St Andrews hosts historic Women's British Open

BY Bruce Young | LPGA Tour | 2007 Ricoh Women's British Open | Preview | 31 Jul 2007

The Ricoh Women’s British Open Championship is taken to another level in 2007 when the event is played for the first time at the home of golf – St Andrews.

In recent years the event has been played at several of the venues which are also used in the rota for men’s version of the British Open but by taking the tournament to St Andrews, the tournament is guaranteed a significant increase in profile and interest. The event has been played in Scotland only once in 2002 when Karrie Webb won at Turnberry on the Ayreshire coast.

The event has a new sponsor on board in 2007 after the cereal company Weetabix had become almost synonymous with the event over a long period of sponsorship.

The event first became an LPGA Tour event in 1994 but it took until 2001 before it became a major championship and that was mainly as a result of the now defunct Du Maurier tournament being lost to the LPGA Tour due to the issue surrounding tobacco sponsorship. The Du Maurier had been a long standing major on the LPGA Tour.

The defending champion this week is American Sherri Steinhauer, who won the tournament for the third time in nine years when she defeated Sophie Gustafson and Cristie Kerr by three shots in 2006, joining Karrie Webb as the only three time winner of this event. Steinhauer arrives at St Andrews after an average display in Evian-les-Bains last week but in arguably better form than was the case last year and yet another victory in this event would be less of a surprise than was the case at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The favourite and deservedly so is the brilliant world No.1, Lorena Ochoa, who is still looking for her first major to confirm her status as the leading player in the female game. Ochoa has finished 4th on two occasions in her last three starts in this event and although she will have the pressure of securing her first major title, this week offers another great opportunity. In many respects a course such as St Andrews should suit Ochoa more than the layouts presented at the US Open as she is not renowned for her accuracy from the tee. St Andrews offers arguably greater relief in that respect and this may play into the Mexican’s hands. Ochoa powered home last Sunday to finish in a share of third at the Evian Masters.

Karrie Webb, who finished 12th last week in Evian-les-Bains, has not exactly been at her best in the last few months but she has shown herself to be more than capable of turning things around, especially in the big events. She won this event for the first time in 1995 prior to her joining the LPGA Tour and then again in 1997 and in 2002.

Former world No.1 Annika Sorenstam is taking some time to return to her best since her back injury earlier this year but there were positive signs when 6th last week at the Evian Masters. Sorenstam has won this event just the once in 2003 at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Sophie Gustafson won this tournament in 2000 and has been runner up in each of the last two years. The Swede had a very good tournament last week and but for dropped shots at each of her last two holes we may have been assessing the chances of the Evian Masters Champion. Clearly she enjoys Links golf and it would not surprise to see Gustafson again in contention on Sunday.

World no.4 Cristie Kerr finished runner-up to Steinhauer last year at Royal Lytham & St Annes and as the US Women’s Open winner two months ago she deserves consideration. Kerr had an ordinary week by her standards at the Evian Masters last week and since her US Open win has not been at her best but she remains as one of the class players in the field.

British hopes are headed by Laura Davies although the 43-year-old has had little success in this event. Davies is playing well in 2007 and the possibility of her contending is not out of the question but she faces a big task to defeat the many brilliant youngsters in the field, many of whom she is giving away more than twenty years to.

The Korean challenge is so strong it is hard to identify their most likely but Se Ri Pak, Mi Hyun Kim and Seon Hwa Lee are their most in-form LPGA Tour players, although Ji-Yai Shin, who does not have LPGA Tour status, might just upstage them all. Shin finished in a share of third last week in Evian-les-Bains and finished 6th at the recent US Women’s Open. Shin is clearly yet another Korean destined for the top of the game.

Suzann Pettersen, Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome and Japan’s Ai Miyazato are others who could do well.

Australia has ten representatives headed by the aforementioned Karrie Webb. Rachel Hetherington finished runner up to Karen Stupples three years ago and is playing reasonably well in 2007.

Lindsey Wright was very much in contention with nine holes to go at Royal Lytham & St Annes last year before imploding over the closing stages but showed earlier this year when 4th at the LPGA Championship that she has learned from that ordeal.

Wendy Doolan and Katherine Hull are other Australians from the LPGA Tour in the field while the Australian challenge from the Ladies European Tour comes via the New South Wales contingent, comprising of Joanne Mills and the emerging Nikki Garrett and Sarah Kemp, South Australian, Anna Rawson and Queenslander, Rebecca Stevenson, who was the only Australian player to qualify at yesterday’s final qualifying. LET Chairman, Karen Lunn is currently involved in a delayed playoff for the first alternate spot and may yet get a start.

The 2007 Ricoh Women’s British Open, perhaps fittingly given its historic and significant venue, promises to be one of the most tightly contested in the history of the event.