Tag: Women’s Scottish Open

Ayaka Furue fires course-record 62, captures first LPGA victory at Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open

Furue fires a 10-under 62 to set a new course record at Dundonald Links.

Sunday’s final round at the 2022 Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open is one LPGA rookie Ayaka Furue won’t soon forget.

Furue torched Dundonald Links on Sunday in Ayrshire, Scotland, firing a course record and tournament record of 10-under 62 to overcome a four-stroke deficit and capture her first LPGA victory. Japan’s newest LPGA winner finished at 21 under, three shots better than Celine Boutier, who was tied for the 54-hole lead with Lydia Ko.

“My all-around game was really good,” Furue said. “The putts I needed to make, I made. My putting was really good.”

The stats back that up. She hit 17 of 18 greens and 13 of 14 fairways. She putted 26 times, recording 10 birdies and no bogeys en route to her course record. Furue made six straight birdies from Nos. 6-11. She shot 5-under 31 on each side. And she did it without lighting up the par 5s, as she birdied only one of the four three-shotters, the finishing hole.

Women's Scottish Open
Ayaka Furue of Japan plays her tee shot at the 18th hole in the final round of the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links  on July 31, 2022 in Troon, Scotland. (Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Furue, 22, began the final round four shots behind the leaders but quickly made up that ground. She birdied the par-4 first before recording four straight pars. Then the birdie streak started, and more followed on Nos. 15, 17 and 18 to finish at 21 under.

By the time the final group came to the 18th tee, Furue had locked up the victory.

Boutier shot 3-under 69 in the final round, which included seven birdies. Ko, who led after 36 holes, shot her second straight 1-under 71 after back-to-back rounds of 65 to open the tournament. Ko finished five shots behind Furue in a tie for fifth place.

Hyo-Joo Kim and Cheyenne Knight finished tied for third at 17 under, four shots behind Furue.

The win could be pivotal for Furue heading into the final women’s major championship of the season next week, the AIG Women’s British Open at Muirfield.

“It builds up a lot of confidence,” Furue said. “I look forward to more tournaments and next week.”

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Celine Boutier, Lydia Ko tied at Women’s Scottish Open heading to final round

There are 12 players within four shots of the lead.

If the leaderboard following the third round is any indication, the 2022 Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland, is in for a thrilling finish come Sunday.

Twelve players are within four shots of the lead, but Celine Boutier and Lydia Ko pace the field at 15 under following 54 holes in the week before the final women’s major championship of the season.

Ko, who fired consecutive rounds of 65 to open the tournament, shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday, and her highlight of the day came on the 18th. Her approach shot landed just past the hole before spinning back and nearly dropping for eagle. The ball settled a couple feet from the hole, and she tapped in the birdie to close her round on a high note. After not recording a bogey through the first two rounds, Ko made three on Saturday to her four birdies.

“I drove it a little better than I did the past couple of days, but my irons just weren’t as sharp,” Ko said. “It wasn’t the best golf I’ve played, but I was able to scramble around and it wasn’t as bad as I think.”

Boutier, however, was spectacular. She went out in 5-under 31, including three straight birdies on Nos. 5, 6 and 7. Boutier also birdied the third and ninth holes. On the back nine, she had one birdie and one bogey, but it was good enough to vault her into a tie for first heading to Sunday.

“It was a very solid day,” Boutier said. “The conditions were a bit more windy and a bit tougher, so it was really good to get a good start.”

Boutier has had plenty of success on links courses before. During the 2019 Solheim Cup, she went 4-0-0 for Team Europe in her first appearance, helping the Europeans win by a point.

“I really like playing in windy conditions,” said Boutier. “I feel like my ball flight is pretty low, so I never have trouble keeping it down, which is an advantage here.”

Maude-Aimee Leblanc, who tied for low round of the day at 6-under 66, is one of two players one shot back in a tie for third. Leblanc also went out in 5-under 31 and birdied both of the par 5s on the back nine to vault up the leaderboard. Leonie Harm shot 5-under 67 and moved to 14 under for the tournament, tied with Leblanc.

Harm, 24, is searching for her first career victory. The German, who turned pro in 2020, has shot rounds of 67-68-67 this week.

“I really enjoyed today’s round,” Harm said. “It got a bit windier, so it actually was a lot more difficult than the previous two rounds. And I’m very, very proud of myself that I still got a low scorecard to sign off.”

Eun-Hee Ji and Lilia Vu are tied at 13 under in a tie for fifth. The duo played with Ko in the final pairing, shooting 2 under and 1 under, respectively.

Ko is searching for her first victory since March while Boutier hasn’t won since October of 2021.

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Lydia Ko takes two-shot lead at Women’s Scottish Open after second straight 65 at Dundonald Links

Ko is searching for her first win since March.

Lydia Ko said she felt her second round Friday wasn’t as strong as her opening round on Thursday. Her score indicates otherwise.

Ko fired her second straight 7-under 65, taking a two-shot lead at 14 under following the second round of the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open. She leads Lilia Vu by two shots and Eun-Hee Ji by three heading to the weekend.

For Ko, who posted her tour-leading 12th bogey-free round of the season, she’s getting closer to conquering links golf. Last year, she finished tied for second at this event.

With 36 holes to play, Ko is in the driver’s seat and looking for another victory.

“I had a few more birdie opportunities today that I missed,” Ko said. “When I made the turn, I made a really good par actually on the 18th hole, which was my ninth. Then hit a good drive down the first, and I got really good momentum.”

After going out in 1-under 35, Ko fired a 6-under 30 on her back nine, which was highlighted by a near hole-in-one on the par-3 fourth and an eagle on the par-5 fifth.

Ko hasn’t won a major on the LPGA since 2019 and hasn’t won a tournament since March.

The round of the day belonged to Ji, who shot an 8-under 64 to climb 15 spots on the leaderboard. Hye-Jin Choi, who led following the first round, is tied for sixth after a 1-under 71 performance.

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