ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Charley Hull and Nelly Korda are two of the fastest women in the game. Yet in the opening round of the AIG Women’s British Open, they played the Old Course alongside defending champion Lilia Vu in six hours and eight minutes.
On a blustery day in St. Andrews the par-3 11th, the most exposed hole on the golf course, had as many as four groups waiting to play. Andrea Lee waited 45 minutes to hit her tee shot, sitting on her bag for 15 of them.
Hull took a bathroom break on the 11th tee and then went over to have a chat with her boyfriend and good friend James Northern, the mate she famously got Paula Creamer’s autograph for after beating her in Sunday singles at the 2013 Solheim Cup.
“It took ages,” said Hull. “I had a bet with my caddie. I said, ‘I reckon it’ll take six and a half’; he said, no way, he said, five hours (and) 30 (minutes). I was right.”
Hull, who prefers parkland golf to links, opened with a 5-under 67, nearly holing her approach on the par-4 18th for eagle, to take a one-shot lead over world No. 1 Korda and Ruoning Yin, who played in tougher conditions as one of the first groups out.
Six players – including Vu and Lee – opened with a 69 to take a share of fourth. A total of 17 players broke par, with the vast majority coming in the afternoon.
The morning wave saw winds consistently blow 30-35 mph, with gusts up to 39 mph. The winds reduced some as the day wore on, but pace of play was glacial as backing off the ball became routine.
It didn’t help that officials were forced to use a two-tee start due to the Paris Olympics moving back the championship by two weeks. That meant one less hour of daylight for the field of 156.
The last group to tee off No. 10 played the first four holes in two hours and 45 minutes.
Nelly Korda of the United States plays her shot from the 11th tee during Day One of the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews Old Course on August 22, 2024 in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
When asked if rounds of more than six hours were acceptable at a major championship, Korda said “obviously not.”
“But with circumstances of the wind and then with it kind of intersecting between two holes, it’s kind of a given,” she said “I think we all knew that kind of playing the golf course for the first time on Monday.”
England’s Hull, who has yet to win a major championship, credited her longtime coach, Matt Belsham, for getting her prepared for this…
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