All eyes on the Home of Golf — Lauren Coughlin clinches Solheim spot
By Addie Parker
The IX: Golf Thursday with Addie Parker, Aug. 22, 2024
Happy Golf Thursday! The season’s final major is among us and I couldn’t think of a better backdrop for it — the Old Course at St. Andrews is as historic as it comes in this game. For the third time, this magnificent venue is hosting the AIG Women’s Open (Stacy Lewis was the last champion in 2013), and this is what you need to know.
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For starters, the weather certainly won’t help the players this week (who’s shocked). According to Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols, wind gusts are predicted to reach 45mph during the opening round:
As much as I have FOMO about not being in Scotland, I relish being in a warm (albeit much cooler than a normal August) New York City — no beanies and hoodies for anytime soon.
The weather will stay in the low 60s for the rest of the weekend with persistent blustering winds that will provide quite the challenge for the world’s best…but that’s links golf for you!
Those who survive the tough conditions, come Sunday, will be richly rewarded. For the fifth time in six years, the AIG Women’s Open purse has increased from the year prior. This year the Champion will take home $1,425,000, the highest amount in the AIG Women’s Open’s 48-year history.
This is the last event before the Solheim Cup teams are finalized—and there’s a lot on the table.
So far Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, Lauren Coughlin, Ally Ewing, and Allisen Corpuz have secured their spots through the USA team points system.
Players who have a bit to prove at AIG are Rose Zhang, Alison Lee, Sarah Schmelzel, Jennifer Kupcho, and Angel Yin—all looking to secure the final spot of automatic qualifying.
The U.S. Team will comprise the top seven players in the U.S. Solheim Cup points standings, the top two players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings not already eligible, and three captain’s picks.
Lexi Thompson, who announced her retirement earlier in the season, needs to have a good weekend, though she’s a likely option for a captain’s pick, this would help her momentum heading into Solheim.
As for the European team, Charley Hull and Esther Henseleit (who won silver in Paris) have secured their spots through LET points.
Celine Boutier, Maja Stark, and Linn Grant are in with their Rolex rankings.
The player to watch this weekend is hometown hero Gemma Dryburgh. The Scottish golfer needs to have a good weekend in order to sway captain Suzann Pettersen to look in her direction for a pick.
See a full Solheim rundown here.
As for all things AIG Open-related, head to links, and don’t miss a Five at The IX with my fellow Virginia girl Lauren Coughlin who’s on a hot streak right now.
Until next time, golf fans.
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This week in women’s golf
If you have links you wish to share for Golf Thursday, sources for golf news, or want to talk about anything at all, you can email me at addieparker25@theixsports.com ! Discussion of any kind is always welcome…I mean it…MESSAGE ME!
LPGA News
Featured Groups: 2024 AIG Women’s Open
Predicting who will win the AIG Women’s Open
5 things to know about the AIG Women’s British at St. Andrews
Lookback: Stacy Lewis hit the greatest shot of her life at St. Andrews
Field finalized for 2024 FM Championship
Epson Tour News
Pornanong Phatlum in the mix in Race for the Card
Up next on the Epson Tour: The Final Stretch
Q School Pre-Qualifying Leaderboard
Five at The IX: With her Scottish Open win, Lauren Coughlin clinches her Solheim Cup spot
The VA native is headed back home! With two wins in the last three starts, Lauren Coughlin has played her way onto Team USA’s Solheim Cup before teams are decided at the conclusion of the AIG Women’s Open.
Here’s what Coughlin had to say after winning last week.
Q. Obviously two very different styles of golf course but the fact that you have already gotten a win this year, did that maybe help you know like, okay, this is what it takes to do it? Did that help you through your round?
LAUREN COUGHLIN: Yeah, definitely. I think I wasn’t quite as thinking about it too much. I mean, last night I was definitely thinking about it, but this morning I was pretty calm about it. Just, again, just trying to stay super present and not think about winning. It’s really cliché, but one shot at a time but that’s really what I was trying to do.
Q. Now a two-time LPGA winner. You touched on earlier at the start of this year, if you had said that you had won two titles, you just wouldn’t believe it. What sort of emotions have been going through this week, and being a two-time LPGA winner, how does that feel?
LAUREN COUGHLIN: Pretty surreal. But also awesome.
Yeah, I mean, I’ve had big goals for this year with Solheim and all that, and so that’s kind of what had been on my mind and preparing for and trying to get ready for. I knew I needed to improve and that’s kind of what I’ve been trying to do all along.
Q. How much has Solheim been on your mind the last couple weeks and sort of just making sure that you’re prepared for the event?
LAUREN COUGHLIN: Yeah, I mean, the goal is just going to be kind of trying to keep rolling into Solheim. It’s still probably three weeks, four weeks away, so trying to keep my game as sharp as I possibly can going into that, and these next few week, especially next week, too, with The Open.
So I think that’s kind of where I’ve been thinking, just trying to keep what’s working, working and fine tune maybe things here or there but just keep doing the same things that I’ve been doing.
Q. Going into next week, having won this week, how important was it for you to do well this week?
LAUREN COUGHLIN: Yeah, obviously, you come over here to kind of get some reps in the wind and the links and all of that because it’s just so different than back in the States. The wind just moves the ball so much more and so starting to get a feel for that was very important to me.
And so obviously to win is just a cherry on top.
Q. Ahead of next week, as you just said, your family, your coach there, how much are you going to try to soak in the experience you’ll get next week?
LAUREN COUGHLIN: Yeah, I mean, it’s a once-in-a-career-type opportunity to get to play The Open at the Old Course. I’m just very excited to get there, and like you said, soak it in and enjoy as much as I can.
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