Scotland welcomes golf's needle mover and pizzazz-bringer to Ayrshire coast

There’s a posse of major champions teeing up in Scotland this week, the majority of them being in a star-studded field for the ISPS HANDA Senior Open, which is being played on the King’s Course at Gleneagles.

With all due respect, though, to the likes of Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Paul Lawrie, Stewart Cink, David Duval and Zach Johnson, the one player among them who can genuinely be described as a ‘needle-mover’ is competing on the Ayrshire coast in the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open.

Yes, it does seem a bit daft that two top tournaments are being held at the same at time and even more daft that they have the same sponsor, but the Senior Open always comes straight after The Open and the Women’s Scottish Open always comes before the AIG Women’s Open, which is taking place at Royal Lytham & St Annes next week.

World No 1 Nelly Korda pictured during the final round of last year’s ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links | Paul Devlin/Getty Images

Like the similar set up now in place between the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, for the Genesis Scottish Open, the Women’s Scottish Open has benefited from it now being co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA. It’s exactly the same with the slot it occupies, coming soon after the Evian Championship in France but, more importantly, before the AIG Women’s Open.

The latter is why seven of the players in the current top ten in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings are at Dundonald Links this week, with the star attraction being Nelly Korda. The world No 1 has arrived on Scottish soil with four wins under belt belt this season, including two majors - the Chevron Championship and the US Women’s Open.

In terms of success - she landed an incredible seven title triumphs in 2024 - the 27-year-old is the Scottie Scheffler in the women’s game. In terms of getting eyeballs on golf, she’s the Bryson DeChambeau but without the bluster, bonkers-esque behaviour and bulls***.

“Yeah, Nelly is definitely a needle-mover,” observed Australian Hannah Green, speaking to The Scotsman as excitement starts to build about Korda’s appearance in this week’s $2 million tournament. “I played with her in the US Women’s Open this year and she’s the one that draws young girls especially to come out and watch us. She’s a really nice person and an extremely good player. She just makes golf look easy. Even when she’s not having a good day, it still doesn’t look that bad.”

Gemma Dryburgh, the Scottish No 1, has witnessed the impact Korda has had on the women’s game over the past few years through playing with her in LPGA events. “When she is out on the course, you always see a crowd following her and that obviously brings a little pizzazz to the event,” said the Aberdonian. “She’s the best in the world and already won a couple of majors this year. Yeah, it is great to have her here.”

While ten-time major Annika Sorenstam did her bit to give the women’s game a boost during her time as its dominant force and Michelle Wie, a child prodigy, stirred interest as well at one point, Korda has definitely taken things to a different level at a time when purses for the women’s majors have been increased dramatically over the past few years.

“Yeah, very lucky,” said Hannah Darling, the other Scot in addition to Dryburgh taking on the game’s current superstar at Dundonald Links, where the first round gets underway on Thursday. “I think it helps the event a lot and it showcases women’s golf at its best. With other top players in the field, people are going to see just how good women’s golf actually is.

“The more women are showcased and the more exposure they have, the more that it helps women’s golf and women’s sport in general. Definitely in my time playing golf, Nelly has been up there as a shining light while we’ve also got Georgia Hall and Charley Hull from the British side of it. They are just bringing a bit more attention to the game, which is exactly what we need and the fact they are here this week helps make it a really good event.”

In a rare disappointment this year, Korda missed the cut in the Evian Championship, suffering that fate on the same day as Scheffler saw his run of making 78 consecutive cuts on the PGA Tour come to an end with an early exit from the Genesis Scottish Open.

Australian Hannah Green speaks to the media in the build up to this week’s ISPS HANDA Scottish Women’s Open in Ayrshire | ISPS HANDA Scottish Women's Open

“Even when she’s not perhaps playing her best, she still has people out watching her and it is very understandable why you would want to go and watch her,” added Green, winner of the Australian Women’s Open this year. “She’s obviously playing great golf right now and is going to be hard to beat this week.”

As was the case 12 months ago, Korda has been paired with world No 7 Hull and fifth-ranked Lottie Woad, the defending champion, in the opening two rounds, with the marquee group heading out at 8.36am in the first round.

Though Woad is doing a great job herself to get more eyeballs on the women’s game, she reckons the majority of those out watching at Dundonald Links will be there for one person in particular. “Yeah, I think every event she's at, she's the person everybody is coming to see,” said the English star of Woad. “Last year I was playing with her here and we got a really big crowd. Playing with her again this year so I expect it to be the same. Yeah, I like playing with a crowd. It's always fun.”

Adding with a smile after she coped very well indeed by being in Korda’s company for the opening two days on her professional debut before going to claim what is a coveted crown, Woad added of being out with the American again: “I hope it goes the same as last year!”