MATTHEW’S MASTERCLASS
Veteran tames Troon tempest to shoot first-round 71
CATRIONA Matthew was an inspiration for new mums everywhere when she won the AIG Women’s Open in 2009, just 11 weeks after giving birth.
All these years on, it was the turn of the silver swingers to be given a lift as she skilfully mastered the tempest at Troon in the first round yesterday.
A few days shy of her 51st birthday, Europe’s Solheim Cup captain revelled in the chance to bring out all the shots she learned growing up on the fabled links at North Berwick.
On a fascinating day featuring plenty of big-name casualties, including Americans Lexi Thompson (78) and Stacy Lewis (76) and Korean Inbee Park (77), as well as Charley Hull ( 76), Meg MacLaren (78) and Bronte Law (80) from closer to home, the Scot was one of the few to match the strict par of 71.
Georgia Hall, another former winner who loves links days like this, shot a useful 73.
American Amy Olson, taking full advantage of a late tee-time, shot 67 for a three-shot lead.
Matthew said afterwards that if she had been at home in North Berwick and the weather so inclement, she would have stayed indoors and chortled ‘at all the idiots going out to play’.
Instead, she put on a links masterclass. On a tough course protected by winds gusting over 30mph, how on earth do you play 18 holes without missing a fairway? Matthew complemented her perfect driving with some exquisite examples of knockdown shots into the wind, including a sawn-off fairway wood from just 160 yards at the 12th that was a delight.
‘As much by skill as by strength,’ is the Royal Troon gospel, and Matthew, 26 years since she last played the course in competition, fully lived up to the club motto.
The trick is usually to make a score over the first six holes and then hang on over the back six but here the forbidding wind came from the opposite direction.
Thanks to some sensible decisions regarding course set-up by the R&A, it never became unplayable. Rather, it gave the thinkers and shotmakers a chance to show their wares.
Hall was paired with Nelly Korda, the American with the catwalk looks and model swing to match. Their wildly different approach made for an intriguing contrast.
Hall got her first name following Sir Nick Faldo’s third Masters win in Georgia in 1996 — she was born that weekend — but here she played links golf like the three- time Open Champion, eschewing all risk.
‘I started slowly but overall I thought I did a good job of executing my game plan,’ said the 24-year- old from Bournemouth, who won at Lytham in 2018.
Korda, the world No 4, played aggressively, taking on the cavernous fairway bunkers and was rightly delighted with her 72.
‘Being so tall, it was hard for me to stand up at times, let alone swing the club,’ said the 22-yearold, the standout American Solheim Cup player on her last visit to Scotland last year.
The gutsiest round came from another American, Danielle Kang, the world No 2, who was first, first and fifth in the three events post-lockdown. An eagle-birdie-birdie finish salvaged a round of 76.