KirkwoodGolf: SCOTTISH PLAYERS WARM UP FOR RICOH WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN

Saturday, May 20, 2017

SCOTTISH PLAYERS WARM UP FOR RICOH WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN

Scottish quartet Pamela Pretswell, Kylie Henry, Kelsey MacDonald and Michelle Thomson made some early preparations for the Ricoh Women’s British Open when they played on the spectacular Kingsbarns Golf Links on Wednesday as part of the Scotland Associate Golf Day.

This summer will see a two-week stretch in Scotland for the world’s best female golf superstars, as the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open will be held at Dundonald Links on July 27-30, where the tournament will be played as a newly co-sanctioned LET and LPGA event for the first time, followed by the Ricoh Women’s British Open on August 3-6.

These events will be broadcast around the globe, helping to showcase the Home of Golf and encourage many more golfers to come and visit Scotland.

The local professional golfers from the Ladies European Tour took advantage of the opportunity to play an early practice round on the magnificent Kingsbarns Golf Links ahead of August’s Major Championship, followed by a rare and exclusive opportunity to enjoy dinner in the iconic Royal & Ancient Clubhouse, overlooking the spectacular Old Course in St Andrews.

Kelsey MacDonald commented afterwards: “I love Kingsbarns. It’s one of my favourite courses in the world and there is something very special about it. I’ve played at Kingsbarns on quite a few occasions. It was fantastic preparation for this year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open and allowed me to get comfortable with the course and create the positive feelings that come with that. It suits my game and I would love to check the Women’s British Open off my list… there would be no place better to have my first win than at Kingsbarns!”

Pamela Pretswell added: “I hadn’t played at Kingsbarns since the Ricoh Women’s British Open qualifying in 2013, so it was nice to remind myself about the course and we had a perfect day for it, which is pretty rare. We got pretty spoiled and saw it at its finest. It was a useful warm-up for August, as we played similar tees to those planned for the Open. It was great to look at the course and get a game plan. I’d forgotten how slopey the greens are, so I’ll be working on my putting and short game and distance control. We’ve got a good summer ahead and playing at Dundonald and Kingsbarns back to back will be amazing, especially playing so close to home. Those are the two weeks that I’m looking forward to the most this year and if we get the right weather, it will be amazing!”

Kylie Henry  was equally as enthused about the opportunity to compete over the two spectacular, world-class Kyle Phillips designed courses. She said: “I think Kingsbarns will be a great test for the Ricoh Women’s British Open. On a day when its calm, it’s quite scoreable, but it all depends on the weather. I’m really excited about a fortnight of golf in Scotland, with two brilliant courses to have two massive events back-to-back. It’s such a treat for the Scottish fans and us as well. With the home crowd and on a course that I’m familiar with and possibly tough conditions it could go my way. I’m really excited about it.”

Kingsbarns Golf Links, which opened in 2000, has co-hosted the European Tour’s Dunhill Links Championship along with the Old Course at St Andrews and Carnoustie since 2001 and is undeniably one of the finest golf courses in Scotland. In 2009, Golf Magazine called it “No 1 in Europe in “The 50 Greatest Courses Created in the Last 50 Years.”

The Ricoh Women’s British Open has been played in Scotland, the home of golf, on five occasions: twice at St Andrews, twice at Turnberry and once at Carnoustie. Consequently, Kingsbarns will be joining a very select group when it hosts the championship this summer.

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