What players are saying about St. Andrews during AIG Women’s Open

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Rose Zhang hit driver, 3-wood on the 375-yard opening hole at the Old Course on Thursday. Zhang, one of 32 players competing over the historic links for the first time at the AIG Women’s British Open, got the full experience on a blustery day in the Kingdom of Fife.

Leader Ruoning Yin had only seen the Old Course previously in video games, when she’d take on the character of Tiger Woods. Turns out she’s quite good at getting around St. Andrews as herself in real life, too.

The morning wave saw winds consistently blow 30-35 mph, with gusts up to 39 mph. The winds reduced some in the afternoon, but pace of play was glacial as backing off the ball became routine.

Yin credited her fine play to her attitude, noting that she tried to make the wind her friend.

England’s Georgia Hall, a former British Open champion, was pleased that officials didn’t stop play, noting how much she loves these conditions. Hall praised the R&A for slowing down the greens.

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“This is a true Women’s Open like this,” she said, “and I believe that’s how it should be every day.”

Here’s what players had to say about a challenging Day 1 on the Old Course:

Ruoning Yin of China tees off on the 17th hole during Day One of the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews Old Course on August 22, 2024, in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Morgan Harlow/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

“Honestly, I don’t have that much experience for playing links golf. … I had to calculate the wind when I putt, which is first time. I really enjoyed it.”

Jenny Shin of South Korea acknowledges the crowd on the 17th green during Day One of the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews Old Course on August 22, 2024, in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

“The ball was wobbling on the tee and a lot of us were thinking, how are we going to play?

“But we just knew from No. 7 until the 13th hole, it was going to be a battle regardless of whether it’s raining or not. I mean, I’ve never really played in this kind of wind before because it just felt relentless. Like I experienced a similar wind in the Bahamas before, but it was like, coming and going, coming and going. You could find a little gap in between, like seconds, where you could hit the ball. But it was absolutely relentless today. So I’m extremely happy with an under…