Click here for the complete field at the 2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open.
New Stop On Tour
For years, members of the PGA Tour have made the early trip across the pond ahead of The Open to get better acclimated to the time change and links style courses by first teeing it up at the Scottish Open. This year, the ladies will have the same opportunity with the addition of the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open to the LPGA Tour schedule for 2017. While it may be new to the LPGA, it’s been a mainstay on the Ladies European Tour schedule since 2009 and this year’s event is co-sanctioned by both Tours. The ladies will tee it up at Dundonald Links, the same track the men played two weeks ago, designed by Kyle Phillips who also designed Kingsbarns, the site of next week’s Ricoh Women’s British Open.
This week, world No. 1 So Yeon Ryu headlines the field and makes her first start since the U.S. Women’s Open conducted by the USGA where she posted her eighth top-10 of the year. The world’s second ranked player, Ariya Jutanugarn, also returns to the Tour in her first start since the U.S. Women’s Open as she looks to regain the form that earned her the world’s top-ranking and her first victory of the season. That was seven weeks ago and, since then, Jutanugarn’s game has taken a sudden turn, with her last four starts resulting in a T-22, CUT, WD, CUT. Lydia Ko, who dropped from No. 1 to now No. 4 in the Rolex Rankings, returns to the field in Scotland where she last competed in 2015 and finished tied for fourth. She’s coming off a tie for 20th at last week’s Marathon Classic where she won in a playoff in 2016 and remains in search of her first win of the year. World No. 7 Shanshan Feng is also making her first start since the U.S. Women’s Open where she nearly went wire-to-wire for the win but was caught by rookie Sung Hyun Park on Sunday and settled for a tie for fifth. No. 8 Inbee Park rounds out the Rolex Rankings’ top-10 in the field.
Push For Points
This week and next are the final two events to earn points for the Solheim Cup for both Team U.S.A. and Europe as teams are finalized on Sunday following the Ricoh Women’s British Open. Michelle Wie, Brittany Lang, Mo Martin and Angela Stanford are on the bubble to qualify for this year’s team but have an opportunity this week, by playing in Scotland, to make a push ahead of Brittany Lincicome, Lizette Salas, Marina Alex and Austin Ernst, who are also on the bubble. On the European side, Emily K. Pederson at No. 7 in the LET Solheim Cup point standings, No. 9 Nanna Koerstz Madsen, No. 10 Caroline Hedwall and No. 11 Klara Spilkova are each looking to improve their position this week. Hedwall posted a course record final round, 64 in 2016 at Dundonald Links.
Congrats On The Promotion
Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen is coming off a record breaking performance on the Epson Tour where last week she won for the third time this season at the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic and blew away the field by seven strokes to win at 22-under par, a record on Tour. The victory also earns Koerstz Madsen a Battlefield Promotion to the LPGA Tour for the remainder of the 2017 season. She will be placed in Category 13 on the LPGA's Priority List which means she is eligible to enter events on Tour, but is a non-member and her earnings will be unofficial on the LPGA money list. Koerstz Madsen remains a member of the Epson Tour but will be eligible for membership on the LPGA Tour for 2018 with a top-10 finish on the money list at season's end.
Welcome Home
This week is a home game for Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, who won this event in 2011 and 2013. The eight-time member of Team Europe has been tapped by Annika Sorenstam to serve as an assistant captain but will have a chance to make a case for a captain’s pick this week, and next, with a hometown crowd to cheer her on. Matthew is one of nine Scottish players in the field this week in addition to Carly Booth, Gemma Dryburgh, Kylie Henry, Vikki Laing, Kelsey MacDonald, Pamela Pretswell, Michele Thomson and Sally Watson.
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