A recent poll confirmed what has long been suspected. The British obsession with the weather is a fact, meteorological conversations apparently taking place, on average, five times a day. Which is nowhere near how often the subject has come up at St Andrews this week.
With forecasts for the coming days suggesting high winds and regular bouts of torrential rain, the possibility of delays to play in the AIG Women’s Open over the storied Old Course is best described as “high”.
“I’ve experienced all kinds of weather already and it’s just Wednesday,” said the world No 1, Nelly Korda, neatly summing up what most Americans regard as “typical” Scottish conditions.
“This week is clearly going to be a challenge,” said Catriona Matthew, one of the few members of the 144-strong field well used to golfing in wind and rain. “I’ve downloaded three weather apps and all paint slightly different, but all pretty bleak, pictures. The worst one I saw had wind gusts of 69mph, which is not actually playable. The consensus seems to be sustained winds at about 40mph, which is borderline. It’s just going to be a battle.”
Still, this week is one war Matthew, the winner of this championship at Royal Lytham in 2009, is fighting for a final time. On the eve of what will be her 30th appearance, the Scot, who turns 55 on Sunday, announced her retirement from the championship that provided the highlight of her playing career.
“This will be the last time I play in this event,” said the two-time Solheim Cup-winning captain who next week will captain the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup side against the United States at Sunningdale.
“I have no illusions. I’m not going to be winning this event, so a goal for me this week is just to make the cut. Which is fine. But I don’t really want to keep playing when I’m not competitive. I just felt being in St Andrews, in Scotland, at the home of golf, what better place to play my last one?”
As Matthew was taking her first steps towards putting her feet up in front of the metaphorical fire, others have been contemplating the less-appetising prospect of four cold and wet days on the world’s most famous course.
Debate over what will be the most onerous aspect of playing the 6,784-yard layout threw up a few theories. Staying out of the bunkers got some support. Avoiding three-putting on the enormous double-greens was another favourite. But Stacy Lewis, the 2013 champion here, got straight to her point.
“Keeping everything dry,” said the American Solheim Cup captain. “That is the biggest challenge. It’s going to be raining sideways, so it’s not like you can stand under an umbrella and hide. It’s all about perspective, too. There may be times where you can’t get to a green in two shots. So you’ll have to get the ball up-and-down. Someone who has a good mindset is going to win.”
On that front, a lot of smart money will surely be on Korda, who won six times in seven LPGA starts earlier this year. “Every time I get to play over here and play this style of golf, I really enjoy it,” she said.
“Not that I would want to play it every week. But I do really like the creative side to playing this type of golf. The beauty of this week is that you’re going to hit some bad shots and they are going to end up well. Then you’re going to hit some good shots that are not going to end up very well. You can’t get ahead of yourself. We don’t get to play a lot of golf courses where you’re aiming 20 yards left of your target, then trying to play a major fade into the fairway.”
The Olympic gold medallist Lydia Ko is another looking on the bright side of life on the links. The New Zealander said she has paid no attention whatsoever to the weather forecast. So who knows? In a week with so many potential negatives in play, “oblivious” might be the best policy of all.
