Lorna McClymont leads bid to keep Scottish Women's Open title in home hands at Troon

Lorna McClymont spearheads the Caledonian contingent in the absence of both top-ranked Scot Hannah Darling and defending champion Grace Crawford as Troon stages the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open over the next three days.

North Berwick's Grace Crawford ended a Scottish drought in the Helen Holm Scottish Women's Open when she claimed the coveted prize at just 15 last year. Picture: Scottish Golf.

World No 15 Darling is seeing out the end of her second year at the University of South Carolina, meaning she can’t play in one of the top events on the women’s amateur calendar.

Crawford, who, at just 15, became the first Scot to lift the trophy since Heather Stirling in 2002, has been similarly ruled out of a title defence due to her commitments at Albany Golf Academy in the Bahamas.

As always, the Scottish Golf event has attracted a strong international field, meaning it will be a tough task for someone to make it back-to-back tartan triumphs, but it’s certainly not a forlorn hope.

McClymont has produced some brilliant performances over the past 12 months, including a win in the Irish equivalent at County Louth. The Milngavie member and Stirling University student also secured a second straight R&A Student Series Order of Merit in style earlier this month by winning the final event at St Andrews.

That was her third success in the five-tournament schedule and, if she can reproduce that sort of form on the Ayrshire coast, then the Scot could be the player to beat in this 54-hole tournament.

Her rivals will include players from South Africa, the United States and Australia, as well as compatriots Jen Sexton, who won the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews last year, and Penelope Brown.

Others in the field include rising Scottish stars Ruby Watt and Summer Elliott, both of whom played for Scotland in the recent Girls’ Quadrangular event in the Netherlands. They are joined in flying the Saltire by the likes of Carys Irvine, Jade Potter and Robyn Fowlie.

The opening rounds are played on Troon Portland, with the top 60 and ties then competing in the final circuit over Royal Troon, venue for next year’s Open, on Sunday. Other past winners include Catriona Matthew and Mel Reid.The tournament is named after Helen Holm, the Glaswegian amateur golfer who was Scottish champion five times and won the British Ladies Amateur Championship twice.