Our St. Andrews correspondent Sean Zak is at the AIG Women’s Open this week. Here he checks in with stateside colleague Jessica Marksbury on Nelly Korda’s tough day, Jiyai Shin’s incredible round, and who he thinks will go home with the trophy on Sunday.
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Jessica Marksbury, GOLF senior editor: Good evening, Sean!
Sean Zak, GOLF senior writer: Hello J-Mar!
JM: What a day. We have a lot to cover.
SZ: That we do! Let’s get into it.
JM: Just when it looked like Nelly Korda was setting herself up for a coronation weekend with a four-shot lead at the Open’s halfway point, she’s now two behind, and Sunday’s final round is looking like it will be a shootout. What went wrong for Nelly today?
SZ: It would be easy to say that loose swing on 16 that faded five yards too much and ended up O.B. was the issue, but really it was the putter. She three-putted the 1st green, leading to bogey. She misplayed the 2nd and putter didn’t bail her out. She missed at least two more short ones, inside 5 feet, during the round. It’s a new wand, so I’m sure she’s still getting used to it, but it wasn’t good today. It made sense that she went straight to the putting green after the round.
JM: I can certainly relate to a tough day on the greens. But on the opposite end of the spectrum was Jiyai Shin, who fired a round of 67 to reach seven under par overall — how impressive was that?
SZ: How impressive is she, period! Forget that round — which was amazing, by the way. Think about the fact that she’s one of the few players in the field who has played every AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course. She’s 36 and after winning two Opens more than a decade ago, she decided to move back to Japan to be closer to her family. She mostly stopped competing on the LPGA Tour and leaned all the way in on the Japan LPGA. But now she’s back at the Open and absolutely ballin’. I greatly look forward to writing her story tomorrow if she can somehow get it done against players 15 years her junior.
JM: Let’s hope Mother Nature brings everyone home with some sunshine tomorrow. After brutal weather to start the tournament, how was the vibe onsite today?
SZ: Oh, vibes were goooood. I was a little worried about the crowd sizes early in the week, but finally the Scots and Brits and all sorts of spectators showed up today. I’m told that’s because Monday is a bank holiday, which gives me even more hope for a massive crowd Sunday, too.
JM: National holidays the day after the final round of a major? That’s something I can get behind for sure! Sean, you wrote about Alexa Pano for the site today — any other storylines pique your interest?
She’s contending in St. Andrews. And sponsored by the New England Patriots?
SZ: If Alexa Pano can somehow linger up top Sunday, that means good things for the … New England Patriots? If you wanna learn more about that oddity, click here. But as for other storylines, I was pretty sad to see Charley Hull cave Saturday. She is so electric. She brings people in by being so unapologetically herself. I was really hopeful we could see that persona in the heat of contention Sunday. Maybe we will, but it’s gonna take something special.
JM: It’s quite an exciting leaderboard, with Lilia Vu one shot back at six under, and Lydia Ko lurking at four under. Who are you going to follow tomorrow?
SZ: I’m tracking Lydia Ko. She’s the best talker out here. She’s got an infectious personality. She’s graceful and joyous at this point in her career. And she keeps getting asked about imminent retirement. I don’t think that’s a reality at the moment, but it’s a compelling idea as she flirts with the lead.
JM: I have to ask: Since St. Andrews is basically a second home for you these days, where are you venturing for a pre-final-round meal and beverage tonight?
SZ: I’m headed straight to Tailend for some grab-and-go fish ‘n’ chips. It’s the most reliable meal in town. Then to the Central Bar for a beer. The most underrated pub in town.
JM: Jealousy meter is off the charts right now, SZ! Before I let you go to enjoy that pint, I gotta put you on the spot: who’s winning this thing?!
SZ: Lilia Vu defends her title with a magic putter in hand. Much like Cam Smith did in 2022. Everything inside 10 feet falls. And a couple bombs do, too.
