Former champion Catriona Matthew has introduced that she shall be enjoying in her remaining Ladies’s Open on the Outdated Course at St Andrews this week.
Marking her thirty first look within the main championship, the 2009 champion will wave goodbye to her dwelling followers within the dwelling of golf together with her husband, Graeme, as her caddie.
Her said aim is to make the lower, largely in order that her teenage daughters, who return to highschool on Thursday, can watch her play over the weekend.
At 54, Matthew is eligible to play within the Ladies’s Open till she’s 59, however has determined that she doesn’t wish to play if she’s not aggressive. She is going to rejoice her fifty fifth birthday  on Sunday.
“I’ve no illusions. I’m not going to be profitable the occasion, however I feel a aim for me this week could be to attempt to make the lower. You don’t wish to come and preserve enjoying within the occasion while you’re not aggressive. It simply felt being in St Andrews, in Scotland, the Residence of Golf, what higher place to play my final one?” she stated.
When requested if she’s going to make an emotional farewell on the Swilcan Bridge, she added: “I don’t learn about that; I’m nonetheless sort of aggressive.
“I feel most likely in a manner, it will likely be a bit little bit of a combination of reduction, realizing myself that this would be the final one I’m going to play in. Clearly, you’ll be a bit unhappy that you simply’re not within the occasion. It’s so large now and it’s such a buzz while you come to those occasions to play in them. However I’ve realised, you’ve simply bought to, at 55, you’re not going to be aggressive sufficient as I wish to be. All the pieces involves an finish.”
Matthew made her debut within the Ladies’s British Open, because it was identified then, in 1994 at Woburn, enjoying as an beginner, alongside Trish Johnson, together with her mum as her caddie. She has recorded eight top-10 finishes within the championship, together with the spotlight, her victory at Royal Lytham in 2009, simply 11 weeks after giving delivery to her second daughter.
“I feel on the time in 2009, 11 weeks after I’d had Sophie. Clearly the second was a bit bit simpler so it was simpler to return again, however on the time you simply get on with it and also you don’t actually realise. It’s most likely not till you look again and mirror on it you assume, God, how did I try this?”
The double-winning European Solheim Cup captain, who led Europe to victory in 2019 and 2021, and likewise made 9 appearances as a participant, shall be grouped with 2023 and 2024 US Group Captain Stacy Lewis and Australian Corridor of Famer Karrie Webb for the primary two rounds, enjoying at 7.33am from the tenth on Thursday.
Matthew’s management legacy will proceed when she leads the GB&I Curtis Cup Group towards the USA aspect at Sunningdale in England subsequent week. On Tuesday, she performed a practise spherical with GB&I staff member Lottie Woad.
