.  She drove well, like Lewis, used 29 putts, and carded -3.  Ko can do better.  She shot 65, 7 under par, at her first St Andrews practice round last weekend, which was also her first experience playing links golf.  She needs to shake off her nervous energy and get down to the business of playing premier golf.

Today the players endured typically unpleasant drizzle and light winds.  Pressel, reflecting on her round, observed “the wind was our friend” today.  But the weather is a part of the challenge for golfers in Scotland.  Tomorrow the sun will shine and the wind will pick up, with the ambient temperature in the high 60s-low 70s.

With a compact leaderboard, tomorrow’s round at the Women’s British Open promises world-class golf as the competition heats up.  Who will come out on top tomorrow?