ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – It’s going to be a wet and windy AIG Women’s Open.
Thursday’s forecast at St. Andrews Links calls for a high of 64 degrees, spells of rain with possible downpour, 20-25 mph sustained winds, gusts of 35-40 mph and a 10% chance of 45-50 mph gusts overnight and into the late morning. By the afternoon, though, conditions are expected to dry up with wind speeds slightly down.
That could create a luck-of-the-draw scenario at the Old Course.
Here is a look at the top 10 players in the Rolex Rankings and what draw they received (E = early; L = late):
1. Nelly Korda: L/E
2. Lilia Vu: L/E
3. Jin Young Ko: L/E
4. Amy Yang: E/L
5. Hannah Green: E/L
6. Ruoning Yin: E/L
7. Ayaka Furue: E/L
8. Celine Boutier: L/E
9. Rose Zhang: E/L
10. Charley Hull: L/E
“It kind of swings in roundabouts,” Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh, who is early-late, said of the weather. “You get the good half of the draw sometimes and not-so-good the other half. Hopefully, I’ll be lucky this week, and if not, just try and do your best with what you’ve got. So obviously the wind looks like it’s going to be even stronger this week. Hopefully, it will stay dry.”
As the championship progresses, the weather figures to improve – though not much. Friday still has a possibility for more consistent rain and strong winds. On the weekend, the forecast is “unsettled” with outbreaks of showers at times and decent winds.
On Tuesday, on-and-off showers soaked the venerable layout.
St. Andrews has hosted the professional women twice before – in 2013 when Stacy Lewis won her second and most recent major title, and in 2007 when Lorena Ochoa lapped the field by four shots. The third round in 2013 was suspended around lunchtime until Sunday morning because of high winds. The leaders had to play 36 holes on Sunday. Lewis, who trailed by five after 36 holes, posted 8 under after a 69-72 day.
The 2015 Open Championship was won by Zach Johnson in a Monday finish. Rain and wind caused delays on Friday and Saturday, and the final round was contested on Monday.