KARRIE AND KIM PLAY A STORMER
HAD the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse appeared at Dundonald Links yesterday, surely none of those who braved the elements to watch the third round of the AAM Ladies Scottish Open would have been altogether surprised.
It was certainly not a day for the faint hearted as a combination of 35mph winds and torrential rain played havoc with the £1.2million tournament.
But, miraculously, the truly awful conditions were not enough to break the spirit of the world’s top female golfers.
At the end, 42-year-old Australian Karrie Webb, once the world No1 and a seven-time major winner, held on to share the lead with Korean Sei Young Kim.
Back-to-back closing birdies allowed Kim to match Webb’s six-under total.
The pair were two of only nine of the 72-strong field to better par with rounds of 69 and 70, while overnight leader Cristie Kerr of America was forced to settle for a 73 and third place.
‘We were very lucky to get finished,’ said Webb. ‘I am very happy with two under because the back nine was a struggle once it started to rain.
‘I felt very comfortable early on and got off to a good start, so that settled any nerves.
‘I then just hung in there on the back nine, where I actually got a couple of breaks and made some good up-and-downs.
‘It was very hard to keep going on the 18th when the rain was literally coming down sideways.’
Kim added: ‘It was really tough to focus on each shot, even for a few seconds.
‘But it was a good finish and my putt lipped out for an eagle at the last when the wind pushed the ball.
‘ I have never played in this sort of weather before. It was a great experience, as it was to play with veterans like Karrie and Cristie.’
An eagle at the last for a 76 made an exhausting near five-and-a-half hour slog almost worthwhile for Scotland’s Catriona Matthew.
The 47-year-old North Berwick mother of two made significant strides up the leaderboard in her quest for a Solheim Cup wildcard.
Matthew is already assured of being at Des Moines, Iowa next month as one of captain Annika Sorenstam’s assistants, but she is also targeting an eighth consecutive appearance as a player in the biennial match.
Having admitted on the eve of the tournament that she needs two big weeks — at Dundonald and in the Rico Women’s British Open at Kingsbarns — she would have preferred to have been higher than eight over par.
But she pointed out: ‘Conditions will be different over there and I just need to keep playing away and see what happens. Experience counts a little, I guess.
‘It gets windier every day here. The ball almost moved on one hole, so it was a battle and not much fun.’