Monday 7 August 2017
Korea’s Kim holds on for breakthrough win at Kingsbarns
Contributors Matt Hooper (on site at Kingsbarns)
Photo Credits Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine
Design and production Matt Hooper
Publisher Matt Hooper
Director Matt Hooper
ŠSt Andrews Magazine Ltd. 2017
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IT’S A.O.K. FOR I.K. AT KB AS KOREAN KIM BANISHES MEMORIES OF ANA INSPIRATION WITH STUNNING BRITISH OPEN SUCCESS Kingsbarns, Scotland: In Kyung Kim won the RICOH Women’s British Open by 2 shots from England Jodi Ewart-Shadoff after a day of ups and downs on the links at Kingsbarns. Once again, the rain came and drove many of the spectators away, but those who did stay had the opportunity to see Kim finally deliver on the promise she showed five years ago in the California desert at the ANA Inspiration. In that week, the 5 foot 3 inch dynamo from South Korea was a picture of consistency, and had a putt to win her first major. Shockingly she missed from less than a foot and went on to lose to Sun-Young Yoo in the playoff. Everyone was stunned, no more than Kim herself, and it was a big setback for the then 24-year-old. But it served as a way of refocusing her and improving her attitude “Missing a putt is not the worst
thing in the world that could happen in life, and that’s how I tend to look at it. When I make a three-footer I am quite rewarded now, like I don’t take it for granted, either.” Coming into the final round Kim had a six-shot lead, the biggest since the tournament became an LPGA major in 2001. It was going to take either an incredible charge from the pack or a wobble from Kim, and once again, even in the rain, she demonstrated incredible nerve, poise and focus, getting the job done with a round of 71 to hold off the field and claim her first Major title. She began in dominating fashion with a wonderful birdie at the first, her shot rolling up to within a couple of feet. It sent the message, loud and clear, that she was not letting up in her quest for the title. This personable, affable young lady has shown a positive attitude all week, in when playing the worst conditions possible, particularly on Friday evening. She kept her game together when it would have been very easy to let one or two shots go.
Pars were only interreputed by a birdie at the par-five eighth to reach 19under-par, and a lone bogey at the par-four ninth. From then on, she continued to play flawless golf, including the shot which could have made all the difference at 17. “17 was into the wind, from 197, and I’m like, it’s not done yet. I’ve been practicing my 5-wood. It’s my new addition to my bag, and it really helped me a lot this week” said Kim. “It was a little bit of a downhill lie, I actually tried to carry the pin. The wind must have been heavy there.” Her 5-wood shot was despatched at the heart of the green, and the final real piece of trouble which could have cost her the title was navigated. A drive down the right-centre of the fairway allowed her the opportunity to play an approach to the green, and at that moment she could breathe and begin to realise the dream of becoming a major champion. 2-putts later and the dream was reality, and there concluded one of the most amazing performances in major championship history. Really, I hear you cry! Yes, really. Kim hit 46 out of 56 fairways, driving accuracy of 82%; she hit 65 out of 72 greens in regulation (90%) and she avoided every bunker on all four days. Her four-round total of 270 strokes has only been bettered on two occasions in the history of the Women’s British Open, and her 54-hole score of 199 is the lowest since it became an LPGA Major in 2001. Then add in the conditions which she faced this week, at times it was truly brutal out there, and on a course which she had not played before this week. In Kyung Kim arrived in form, but she leaves with fame and the title, and a place in history, the RICOH Women’s British Open champion and the first Major winner over the celebrated Kingsbarns Golf Links. What a week.
EWART-SHADOFF SURGES INTO SECOND-PLACE TO CAP A SUPERB WEEK FOR ENGLISH GOLF Kingsbarns, Scotland: No Englishwoman has won a major championship since Karen Stupples won the Women’s British Open at Sunningdale in 2004, but this week saw the best performance by a player from the UK since, with Jodi Ewart-Shadoff posting a final round of 64 to propel herself into second place. The 29-year-old from Northallerton made 8 birdies including 4 in succession without a single bogey to equal the course record and record her best finish in a major championship. Ewart-Shadoff began the final round nine strokes adrift of Kim, but he stellar play saw her post 16-under-par in the clubhouse, and give something for the Korean to think about. Going out in 31 she had reduced the gap to 5, but she wasn’t giving too much thought to what it would take to overhaul In Kyung, “I really tried to stay away from the scoreboard, so I had no idea where I was or how many shots back I was. I just tried to stay in the moment and hit as good shots as I could at that moment” she said. Having missed the cut at the Scottish Open she didn’t have high expectations for this week, but is taking the performance as a huge boost ahead of the Solheim Cup. “It’s been a great week, it has been a great boost of confidence and I’m excited to go to the Solheim in a couple of weeks” she said. Her second-place finish is the fourth top ten in a major, but she has yet to win on either the LPGA or LET, surely that will change in the coming months if she keeps playing the way she did this week. Shadoff’s final round was one of many highlights for English golfers this week, with Georgia Hall, Mel Reid and Charley Hull all having positive weeks at Kingsbarns. Reid began well with a 67 on Thursday, 72 on Friday, and 69 on Saturday to put her at 9-under-par entering the final round, only to limp home with a 74 on Sunday.
Hull was upbeat after four rounds saw her finish in a tie for 16 th. “I feel like I played pretty good this week, I didn’t actually hole that much at all” said the 21-year-old who is set to make her third appearance for Europe at the Solheim Cup. “I feel like my game is in good condition, and I feel like I’m
going to have a good few weeks coming up.” Georgia Hall played in the final group on Saturday and was in position to challenge until 3 dropped shots stalled her progress. On Sunday, she shot a round of 70 to finish the championship at 13-under-par and finish in a tie for third place, making it one of the best major weeks for English women ever, aside from the victories of Davies, Stupples and Nicholas. Sophie Lamb collected the pize for best amateur, and Laura Davies made the cut after qualifying at the Castle Course last Monday evening. The Korean may have taken the prize, but there was so much to be positive about for the English and European golfers, with 10 inside the top 30.
WIE MAKES SUNDAY SURGE, BUT FRIDAY FLOP COSTS 2014 US OPEN CHAMPION A GENUINE CHANCE OF A SECOND MAJOR TITLE Kingsbarns, Scotland: Michelle Wie could well have been the one lifting the trophy on Sunday night had it not been for her poor play on Friday, a second round of 76 following her stunning opening round of 64 saw her fall 8 back of In Kyung Kim heading into the weekend. It was a deficit which she just could not overturn. Starting the final round 10 shots back she required a Paul Lawrie style comeback, and help from Kim. She began brightly with a birdie at the 2nd, and then stormed through the front nine with four successive birdies from the fourth hole, adding a sixth birdie at the ninth to go out in 30. On the back nine she added another birdie at the par three 12 th, and now she was just four behind. She had to keep going and hope for a slip from the leader, unfortunately she missed the chance for birdie at the 15th and when she bogeyed 17 to fall back to 13-under-par, her chance of adding the British Open to the US Open had ended. It was still a positive week for Wie, “I felt like if a couple of those putts
coming in had gone in, I would have had a chance, but I’m proud of myself for how I played this year” said Wie. The tie for third is her best performance since she was the US Women’s Open at Pinehurst in 2014, “I came her a little bit iffy about how I was going to feel. But I’m so proud of myself. I’ll take 19th and whatever I’m going to get this week, I’m leaving here with a lot of confidence.”
EVEN IF THE WEATHER DOESN’T
KINGSBARNS MAJOR DEBUT IS A UNIVERSALLY ACCLAIMED SUCCESS Kingsbarns, Scotland: When it was first mooted to me last summer during my first ever round of golf at Kingsbarns that the course could finish with the traditional first hole being the eighteenth my initial response was one of horror. Having seen the routing for the Women’s British Open there can be no doubt that the course plays better, in my eyes, in this configuration. The par three first gives players the opportunity to get off to a fast start, but it is by no means a pushover, with the sea to the right and trouble all around the green. It is a perfect spectating hole too for the start of a big tournament.
The traditional eighteenth hole also makes a wonderful seventeenth, with trouble around the green and it takes two good shots to reach it. Kingsbarns also proved to be a wonderful viewing course with brilliant vantage points across the links where multiple holes could be watched, and plenty of space for grandstands and hospitality. And, despite the truly wretched weather we were treated to for most of the week, the course stood up to the worst that mother nature could throw at it, with only a small delay on the first day throughout the championship. Yes, like any links, if the wind doesn’t blow and the ground is soft then scoring will be low, but at the end of 72 holes the winning margin as only two shots, and Kingsbarns delivered a compelling tournament, with many different stories throughout the week. It also has a wonderful array of risk-reward holes which would be perfect for match play. The venue also proved capable of staging an event on its own, rather than just being one of three at the Dunhill. This was Kingsbarns’ time to standout and my goodness it did that. Perhaps this will get the people that are in control at Kingsbarns and Cambo Estate think about hosting bigger events in the future.
There is a good chance that the Ryder Cup will not return to the UK for a few years yet, but when it does Kingsbarns should be among the courses in the running, should Scotland decide to bid. Its proximity to St Andrews and other major population centres is superb, and the space it has for infrastructure is almost unrivalled by any other links course apart from St Andrews. Part of the Cambo Estate, Kingsbarns would have room for far larger and far more hospitality units, with incredible views across the course and out to sea. For example, adjacent to the ninth hole, thirteenth hole and eighteenth hole make great viewing spots for hospitality. The course has many natural spectator areas but there is plenty of room for increase grandstand seating at the first, second, fourth, fifteenth, sixteenth and eighteenth. Cambo House itself could play host to any formal events such as the gala dinner, and the fields adjacent to Kingsbarns could be used for car parking, television and media facilities.
The road to hosting a Ryder Cup could see Kingsbarns play host to several other events such as the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and Ladies Scottish Open, the Walker Cup and Curtis Cup. What the future holds for Kingsbarns is anyone’s guess, but after this week it surely must be a matter of time before the days of being one of three at the Dunhill are a thing of the past, and Kingsbarns becomes a world class tournament venue all on its own.
2017 RICOH WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN – LEADERBOARD Final leaderboard 1
In-Kyung Kim
KOR
-18
65
68
66
71
270
2
Jodi Ewart Shadoff
ENG
-16
67
70
71
64
272
3
Michelle Wie
USA
-13
64
76
69
66
275
Caroline Masson
GER
-13
69
72
67
67
275
Georgia Hall
ENG
-13
68
67
70
70
275
6
Jenny Shin
KOR
-12
70
69
70
67
276
7
Shanshan Feng
CHN
-11
71
67
72
67
277
Anna Nordqvist
SWE
-11
68
70
72
67
277
Hyo Joo Kim
KOR
-11
70
71
68
68
277
Stacy Lewis
USA
-11
70
72
65
70
277
Lexi Thompson
USA
-10
67
68
74
69
278
Angel Yin
USA
-10
72
67
69
70
278
Inbee Park
KOR
-10
72
70
64
72
278
11
Edition 01
2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
ST ANDREWS MAGAZINE WILL RELAUNCH THIS AUTUMN WITH OUR DUNHILL EDITION Including: A full preview to this year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Being a Dunhill champion Guide to all three courses Interview with Oliver Horovitz, caddie to Huey Lewis
ALL THIS AND…
Golfer’s Massage Yoga for Golf The Beauty of Golf Blebo House Mammacita Review Kingsbarns Golf Links and Cambo House Golf Club Makers of St Andrews The Kelpie Maquettes Lammas Fair The students return The Day Obama Played the Old Course