A date with history as Lindsey makes her Muirfield mark
After nearly 300 years of male dominance, girl power ruled entirely at Muirfield yesterday when Scotland international Lindsey Garden made history.
Garden became the first woman member of the former bastion of male privilege to act as a marker in a major tournament.
Tain-born Garden was selected to play with Lydia Hall of Wales in the opening match after 65 players made the cut at the AIG Women’s Open.
Despite being given plenty of advance warning that she was on stand-by in the event of an odd number qualifying for the weekend, Garden confessed: “I was very nervous and if I had topped it off the first tee I would have swapped being here for anything.
“But I played OK. I didn’t embarrass myself and almost reached the green at the first, then three-putted, as usual. My putting could have been better, but I struck the ball nicely.”
Garden, who has a handicap of 1.6, didn’t manage any birdies, but she claimed: “I should have made one at the second when I knocked it close and then missed my putt.”
Muirfield members voted in 2017 to end their all-male membership policy stretching back to 1744 after R&A chiefs removed the club from the Open rota until there was a drastic rethink.
And Garden said: “I’ve been a member for a year and it’s fantastic. It’s the same as it is for a man. We’re equal.
“The course is fantastic and I think all the girls are loving playing our golf course, and that’s what we want, just that opportunity to play here as the men have had for years.”
After her fireworks on her Major debut at Carnoustie where she finished equal 10th last year, former Amateur Champion Louise Duncan has found the going much tougher in her second professional outing.
The 22-year-old picked up from where she left off in the event 12 months ago when she opened with an impressive 67 to share third spot on day one on four-under-par.
But she followed her 73 on Friday with a 74 yesterday to slip back to one-over after carding three bogeys without managing to bag any birdies.
And after missing out on an £80,000 pay-day due to her amateur status, Duncan’s hopes of cashing-in this weekend to help finance her forthcoming wedding now rest on a big finish.
Aberdeen-born Gemma Dryburgh had also hoped to build on her achievement of making it through to the weekend for the first time in the £6-million event.
But the 29-year-old struggled in the blustery conditions before signing for 77 and an eight-over total.
After a run of seven straight pars followed by a bogey and a par to turn level for her round, a doublebogey at the 10th and a run of five consecutive dropped shots from the 14th dashed Dryburgh’s hopes completely.
Former US Open champion Eun Hee Ji of Japan threatened to come bursting out of the pack when she carded five birdies on the front nine to move to fiveunder at the turn.
But the 36-year-old six-time LPGA winner faltered at the last when a double-bogey six following two birdies and two bogeys derailed her bid.
Out in 31 and back in 37, Ji will struggle to better her third place finish in 2008 after a 68 left her on three-under.