Masson Leads Ricoh into Sunday

Germany’s Caroline Masson holds a surprise two shot lead heading into the final round of the 2011 Ricoh Women’s British Open over the Championship course at Carnoustie.

The relatively unknown 22 year-old World No. 141 from Gladbeck, near Dusseldorf, carded a hugely impressive four under par 68 to go into the last day on 15 under par 201 and with a two shot advantage over World No. 1, Yani Tseng.

Tseng started the day four shots off the pace but moved ominously into second place after a best-of-the-day six under par 66 and will now meet her German rival for the first time when they step onto the first tee at lunch time on Sunday.

In the match ahead, Scottish former champion, Catriona Matthew, is paired with South Korea’s Inbee Park after both finished in a tie for third place on nine under par 207. Another Korean, Na Yeon Park, is fifth after posting a 72 for a 54-hole aggregate of 208, while America’s Britanny Lang, Korean’s Se Ri Pak and another former champion, Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson are one shot further back on seven under par. Altogether, 44 players are under par heading into the closing 18 holes.

Masson arrived in Scotland without much of a pedigree but has impressed everyone with the way she has handled the spotlight. She started her third round with a three-putt bogey on the 394-yard par-4 first but bounced back with a birdie on the 396-yard par-4 second and then added two more on the fifth and the sixth to go out in 34.

The German continued to move in the right direction with further birdies on the 11th, 14th and 17th and only slipped up right at the end when she hit her second shot into the sand at the last and failed to get-up-and-down. Even then, however, she can take great credit because her fourth shot, from just off green raced past the hole, leaving her to hole a testing 5-foot putt to retain a two hole advantage over Tseng.

“It feels really, really good to be in this position,” said Masson, whose father, Stephan, is a tennis coach and whose brother, Alex, is with her in Scotland. “To be honest, I can’t really believe it. I’m just trying to enjoy every moment and take in everything that’s happening.

“I was watching the leaderboard so I knew what Yani was doing,” she added. “I’m very excited about playing with her already. I’m really looking forward to meeting her and am pretty sure I can learn a lot from the way she plays.”

Tseng confirmed after her round that she had never heard of Masson before the start of the week but was full of praise for what the German had achieved. “When I saw her name, I had to ask my caddie ‘who’s that,’” she said. “I have never played with her. I have never seen her play before but she must be good to play so well this week.

“I think she’ll be a great player and it’s good to see her at the top of the leaderboard,” Tseng added. “I think tomorrow we’ll become friends. We’ll just have a chat and enjoy it.”

Tseng arrived in Scotland having won once in Taiwan, twice on the Ladies European Tour and three times on the LPGA Tour to date this season. One of those victories came at the LPGA Championship, where she became the youngest player ever to win four majors at the tender age of 22 year, five months and 3 days, and now she is hungry for more.

The diminutive Taiwanese player went out in level par 35 after a birdie on the 448-yard par-5 fifth and a bogey on the 348-yard par-4 seventh but then moved ominously into gear by gaining five shots to par in five holes from the 10th.

That run started with birdies on the 369-yard par-4 10th and the 317-yard par-4 11th and then gathered pace with a birdie on the 129-yard par-3 13th and a glorious eagle on the 427-yard par-5 14th where she holed out from about 23-yards across the green.

“You know, I played awesome today,” she said. “I played really smart and hit my irons well. I missed some (putts) but I still made a lot. I just felt really good.”

“I have learned a lot of things over the last few years,” she added. “I have won tournaments, lost tournaments and have learned from the experience. I know that will help tomorrow. All I can do is try my best, play one shot at a time and try not to think too much. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I just want to keep my chest out, chin up, keep my body language positive. That’s what I have been doing this year and it helps me to stay relaxed and keep thinking positive.”

Matthew will also have years of experience to call on as she endeavours to win a Major title in front of her home fans.

The Scot started the day in a share of 12th place after opening rounds of 70 and 69 but moved into a share of third place with a fine 68 which might have been better had she managed to hole from 14 feet for her fifth birdie of the day on the last hole.

The 41 year-old mother of two from North Berwick began the round with four straight pars before claiming her first birdie on the treacherous 358-yard par-4 fifth where the hole was cut in the most difficult position on the small shelf to the rear of the green.

The Scot reached the turn in one under par 35 and then romped home in 33 with three birdies at the 11th, 14th and 17th to give herself a realistic chance of duplicating her emotional victory at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2009.

“It was great to win at Lytham but it would mean even more if I could do it in front of my home fans tomorrow,” she said. “I mean, obviously, it would be fantastic. I’m an ambassador for Carnoustie Country so it couldn’t get better than that.

“I’d still like to have been a little bit closer (to the lead),” she added. “But it’s supposed to be a little bit windier tomorrow, so there should be plenty of chances to make up the ground.”

Meena Lee Cards Ricoh 65

Meena Lee in action

(Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images Europe)

South Korea’s Meena Lee used to play the piano as a child but at Carnoustie today she composed sweet music of an altogether different kind when she carded a superb seven under par 65 to claim the first round lead at the Ricoh Women’s British Open.

The diminutive 29 year-old, who hails from Jeonju, South Korea, gave up her musical studies at the age of 15 in order to concentrate on her golf and in the rain on the East coast of Scotland that looked like a fine decision as she carded seven birdies to go into the second round two shots in front of America’s Brittany Lincicome and three ahead of her compatriot Amy Yang, Germany’s Caroline Masson, Swedish former champion Sophie Gustafson and a second American, Angela Stanford.

On a day which started under bright skies and improved late in the afternoon, Caroline Hedwall, Momoko Ueda, Na Yeong Choi, Amy Hung, Song-Hee Kim, Lorie Kane, Paula Creamer and Mika Miyazato all returned three under par rounds of 69 to go into the second round in a share of seventh place.

2009 Ricoh Women’s British Open champion, Catriona Matthew, and Becky Brewerton, from Wales, were the best-placed British competitors after posting 70s to share 15th place alongside Anna Nordqvist, Karrie Webb, Shanshan Feng, Eun Hee Ji, Pat Hurst, Vicky Hurst, Britanny Lang, Morgan Pressel, Kristie Smith, Inbee Park, Dewi Schreefel, Hee Young Park and German amateur, Sophia Popov while a further 18 golfers, including defending champion and pre-Championship favourite, Yani Tseng, also broke par on one under par 71.

Lee has not won since the 2006 Fields Open in Hawaii but she did finish tied sixth at this year’s LPGA Championship and she replicated that sort of form with a faultless round that might have been even better but for missing a seven foot putt for a birdie on the closing hole.

The Korean’s round started in fine fashion when she holed from eight feet for a birdie on the 360-yard par-4 opening hole and she went on to reach the turn in four under par 32 after further birdies at the sixth, seventh and ninth.

The rain was at its worst when Lee turned for home but that did not stop her moving to five under par with a birdie three on the 317-yard par-4 11th and she made further advances at the 427-yard par-5 14th and the 433-yard par-5 17th both of which she hit in two.

“That’s as good as it gets,” she said as she tried gamely to answer the questions fired at her by the world’s media. “My feel was very good today and my putting was very good.

“My putting is normally pretty good,” she added with a disarming smile.

Lincicome began her round brightly with birdie on the 360-yard par-4 second where she hit a driver and a gap wedge to 15-feet. She dropped a shot at the 448-yard par-4 sixth after narrowly avoiding driving out-of-bounds but then repaired the damage when she hole a 40-foot putt for a birdie on the 143-yard par-3 eighth.

The 2009 LPGA champion started the back nine with a bogey on the 10th but then went on a fabulous run that saw her make up four shots in the space of three holes from the 12th.

The American’s first birdie came on the 12th where she hit a driver and a wedge to 25-feet. She proceeded to hit a 7-iron to seven feet on the 13th before claiming an eagle on the 427-yard par-5 14th where she hit a 300-yard drive and then a 6-iron to no more than 10-feet from the flag.

“It was a really good round,” said Lincicome. “I felt I hit the ball really well.

“It’s one of those courses where you need to take advantage of some holes and I managed to do that. I also got lucky on the sixth because I was literally an inch from being out-of-bounds off the tee.

“It’s just a great golf course and it seems to fit my game very well,” she added.

Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall is one of the rising stars of the Ladies European Tour and she took advantage of the tranquil morning weather with a fine three under par 69 which left her in the large group four shots behind Lee.

Twelve months ago at Royal Birkdale, Hedwall won the Smyth Salver awarded to the leading amateur at the Ricoh Women’s British Open and, subsequently, after winning the LET Qualifying School, she has claimed two victories in the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open and the Finnair Masters in what has been a sensational debut season as a pro. For good measure, the 22 year-old from Barseback also beat the likes of Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Graeme McDowell and John Daly at a PowerPlay Ignition event at Celtic Manor and in the process won a cheque for £100,00 to add to the €176,773 she has collected to date on this year’s Tour. 

Hedwall had the honour of hitting the first shot at this year’s Championship and her 06.30 start clearly did not unsettle her as she fired six birdies and three bogeys in what she described as an up-and-down round.

“I didn’t hit the ball that great today, and I also got a couple of yardages wrong, but I saved myself with my putting,” she said.

“I think I’m going to have to do a bit of work on the range because, if the wind starts to get up. I think I’m going to struggle if I keep hitting it like this.

It turned out to be a good day for several of the amateurs in the 144-woman field. Germany’s Sophia Popov, who is currently in her first year at the University of Southern California and owes her place in the field to her victory at last year’s European Ladies’ Amateur Championship, was the best of the bunch.

The world’s No. 6 ranked amateur carded a fine two under par 70 to go into the second round in a share of 15th place. Scotland’s Pamela Pretswell,  the 2010 British Women’s Open Amateur champion, looked set to join her before recording a double bogey on the treacherous 213-yard par-3 16th but she held her nerve to post a creditable level par 72.

The Scot, Pretswell was later joined on that mark by 2010 US Women’s Amateur champion, Daniella Kang, who, incidentally, is a Tae Kwon Do expert and earned a second degree black belt at the age of just seven. Lauren Taylor, who also displayed precocious talent, winning the 2011 British Women’s Amateur Championship at the age of just 16, carded a two over par 74, Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow returned a 75 while 19 year-old English qualifier, Nikki Foster carded a 78. 

Rebecca Codd carded an opening round of 71.


Amateur Stephanie Meadow singe for a three over par 75.


Leaderboard

Tseng Ricoh Favourite at Carnoustie

Defending champion, Yani Tseng, will start out as the firm favourite when the Ricoh Women’s British Open gets underway over the Championship course at Carnoustie early on Thursday morning.

The 22 year-old World No 1 travelled to Scotland having won once in Taiwan, twice on the Ladies European Tour and three times on the LPGA Tour so far this season and harbours high hopes of becoming the first person to defend the Ricoh Women’s British Open title since America’s Sherri Steinhauer back in 1999. 

Tseng started the season with four successive victories, at the Taifong Ladies Open on the LPGA of Taiwan Tour, the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and the ANZ Ladies Open on the LET, followed by the Honda LPGA Thailand Open, the season opener on the LPGA, but her most significant triumph came at the Wegmans LPGA Championship in Rochester, New York, where, at the tender age of 22 years, 5 months and 3 days, she became the youngest woman in history to claim four Major titles.

Tseng’s rise has been positively meteoric and she sees no reason why she cannot take her tally to five Majors in just 15 starts at Carnoustie.

“I feel very confident right now, I feel comfortable,” Tseng said as she completed her preparations for what will be her fourth tilt at the Ricoh Women’s British Open title. “I just feel very relaxed, and tomorrow I’m just going to try to be positive and smile and be patient. That’s all I can control. You can’t control the wind, or the bounces you get, you just have to go out and play the golf course.”

The defending champion is just one of numerous competitors who have had nothing but for praise for the golf course. Car-nasty has been transformed into Car-nicey, it would seem.

“I love this course,” she said. “I think it’s one of my favourite golf courses. As soon as I played a couple of holes, I knew I’d like it. I don’t know if I’m going to shoot a good score, but I just feel I will have lots of fun on this golf course.”

2010 US Open champion, Paula Creamer, is one of the very few competitors to have played Carnoustie prior to this week. She played the Championship course twice prior to heading to France for last Week’s Evian Masters and also and understands why it is regarded as one of the world’s best tests of golf.

“I think it’s by far one of my favourite links courses I have played,” said the American. “I think it’s very fair, hard but fair. I think it tests every aspect of your game. You have to hit all kinds of shots, and that’s what I like. I like the harder, the better. But, of course Mother Nature is in control out here. That’s going to dictate the scores, for sure.”

Creamer has not won since claiming the 2010 US Open at Oakmont CC but, after a string of good performances, including a runner-up finish at the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup and ties for third place at the LPGA State Farm Classic and the Wegmans LPGA Championship, she feels a tenth Tour victory might be just around the corner.

“I feel really good,” she admitted. “In the last several tournaments I have played in, I have felt right in there. This past week I have hit the ball very well and I have started to make a bunch of putts, which is nice.

“But it’s just about putting myself into contention, that’s all I can really ask for. But I do feel good.

The ever-popular Michelle Wie arrived in Scotland armed with a new long putter she put in her back straight after finishing tied 55th at the recent US Open over the East Course at The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, and is still experimenting to see how best to wield it.

“I just thought it was time for a change,” said Wie, who is currently juggling Tour life with finishing a Communications degree at Stanford University, and whose best performance at the Ricoh Women’s British Open remains her share of third place at Royal Birkdale in 2005, when she won the Smyth Salver, awarded to the leading amateur.

“I’m a tall person. It’s kind of funny, actually. It’s a belly putter for me but yesterday I saw (Jiyai) Shin putting on the practice green and, when I put my putter next to her, it came up to her shoulders.

“Obviously, I’m just trying out different grips and different ways to do it, but I just thought it was time for a change. We’ll see, I like it so far.”

There will be no such imponderables for home hope, the 2009 Ricoh Women’s British Open champion, Catriona Matthew, who won the Scottish Ladies’ Championship on the Championship course back in the early 1990s and has more links experience than any other golfer in the field.

“I played a lot here as an amateur,” said the Scot, whose best finish this season came when she claimed fourth place at the Shoprite LPGA Classic. “I think it’s probably one of the best links in Scotland. I think you have to drive the ball well and keep it out of the bunkers. If you can do that, you have a great chance.

Matthew will starts as the favourite among the home players but a dark horse may well be England’s Melissa Reid, who won the Deloitte Dutch Ladies Open last month and has discovered a new inner calm ahead of this week’s Championship.

“I don’t really know why I feel so calm but I do,” said the former Curtis Cup international, who won the Smyth Salver at this Championship back in 2007, just before turning professional.

“I mean, I’ve got a lot of good people behind me. I’ve got my manager here and my family, I’ve got my Mum and Dad coming, my coach is here, my best mate is here, so maybe that’s why I’ve got this sense of calmness.

“Actually, last year, I felt pretty confident last year (at Royal Birkdale) but just got off to a bad start. I’m just going to try to be patient. I’m not really paying very much attention to anything else apart from what works for me.”

The first round gets underway at 06.30 (BST) on Thursday morning when Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, a two-times winner on this year’s LET and last year’s recipient of the Smyth Salver just before she turned pro, tees off in the company of German amateur, Sophia Popov and compatriot, Anna Nordqvist.

Matthew heads out in the third group at 06.52 alongside America’s Cristie Kerr and Momoko Ueda from Japan while Reid is just behind in the company of Steinhauer and 16 year-old amateur, Lauren Taylor, from Woburn, who recently became the youngest ever winner of the Ladies British Amateur Championship at the age of 16.

Creamer and Tseng are both among the later starters. The American tees off at 11.37, alongside Norway’s Suzann Pettersen and Japan’s Sakura Yokomine, while Tseng begins her defence at 11.59 in the company of American Morgan Pressel and another Japanese player, Mika Miyazato.