On a thrilling Friday, the world’s best women came to the fore at the home of golf, in tough windy conditions at the Old Course St. Andrews, but there are also a number of big names who missed the cut at the AIG Women’s Open.
It’s the final Major of the year and, after 36 holes, we have an exciting leaderboard, which is stacked full of Major winners.
Women’s World No.1 Nelly Korda leads the way after a sensational four-under par 68 that catapulted her to the top of the leaderboard on eight-under-par. Defending Champion Lilia Vu, who won two Majors in 2023, showed the importance of making a score on the greens by taking just 59 putts in her first two rounds, placing her tied for second place alongside England’s Charley Hull on five-under-par.
However, although a host of big names are in contention, a number of the world’s best didn’t make the cut going into the weekend, as the extremely high winds at St. Andrews produced a four-over-par cut-line.
Below, we take a look at the players who missed the cut in Scotland, with Major winners and Solheim Cup stars failing to make it into the weekend.
MEGAN KHANG (+5)
Megan Khang was in great form in majors in 2023, with top-10 finishes in the Evian Championship (T9), the Women's PGA Championship (T3) and the Chevron Championship (T9), so if you were hoping for a odds-on each-way bet you may be disappointed.
Just one putt separated the American from making the cut-line after she shot a second round of three-over-par 75, including costly bogeys on holes 13 and 14 that put an end to her chances of a weekend in St. Andrews.
MADELENE SAGSTROM (+5)
Like Khang, Madelene Sagstrom is another player who will be cursing one too many missed putts, heading home by the narrowest margin of one shot after finishing on five-over-par.
The Swede had formerly finished runner-up in this tournament back in 2021 to Anna Nordqvist, when a last hole bogey cost her the AIG title at Carnoustie. But her performance then was enough for her to be named as one of the captain's pick wild cards in the Solheim Cup. Sadly, her form does not indicate that she will get that same honour this time around.
YANI TSENG (+6)
The former women’s World No.1 Yani Tseng cruised through the front nine holes today in one-under-par, helped by birdies at the first, third and ninth holes. It looked as though she would comfortably make the cut and be here for the weekend. But the Taiwanese LPGA Tour player, who holds the record for being the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five Major championships, completely fell apart on the back nine of the Old Course.
Disastrous double-bogeys at 13 and 17, where like several players today she hit her tee shot out of bounds into the gardens of the Old Course Hotel, contributed to a six-over-par back nine. She misses the cut-line by two shots.
CATRIONA MATTHEW (+7)
The former victorious European Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew made an emotional last-ever walk up the hallowed turf of the 18th hole of the Old Course, St. Andrews this afternoon, stopping to wave goodbye to her fans on the Swilken Bridge, as she hangs up her tournament spikes for good.
Matthew, who turns 55 on Sunday, has enjoyed a stellar career, recording the most LPGA victories of any Scottish player. Playing in her 30th Open as a professional she managed to close-out her career in style by holing a crowd-pleasing birdie putt on the final green at the AIG Women’s British Open. It wasn’t quite enough for her final score to creep under the cut-line but she left the home of golf smiling.
ALLISEN CORPUZ (+7)
It was day one that did the damage for American Allisen Corpuz when she shot a six-over-par round of 78 and her Friday outing proved to produce only a catalogue of pars, with not a much-needed birdie in sight, sending Corpuz heading for an early flight home after shooting a second round of one-over-par 73.
The 25-year-old was one of the pre-tournament favourites coming into this week having won the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach back in July. She was even congratulated by former US President, and fellow Hawaiian, Barack Obama after her victory. She is normally a steady bet in Major championships based on recent form, as she also finished T-4 at the 2023 Chevron Championship.
JODI EWART-SHADOFF (+7)
Despite the Englishwoman being the first player to make it through final qualifying at Crail Golfing Society to earn her spot at this year's championship, she married an American and spends the majority of her time playing on the LPGA Tour, which probably explains why out of all of the GB&I players in the field at St. Andrews this week, she is the least used to having to grind a score out in tough weather.
Ewart-Shadoff has been part of the European Solheim Cup team on three occasions and has also finished runner-up in this championship before, back in 2017 when the AIG Women's Open was held at Kingsbarns.
MINJEE LEE (+9)
If anyone could make a come-back from a bad first round you would have put money on two-time Major champion Minjee Lee to do it. The Australian opened with a six-over-par round of 78 but that’s nothing when you consider that she came from ten strokes behind at the halfway point of the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship to take that title. It helped that she shot a sensational final round of seven-under-par 64.
Lee's maiden Major title came just two weeks after her younger brother Min Woo won the European Tour’s Scottish Open and she followed it up a year later with her second Major victory in the 2022 US Women’s Open.
Coming into the AIG Women’s Open this week she had finished in the top five in three of the last four years of the tournament, so missing the cut at St. Andrews by five shots is an unexpected shock.
GEMMA DRYBURGH (+10)
The home crowd Scottish favourite Gemma Dryburgh struggled in the high winds on day one shooting a seven-over-par first round of 79 around the Old Course, St. Andrews. It left her with a lot of work to do on Friday and conditions were once again not favourable to low scoring.
The 31-year-old was hoping for a show of better form as she bids for a captain’s pick to force her way into the European Solheim Cup team to take on the United States in Virginia next month. The Aberdeen native was a rookie in the European team who retained the trophy in Spain last year. But recent bad form, including a missed cut at the ISPS HANDA Scottish Open leading into this week, is making that all-important pick look a lot less likely.
ANNA NORDQVIST (+11)
The crowds will be sad that prolific Solheim Cup player Anna Nordqvist won’t be around for this weekend’s play at St. Andrews. The 37-year-old Swede will be hoping for a captain's pick to make her ninth appearance for the European Solheim Cup team when they take on the United States in Virginia next month. But she struggled in the high winds on day one at the home of golf, shooting a first round seven-over-par 79, followed up today by a four-over-76.
Nevertheless, Nordqvist, who will serve as an assistant captain for a second time at this year's Solheim Cup, is still one of the top choices for that captain's pick, given her excellent Solheim Cup track record. She also has three Major titles to her name, including the 2021 AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie.
STACY LEWIS (+12)
US Solheim Cup Captain Stacy Lewis produced rounds of 80 and 76 for a 12-over-par tournament total, missing the cut by eight shots this week. As the former Major champion here when she took the AIG Women’s Open title back in 2013 at St. Andrews, people might well have put money on her repeating that success this week.
Perhaps even more so because she claimed that title in high winds similar to that which the players are experiencing this week, and came from five strokes behind at the halfway stage. In fact she ended up having to play 36 holes on the final day as the weather had caused havoc with the tournament play.
