AIG Women's Open: Carnoustie will 'allow' players to show talent

The weather may get in the way, especially on Sunday, but Carnoustie has been set up for this week’s AIG Women’s Open to “allow” the best players in the world to showcase their talent.

Charley Hull in action in the pro-am ahead of the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie. Picture: Tristan Jones

After sunny and warm conditions for the practice rounds, the season’s final major is set to get underway under clouds on Thursday morning with outbreaks of drizzle before drying up with a little brightness at times in the afternoon.

With gusts around 10-12mph throughout the day, the wind will be from north east when Kelsey MacDonald hits the opening tee shot at 6.30am before switching to the east or south east then finishing the day coming from the south east.

“I'd like to say that it's going to be as sunny as this for four days, but it's not,” said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers in setting the scene for the event’s first visit to the Angus venue since 2011.

“The expectation for Thursday and Friday is to be a bit windy and a little bit of rain, a bit more overcast, and at the moment, the weekend is quite variable.”

Saturday, in particular, could be “changeable” while wind gusts of 20-25mph are possible for Sunday’s closing circuit.

“This is a fantastic golf course,” said Slumbers of the venue where Yani Tseng landed the title 10 years ago but, more recently, Francesco Molinari won The Open in 2018.

“It is a very difficult golf course. But we've really tried to set it up in a way that allows the players to show us how good they are, and identify not just the best player on the week but the best player around at the moment.

“It's going to play just over 6,800 yards. We'll move those around depending on the weather. The greens are running perfectly at 10. They are at a nice firmness. They are not too firm, and we'll make sure that it doesn't do that. But I hope the players enjoy the challenge.

“It will be a challenge, but we try to very much give a fair but a major championship test.”

In 2011, the 17th played as a par 5 but, on this occasion, it is a par 4, with former world No 1 Lydia Ko having described both that and the 18th as a “beast” on her first visit.

“Well, I think it is a par 4,” said Slumbers of that change. “When you talk about Carnoustie, you think about those last four holes. For those of you that watch championship golf here, 14 is the last chance on Sunday to make a move. We know that.

“We set the golf course up on 14 to do that, and we will do that on Sunday, as well, but then you have got to hang on.

“Arguably one of the greatest holes in links golf awaits you on 17. It doesn't really matter whether it's downwind or into the wind.

“You're going to have the same yardage for your second shot regardless because carrying the burn on the other side is not really an option.

“But it's a proper par 4. It's a par 4-point-something. And I think it will be the hardest hole on the golf course come Sunday night.”

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