In typical Scottish fashion, the 2024 ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open teed off under a misty, rain-soaked sky.
Play was delayed, and players had to wait over an hour before they could even think about gripping their clubs.
The elements weren’t done with them yet, though. Another weather delay had everyone cooling their heels for more than two hours.
But, when the clouds finally parted, and the players returned to the course, it was Australia’s Minjee Lee who decided she’d had enough of waiting around and began carving her way up the leaderboard.
Lee, a golfer with the precision of a Swiss watch and the patience of a saint, finally got her round started on a breezy, somewhat indecisive Scottish afternoon.
She wasted no time, knocking in a birdie on the second hole, setting the tone for what would be a masterclass in steady, composed play.
While others might have let the gusty winds get into their heads, Lee kept her focus as sharp as a Scotsman’s broadsword.
She parred her way through the next three holes, then nabbed another birdie on the par-3 sixth.
By the time she made the turn, she had cruised through the front nine without a hitch, keeping the leaderboard in her sights like a hawk eyeing its prey.
But Lee wasn’t done showing the Dundonald Links who was boss. She started the back nine with a birdie on the tenth, and when she reached the par-5 14th—the Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole—she seized the opportunity like a kid grabbing the last cookie from the jar.
That birdie put her at 4-under with just a handful of holes to go. As the sun began to set, casting long shadows over the course, Lee decided she wasn’t going to settle for sharing the lead.
On the 18th, she rolled in her fifth and final birdie, securing a bogey-free round and planting herself firmly at the top of the leaderboard.
In her post-round comments, Lee was as cool and composed as her play. “Yeah, I just — I like the creativity of links golf,” she said, reflecting on the challenges of the day.
“You know, obviously there was a lot of wind today so it was playing like a true links kind of golf course…
I didn’t find it fun to play. Just when you execute it correctly, you get rewarded. So I like that aspect of playing in the wind.”
While Lee was riding high, American Megan Khang had a rollercoaster of a round. She started with a bogey on the tenth, but quickly turned things around with three birdies in the next five holes.
Just when it seemed like she had everything under control, the weather delay threw a spanner in the works.
When play resumed, Khang slipped up with another bogey right after the turn. But like any good golfer, she knew how to shake it off.
As the skies cleared and the winds eased up, Khang’s game shone through. She finished with a 4-under 68, tying for second place.
Khang summed up the day perfectly when she said, “It’s just how creative you can be out there on the golf course.
Links-style golf, there is definitely a lot more imagination going on… I’m trying to make the most of it and trying to enjoy my walk out there.”
Meanwhile, South Korea’s A Lim Kim, the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open champ, had a bit of a mixed bag on the front nine, trading bogeys for birdies like they were currency.
But once she made the turn, she hit her stride. Kim went bogey-free over the last nine holes, collecting four birdies along the way, including back-to-back gems on the 13th and 14th, finishing with a share of second place alongside Khang.
Rookie Lucy Li also had herself a day, staying right in the mix and finishing her round at 4-under after picking up a birdie on the ninth hole.
Defending champion Celine Boutier, on the other hand, was battling more than just the wind.
She was 5-over through her first 11 holes before clawing her way back to finish at 2-over, keeping her hopes alive for the next round.
The first day of play ended as darkness crept in, with players resuming on Friday morning.
As the tournament heads into its next phase, all eyes will be on Minjee Lee. If the weather doesn’t shake her, it’s hard to see anyone else doing so.
