Steph Kyriacou Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

AIG Women’s Open: Australian army of Lee, Hillier, Green, Su and Kyriacou target more major glory in Scotland

Matt Smith — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 11:39:03 +0000

Minjee Lee. LET

By Matt Smith
The Australian contingent for the AIG Women’s Open Championship will be hunting more success in Scotland to emulate 2002 champ Karrie Webb and keep up the Aussie major momentum following Cameron Smith’s recent triumph at the 150th men’s Open Championship at St Andrews.

World No. 2 Minjee Lee leads this week’s Australian hopefuls, and is joined by 2019 Women’s PGA Championship winner Hannah Green, 2022 Aramco Team Series – Bangkok team champ Whitney Hillier, 2022 Australian WPGA Championship winner Su Oh and rising star Steph Kyriacou.

Lee claimed her first ever major top 10 in 2015 at this championship, and now has nine to her name including two victories, and will be going for another at Muirfield.

MORE: Muirfield’s long and bumpy road to hosting Women’s Open

The quintet will look to build on Australia’s recent success in Scotland and its history in the Open, which has previously witnessed five Australian champions, including seven-time major champion Webb.

This year’s Women’s US Open champion, Lee, said, “I am really looking forward to closing out the major season at Muirfield for the AIG Women’s Open. I love the challenges presented by links golf and I am really looking forward to playing at Muirfield. It’s been a great few weeks for Australian golf with Cam’s win at The 150th Open and Karrie’s at the Senior LPGA Championship last week, so I will, of course, be trying my best to keep the winning streak running.”

Whitney Hillier

Webb forged the way for young Australians looking to find success in the professional women’s game, leaving a legacy for today’s generations to follow through the famed Karrie Webb Series Scholarship.

Among the recipients of the honour include Lee, Green and Hillier, who will look to build on the tutelage and support from the scholarship, and personal inspiration of Webb, when it comes to round one of the AIG Women’s Open at the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.

Webb’s inspiration and legacy in the game was further elevated last weekend as she revisited her infamous duals with fellow legend, Annika Sorenstam, to claim her first Senior LPGA Championship title at Salina Country Club.

Counting down to the final major of the year, Webb said, “As a former winner I am looking forward to watching the AIG Women’s Open next week. The women players are all so incredibly talented that I look forward to seeing how they take on the famed links of Muirfield.”

“Australian golf is so strong at the moment with Cam Smith having just won The 150th Open and Minjee Lee the Women’s US Open in June, I am hoping Australian golf fans will have more to cheer about at the AIG Women’s Open.”

The AIG Women’s Open will take place from August 4-7 at Muirfield.

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With net eagles and even an albatross, a pair of amateurs hold sway in Saudi

Kent Gray — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 23:24:43 +0000

Captain Manon De Roey (middle) and team-mates Elina-Nummenpaa (left) and Carmen Alonso (right) lead the Aramco Team Series- Jeddah at 37-under-par.

By Kent Gray
When Golf Saudi imagined the Aramco Team Series into existence, a key tenet of the Pro-Am concept was that the amateur attached to each of the four-person teams would get a taste of professional golf inside the ropes. Furthermore, the lucky weekend warrior would have every opportunity to contribute to the ultimate success of their three new favourite LET pros, perhaps even by sinking the winning putt.

We’re still waiting for the latter probability but for irrefutable proof of concept, kindly refer to the penultimate round of the Aramco Team Series – Jeddah on Thursday.

Belgium’s Manon De Roey captained her team to a two-stroke buffer heading into the final round of the 54-hole, $1 million event at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City. Pro team-mates Carmen Alonso (Spain) and Elina Nummenpaa (Finland) combined 13 birdies and one eagle en-route to a second-round 20-under-par total.

However, it was their 61-year-old amateur team-mate Nic Davies who stole the show. The general manager of a nearby Saudi Golf Club contributed a pair of net-eagles that proved the difference in propelling the fourball to 37-under-par overall.

The comments from the Spain-born Davies after his memorable afternoon were further vindication of the concept which is all about innovating to help increase exposure of the LET and wider women’s game.

“I’ve always followed women’s golf, so as an amateur this is just phenomenal to be part of,” said Davies who nailed the second of his net eagles on Royal Green’s 18th hole with a birdie four.

“I obviously now know Manon, Carmen and Elina quite well so if we were able to see this through, I’d be absolutely over the moon for them.

“They, to me, epitomise ladies golf. I’ve got a seven-year-old daughter who is just amazed seeing these girls whack the ball so well and so far. If I connect with the ball, I can get up there, but I’ve not nearly out-driven any of my team. It’s amazing to see up close and hopefully we continue doing well tomorrow.”

Amateur Nic Davies played a key role for Team De Roey on Thursday.

With a share of $150,000 for the winning pros, De Roey, Alonso and Nummenpaa will hope to keep the momentum going on Friday as well.

“I’m really happy with my team,” said De Roey.

“They fought really hard today. We didn’t do so well in the first nine, but we came back strong and I’m very proud of them and how we played. We love playing on this course, it’s very scoreable out there. We’ll fight tomorrow as we have a great opportunity.”

Team Kyriacou – captained by Australia’s Steph Kyriacou, with Lina Boqvist (SWE), Laura Beverage (SCO) and amateur Andreas ‘Andy’ Feller, from Switzerland – shot a series low 22-under-par in the second round to move to -35 overall.

Team Steph Kyriacou.

“Up until the last hole neither of us scored on the same holes, which is what you need in this format,” said Kyriacou. “Lina came in real clutch at the end, Laura in the middle, and Andy our amateur played well. It was Andy and I on the front then Lina and Laura on the back nine.”

Like Team De Roey, Team Kyriacou also had their amateur golfer to thank, with Feller’s eagle three on 13 giving the fourball the first net-albatross at any ATS event.

Talking through the hole, 10-handicapper Feller said: “I went driver, then hit a five-wood to eight-foot. We got a good read on the putt, the team gave me good comfort, and I holed the putt.

“That was my best ever nine holes. I’m a bit of a wildcard but it worked out for me today. Let’s do the same again tomorrow.”

In the individual format, Germany’s Olivia Cowan, meanwhile, leads the individual standings by one over Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher, and two clear of English pair Bronte Law and Georgia Hall.

“I’m really happy with how I’m playing at the moment,” said Cowan, who holed-out for eagle from the fairway of Royal Greens’ par-4 7th. “It’s quite steady and I’m giving myself a lot of chances to hole putts, which I think is important out here.

Germany’s Olivia Cowan is one ahead in the ATS-Jeddah’s individual standings.

“I think the relaxed team format of this event helps bring out the best in me. We as a team get on really well and are all quite chatty out there, which I like.”

The Aramco Team Series – Jeddah is the last of four new $1million team tournaments added to the Ladies European Tour this season and follows events in London, Sotogrande and New York. It climaxes on Friday.

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