Gemma Dryburgh has majors in mind as she aims to shine in Scottish Open

Scotland’s No 1 in confident mood for Renaissance challenge
Gemma Dryburgh  during a practice round ahead of the Ladies Scottish Open.Gemma Dryburgh  during a practice round ahead of the Ladies Scottish Open.
Gemma Dryburgh during a practice round ahead of the Ladies Scottish Open.

Gemma Dryburgh may have slept through Tuesday night’s spectacular thunderstorm above Edinburgh but she’ll be wide awake and raring to go at 6.30am today as she hits the opening shot in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open in East Lothian.

“I’m going to have to wake up at half three because it’s a 45-minute drive and I have to stretch and all that and eat breakfast,” said the 27-year-old Scottish No 1 of a pre-round plan that includes a journey from Edinburgh, where players are staying in a designated hotel as part of the event’s “bio-bubble,” to The Renaissance Club.

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Dryburgh is “not normally a morning person”, but she won’t mind a “middle-of-the-night” rise on this occasion as she leads seven home players into battle in the $1.5 million event, which marks the return of international sport to Scotland during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Once I’m up and on the course, I’m sure I’ll be fine and hopefully I can take advantage of calm conditions that early in the morning,” she added.

Twelve months ago, the Aberdonian had an equally early start for the second round at the same venue. In brutal conditions, she battled to a brilliant one-under 70 for a one-over total only to agonisingly miss the cut by a shot after the afternoon wave enjoyed balmy sunny conditions.

The contrast was reflected by a shot swing in relation to par being more than 400, with Korea’s Mi Jung Hur being among those to have Mother Nature shining on her that day as she shot a scintillating 62 to catapult herself to the top of the leaderboard and then go on to claim the title.

“I actually have a vivid memory of seeing you after I finished,” said Dryburgh to this correspondent of that freaky Friday. “It was crazy weather and we played the whole round in it. I think it’s one of my best rounds of my career, to be honest, shooting one-under in that weather.

“Then, about 30-45 minutes after finishing, they are all taken off the course. I remember going for a nap that afternoon and looking outside the window, idyllic weather, no wind, nice and sunny, and ended up missing the cut by one. I was really, really gutted after playing so well and then missing it.”

Dale Reid and Cathy Panton were both early winners of the Ladies Scottish Open in 1987 and 1988 respectively before a brace of victories for Catriona Matthew in 2011 and 2013 came either side of Carly Booth also claiming the title.

Since the event became co-sanctioned between the LET and LPGA Tour in 2017, though, players flying the Saltire had found it much more difficult to make their presence felt before Booth finished ninth last year, then enjoying a return to winning ways soon afterwards.

With three of the world’s top 10, including second-ranked Danielle Kang, in the field on Scotland’s Golf Coast, Dryburgh has her work cut out to get in the mix over the weekend, but her confidence is sky high. Back-to-back wins in the Rose Ladies Series in England well and truly shook off her lockdown rust before recording a first top-10 finish in the first of two events in Ohio that got the LPGA up and running again.

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“I think the Rose Series really helped me, getting into competition again, getting me sharp and just getting my game in good nick,” said the Beaconsfield-based player. “I think that really helped me secure my best finish on the LPGA in the Drive On Championship, so that was pretty special.”

Referring to the fact this event is followed by the AIG Women’s Open paying its first visit to Royal Troon next week, Dryburgh added: “I’ve got a good opportunity these next two weeks and I’m really motivated. I think it’s a really good opportunity for me to kind of even raise my profile even more, and hopefully get into the majors that are coming up, ANA and KPMG, and also improve my world ranking as well. So lots to play for.”

Both events on this Scottish Swing are taking place with strict protocols in place and, by the sounds of things, a team led by Dr Andrew Murray is ticking more boxes in terms of overall safety than for those two events so far on the LPGA on the other side of the Atlantic.

“I think it’s amazing the event has gone ahead and all the work that’s gone into it, you can really see it,” said Dryburgh. “It’s definitely a lot more strict than last week in Ohio, which I think is a really good thing. Last week we were able to stay wherever we wanted. so I think it’s good that we are in a bubble hotel this week so we know where everyone’s been and we can kind of control that. Not to say it was a free-for-all last week at all, but I think the protocols this week are really good.

“It’s just amazing for Scotland to have a women’s event going ahead and hopefully the TV ratings will go way up, get some women’s sport on the TV and in Scotland as well, which will hopefully be a good advert for Scottish tourism.”

Like Dryburgh, Matthew and Booth are both in the field for the AIG Women’s Open, but, with 21 spots up for grabs at Royal Troon, Kelsey MacDonald, Kylie Henry, Michele Thomson and Alison Muirhead all have added incentives as they head into their home event over the next four days.

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