Catriona sets sights on Scottish Open as she gets back to the day job
Catriona Matthew has spent the last few months baking, home-schooling her two daughters, and walking the dog.
But now it is finally time to resume the day job.
The Solheim Cup captain has not played a competitive event since last December, but she will tee it up when the Ladies European Tour restarts with the Scottish Open on Thursday.
Matthew will make the short hop from her North Berwick home to the Renaissance Club as the ladies try to catch up with their male counterparts, the last of the major tours to return to action following lockdown.
After the thrilling three days at Gleneagles last September, when Catriona’s European team wrestled the Cup back from the Americans, it has been frustrating for those players that 2020 has seen their careers put on hold.
But the player affectionately nicknamed “Beany” offers some calming words about the situation.
“I really feel for the girls,” said the 50-year-old former Major winner.
“For those players at their peak, or just starting now, there is nothing worse than not being able to play.
“But, unlike most sports, you can at least play at the top level in golf for a lot longer. So there’s no need to panic.
“On the back of the Solheim, the Ladies European Tour merged with the LPGA and has put together a really good playing schedule this season, with more opportunities to play.
“Hopefully, next year we’ll have a good schedule and you’ll just have to think of 2020 as a lost year. Anything achieved this year is a bonus, really.”
While Catriona may be short of competitive golf, some of her English counterparts will arrive in East Lothian battle-hardened.
The likes of Georgia Hall, the 2018 British Open winner, and Charley Hull have been competing for the last two months in the Rose Ladies Series, the brainchild of Justin Rose and his wife, Kate.
The series of seven one-day events, concluding with a threeday final last week, has at least allowed them to get their games sharp, waiting for the resumption of full tournament golf.
“What Justin and Kate have done is brilliant,” enthused Matthew.
“Companies got involved on the back of Justin’s name, and it has got women’s golf in the spotlight.
“It has been great for the players down south. They’ve had the chance to play at some terrific golf courses.
“It just shows what can be done when people put their minds to it.
“Hopefully it sets an example, and maybe it could evolve into an English Open next year, as it has always amazed me that we’ve not had one.”
The Ladies Scottish Open will also see qualifying pick up again for next year’s Solheim Cup in Toledo, Ohio, at which Matthew will again lead the European team.
The rescheduled Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits will also be held next September in what will be a crowded golfing calendar in 2021.
But having witnessed the magic of Gleneagles – when Suzann Pettersen sank the winning putt on the final green and then waltzed off into retirement – the ladies’ event can certainly hold its own.
“Next year, there will be a few weeks between us and the Ryder Cup, so I don’t see it as a clash,” Matthew continued.
“Toledo has already done a great job in putting things in place, so I’m sure it will be very successful.”
“But Gleneagles doesn’t feel that long ago, and I was lucky enough to watch a few re-runs of it at the start of lockdown.
“It was an amazing experience, and the way it transpired was a dream come true.
“The match was so close. Every day was tight and so many individual matches came up the 17th or 18th.
“There wasn’t much between the teams, but the crowds pushed us over the line, especially on the Sunday. With not long to go, it looked like we might not do it. But then it suddenly all turned around at the end.
“Suzann holing the winning putt, after coming back for the event and then immediately retiring – well, you couldn’t have scripted it.
“That just made for the perfect end to a fantastic week.”