Nay wind, nay rain, nay golf.
It’s an old, very old Scottish adage.
Get ready ladies, you’re going to have “golf” at Troon this week for the Women’s Open.
This championship is finally in the hands of the R&A and they’ll oversee the first major of the women’s season this week on the west coast of Scotland where Royal Troon sits in all it’s majesty.
Best of all, the women will get a dose of true Scottish weather.
The forecast looks like this:
Thursday: chance of rain 50%, winds blowing 20 mph, temperatures mid 50s to mid 60s.
Friday: chance of rain 90%, winds blowing 26 mph, temperatures low 50s to low 60s.
Saturday: chance of rain 70%, winds blowing 17 mph, temperatures mid 50s to low 60s.
Sunday: chance of rain 40%, winds blowing 13 mph, temperatures mid 60s to high 60s.
Royal Troon sits on the west coast of Scotland, not far from another Open venue — Prestwick.
Most famous hole at Royal Troon over the years is the Postage Stamp. The hole is only about 125 yards long but the green is tiny and when you miss it, it can be very penal.
Most won’t recall that Hinako Shibuno from Japan won the event last year. It was her first-ever event outside her country. She returns to defend.
County Stacy Lewis as a pre-tournament favorite. She won last week’s Scottish Open and she produced shots when she needed them. Highest-ranked player in the field is Danielle Kang at No. 2. No. 1 Jin Young Ko is staying home in South Korea due to COVID-19 concerns.
This week’s championship will basically become survival test if the weather forecast holds true.
Whoever wins on Sunday will manage their game best in difficult conditions.
European Tour Announces Two Rolex Events:
The European Tour announced the new dates for two of its featured Rolex events. The Scottish Open will be played Oct. 1-4 at the Renaissance Club and the BMW PGA will go Oct. 15-18 at Wentworth.
The European Tour stays in place for this week’s event — the Wales Open. It will be at Celtic Manor, where Sam Horsfield won last week’s Celtic Classic, his second tour win in three weeks on the U.K. swing.
In other news, world’s No. 1 Jon Rahm says he’s not sure when he’ll be seen again on the European Tour.
“I don’t know my plans yet; I really don’t,” Rahm said this week. “Right now, I just don’t see myself going to Europe. It’s rough flying public, and having to have a mask on for 10-plus hours just doesn’t sound very good to me. It doesn’t sound healthy at all, so I don’t know what I’m going to be doing.”
Rahm would prefer to play at least one PGA Tour event this fall so he doesn’t fall too far behind in the FedExCup standings. He also wanted to see what happens with the COVID-19 guidelines before deciding whether to defend his title in Dubai. His greater concern right now, he said, is seeing whether he’s going to be able to visit his family over Christmas.
“If it comes between going to Spain and seeing my family or playing a golf tournament,” he said, “I’m not playing golf, that’s all I can say.”
