1193: 12 Storylines for the AIG Women's Open

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“>> Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the no-laying up podcast.”

Solie here. It is time. We are going to be discussing the story lines ahead of the AIG women's open joined by my esteemed colleague, Mr. Big Randy. Hello, Big.

Hello, Solie. Good to be here.

And good to have one more big proper

links, golf tournament this week. I'm pumped. Absolutely. Cody McBride is here. Hello, Cody.

Hello, Solie. Happy to be here. T.C.

“Calling in from a very different time zone.”

But still in the United States. Hello, T.C. >> Greetings, guys.

Yeah, it's four hours behind throwing me for a loop here.

So I'm going to Alaska. >> Alaska, we got some content being captured up there this week. More to come on that one. It is the 50th edition of the AIG women's open this week. Royal Leather and St. Anne's in northwest England.

Hopefully you guys got a chance to peep our YouTube video. We published ahead of the open championship. Planned a bunch of courses up in that area of Royal Leatherm was heavily featured in that one. Very windy day. We got a Royal Leatherm and showed off a lot of the challenge of that golf course.

Today's episode. We're going to run through the biggest storylines this week. Talk a little bit about some pairings. Some course information. We're going to draft some teams ahead of this week as well.

Make our official picks to win and not to win. As of me saying this, I've not decided on yet. We are going with a true gut call. I'm going to wait to hear out how you guys are feeling on some things. I'm going to be influenced a little bit here today.

Perfect. But as someone that played Royal Leatherm that felt the challenge of it earlier this year, I can say having a golf ball that performs exactly the way you want it. And one that assists your game is an absolute must for the conditions players will be facing this week. There are so many massive dividing line shots as I would call him at real rhythm.

Jamie Kennedy posted great picture this week of just the five holes that framed the train lines on the way out. And if you get an unfavorable wind on those holes and you are not in control of how much you can move in the ball left to right. You're going to have a bad time as was evidenced in the what's being called the provisional match between Neil and DJ as well there. But having a golf ball, you can control distance control. Fight it up against the wind ride the wind know how far it's going to go, you know what whether or not whatever way you are fighting the wind or riding it whatever that is.

Fliding it down, getting it to stop all massively important in length golf. It's why more of the best players in the world trust the quality consistency and T degree performance of title list. The number one ball on the LPGA and the number one ball at the this week's AIG women's open head title list dot com find out what ball is right for your game you are leaving strokes on the table if you are not playing title is called ball. We can we can just definitively say that yes. Where do you guys want to start what what's got you guys most excited right now Randy.

Well let's let's go here.

“I think it's fitting the defending champion she looks poised to.”

I won't say repeat but she somebody's going to have to take this one from her and of course I'm talking about me you. Yamashita she won last year in a great performance gut see performance at royal porth call and I think her game is rounding into form beautifully ahead of this weekend. If I may I'll give you a few quick stats to to back up my case let's start with her last four starts is goes back to the end of like mid June end of June here. She was T five last week at the Scottish open nice little warm up the week before that of course was heavy on where she finished T four KPM G before that T 12 and the start before that was in Michigan at the Meyer and she won that one.

So really good form coming in this is backed up you know data golf has women's pro rankings now, which is awesome. Awesome me you is up to fourth in the data golf women's rankings but what I want to note over the last 40 rounds she's uh her strokes gain per round is up over one per round so she was like 40 rounds ago she was plus 1.43 under moving average and now she's plus 2.47 so playing really good golf obviously the defending champion and then guys this is where I'd love to lean on you a little bit.

I feel like it tests everything yeah it's okay accuracy like it's it's kind of.

It's a really tough one to handicap because I think it's it's driving accuracy on some holes and then there's some holes where like you got to go go go and if you.

“You know if you want to hit driver and hit one up there it's like all right I'm gonna I'm gonna try to get a little bit.”

Gain something on the field here especially those first seven holes and then coming down the stretch as well so.

Randy like this one's got me tied up and knots and especially knowing seeing that like last time I think Georgia Hall was 17 under last time on a snow in the wind didn't blow. Well let me finish this real quick on on me you're Masha to her at least on the holes where driving accuracy is at a premium I want to note that she's second on tour this year in driving accuracy at 80.15% of fairways hit and then a couple other numbers that I think just speak well to playing in major championships. She has only made seven double bogies or worse this whole season on the LPJ tour and she comes in second in bogey avoidance and then when it when you know if it does come down to putting she's ninth in puts per round in 14th in puts per green in regulation so.

I say all that I just really like the trend lines on our defending champion and I feel like she is she's poised to put up a fight this week so I'm just gonna have to come take this title from her. If I was to guess or any just based on what we saw a birthday with how the rough was there kind of kind of baked out a little bit looks like they have a little bit more chance at some sprinkles throughout the course of this week that you know and I don't know what exactly as taking place in that part of the world since since broke down but we saw how baked out it was.

It really is like and there's not a lot of wide misses in the women's game but like kind of the wider the better probably out there just because there's so many fairway bunkers that are willing to to swallow you up if you are within the boundaries of the world. In the boundaries of the course that of course is what I mean I do not expect very many balls in this tournament to go out of bounds to the right where a lot of those outward holes go but. There's a hundred and seventy something bunkers I believe on this course I've been saying for years that there's 250 and finally somebody was just like no dude there's not 250 I don't know why you keep saying that I don't know where I got that from but.

It is one of the most heavily bunker golf courses anywhere in the world and it's just it's not yeah it it you will have to be accurate but I just don't know if like fairway accuracy is telling the full story there of like the accuracy is you have to avoid these fairway bunkers and it's just one of the best. If you just ask me to I'd have to think about it a little bit more but if you ask me off top your head what's the best fairway bunker golf course in the world my answer would be live and I don't know if I if I thought about it for a long time I don't know if that's what I would say but that would be my gut instinct.

“I think I get my turn into mid iron long iron test of a lot of ladies laying back and then trying to.”

Kind of take their chances on the second shot and I think that's where we could see something thought it correct me if I'm wrong I also feel like there's just more.

I don't know with rough and gorson and trees and everything there's just more stuff off the fairways as well versus burkto is pretty wide open between fairways and you know 10 15 20 yards off the fairways. There's some but there's just so many little bends and quirks and just just awkwardness like there's just so many things that are just uncomfortable you get over to that like 10th all is a you know shortest par four but blind over a hill. It's just I don't know maybe I've seen enough of these AG women's open to this point of like all this shit that we're worried about isn't what they're worried about and maybe it.

I'm just gonna get a cause may him for them I don't expect it to be may him because it's going to be I just very excited to watch the precision elements of of of the women's game up against this golf course TC which I know is is if we're going to our next point I think one of the top story line setting into this week.

“Yeah that's I think the chess match of just a firm so reabrogal of course versus the most accurate.”

High dispersion players in the world is fascinating to me based on the forecast it looks like we're going to get a little bit of wind as well.

Now but I think Thursday through Saturday at least it looks like there's there's going to be at least 15 miles an hour of wind.

Live them's a little bit different than that it's not right on it's not right hard up against the coast there's some neighborhood in between it and the sea but your your kind of coast adjacent so I think you can almost get a false sense of security there. The wind can really come through some different tunnels and such so that for me is like this is the ultimate.

“This one for the ladies that had this one circled on my calendar for a while and with how firm it is in the UK right now combined with hopefully some wind I think this is this is exactly we've been wanting to see.”

That that unfortunately doesn't make for like the most interesting conversation and the lead up other than I'm really fucking excited to watch the call she got it's just going to be a great you know I don't know if that that's not going to guarantee we're going to get a great finish but I think like it's going to be. I'm just good viewing Thursday to Sunday and my number one storyline heading into the week is I want to find out if Nellie Corda is links tough because I just this is just admittedly not a thought out take at all but like I just flashed to an image over this past week at the at the women's Scottish.

I had her beanie on and just like she was in a bad mood and I was just like I just I don't think this is your can do I don't think this is what you're about it just doesn't seem like. If you're not heavy on tough it you know she's you know it was kind of completely not complaining but just kind of speaking about the heavy on in a certain way that was like yeah there's bad balance it it just. I understand where she's coming from she's the best golfer and like it was the Ferris test every single time she would win most of the time and like there's elements of luck and weirdness and putting his heart on the screens and it's not pure and true all the time.

Like that plays against her chances of winning and I just want to see if she's able to to clear that hurt off on the mental standpoint and get the most out of her game this week because when I watch her play.

“As soon as that beanie goes on I just don't feel like I'm about to watch somebody play super super tough golf and like have that you have to claw this thing away from her it just kind of seems like.”

It's not nearly the threat that she should be in those conditions is that fair it all ran to your laughing a little bit I I'm nitpicking some is one two majors this year she was tough at rib and one without her a game I get that but. I just you can be baked out with them all the descriptions were making of this golf course it would be the most impressive win of her career I think if she won this week. Yeah, I listen I think there's some merit in there I don't want to say she's totally not links tough either.

We saw her put up a hell of a other performance couple years ago at the old course which is her best open finish to date. A couple years ago as well 2024 you know Cody we we would laugh about it she throw on those purple rain pants and it seemed like her her strokes gain purple rain pants when the conditions got a little if he.

“We're just astronomical and so while it wasn't maybe conditions on links golf courses I think she did display some ability to to fight through conditions there.”

But yeah, so I think listen ultimately.

This is a championship that somebody of Nellie's pedigree like she she should she should win one of these in her career and so I think until she does or until she exhibits a little bit more consistent play at the open championship. It's it's fair to wonder but I don't want to dismiss it her her link's ability or her ability to grind totally at at a hand. Her overall record is it's not at the open right it's not like she's throwing up a bunch of missed cuts right and I'm also kind of buoyed by. It seems like she played relatively well at a but fill me in I didn't see any of the Scottish the lady Scottish open last week it was awesome crazy hard and in both conditions and firmness.

Yes, both yet wins that with that flip halfway through it was firm it was fast and you saw like it yeah it was cold and you saw there's like such a a lift and separation.

And separation from basically like three women that were in the field to everyone else and Nellie played good like Kelly.

Nellie played good last week yeah she had a couple weird like you know I don't want to say bad breaks but ultimately came down to like her getting used to putting again on some bumpy surfaces that she just struggles with solial I'm not dismissing her. But I will say I will say this for somebody who grew up in Florida plays a lot of US based golf like I think her record like she has been pretty open about learning to play links call that is very similar to what we hear on the men's side a lot and I think like.

We could look at and say yep she she probably should have won the women's open at saying Andrews I don't you know we can go back to one drive there but that whole entire final round she was kind of thrown off and she was paired with Jenny Shin and at the time I kind of put a little of the blame on Jenny because it just got slow in the afternoon and Nellie. Nellie just kind of lost her wits and then tried to press it hard at the end. Walton Heath. She was you know hanging around in there and then really that Saturday round where we thought that she was just going to put that you know put the gas pedal down.

“She literally could not hit the side of a barn with her put her I was just like what are we doing so we've seen her play through some you know.”

Some conditions last year a poor call it was one of those things again where everybody got pretty hyped and then she came out and round one and we're just kind of like okay.

Not quite what we expected here so she's grown into it I think that she has just as good of a shot as any the other top five in the women it's just not the dominating fashion that I think people would would kind of want or maybe expect but I think expect might be saying a little too much. Is it also something where for her base advantage like hitting you know heard her trajectory and hitting those balls that are coming from really high is less in advantage on a links course as well both with the wind and just with the way things you know kind of interact.

Yeah I would say so I probably from a distance standpoint you know just the firmer the people with lower ball flights are able to you know get a lot more run out of their shots comparatively to her I mean it's or drives are still going to run this week and I think it. And I don't have to I don't know how to measure this or how to like you know put this in in some of the makes sense but I just feel like she does her most successful tournaments are I don't want to say bailed out by the putter but like she gets really hot for mid range and over the course of 72 all she makes birdies from that 10 to 20 foot range like a lot of them just as so many puts in that range because you such a good ball striker and her best term and she makes a lot in that range and it's just hard to roll those in on links greens it really is and it just seems like.

Um you know her ability to separate I think she just gets kind of throw more into the pack when greens are the are this way and it just doesn't look like I don't think just the capability of getting as hot as we would see here get on smooth surfaces smoother surfaces but.

“Her record overall so two top 10s in the in the women's British T9 and 2019 and that excuse me back in 2020 for not the women's British yeah G women's open and Wikipedia says women's British women's British.”

Well that's a lead into my to my going to be my next storyline of just the massive confusion around a lot of this stuff.

Anyway, go ahead. Solid that plus only two top 10s in avion just again those the two weirdest majors weirdest conditions weirdest bounces weirdest everything. Four top 10s in in 18 starts between those two events is just that jumps off a little bit compared to the rest of her major championship record will be my take.

“Way, but please cutting or it's it. Sorry if I can one quick thing on Nelly which I think will be interesting as well she is really good and if you go to the KPMG.”

Stroke's gain stuff on the L. P. J. website. She ranks second and strokes gained around the green and I think Nelly is a fantastic.

A little bit deeper and pitcher of the golf ball off of like traditional US golf courses and I think it'll be really interesting how she goes about and and just the decisions she makes. Should she find herself off of some of these greens whether you know she's going to try to chip everything whether she'll try to put some more stuff from off the green I just think that's a interesting aspect of her game and how to translate. I got up a distance advantage which is a good point if I wanted to compare who in my mind like the two front runners of this is that's Nelly and.

A towering seven iron amuse hitting a five hybrid and that ball is coming in at a steeper descent like and she has figured out how to control how it reacts to the ground how it's going to roll out and like everything that we that we wish Nelly would evolve into.

She is already figured out after playing in you know two or three of these things so it's just kind of interesting to compare.

Yeah, I feel like Nelly wants to play the last Nelly point I make once to play her game on a links course instead of like adjusting the game to match the playing styles but again we can revisit that on Sunday like I.

“That's what that would be my prediction on what I think would be the takeaway comes Sunday, but I hope I'm hope I'm wrong. I'm just going to the course guide stuff to and I didn't realize they're playing there playing six as a powerful as well.”

Four 90 part five so you got back to back part five's six and seven and then you've got eight is that that's a whole that I can see the ladies who tripped up on from a spin perspective yeah kind of an uphill second shot to very you know kind of forces the decision off the tea how far you want to lay back and then nine's just a little pocket part three back in the corner there. Tens the you know drivable for it should it should play down the land and then another part five on 11. So you've got that that's judged from six through six through 11 is going to be so volatile all four days.

I'm like I'm I'm I'm frothing greatness and I'm getting very excited to be fascinating. Cody storyline number four. Yep, I just want to try to figure a spot to put it in here.

We add G announced that they've raised the person again. It is now to ten million dollars. I just want to give kudos to them for coming in and absolutely putting money straight cash homey where their mouth was when they took this over. In 2019 the total person was 4.5 million dollars and they've continued to invest and extend the deal and just stretch this thing out to not only keep it up with everybody else, but you know where where they feel like it should be in the overall scheme of major championship golf.

Part of that includes extended TV hours and a ton of stuff you can bring kids all the way up to 16 years old you can take them out there for free. It's awesome man and I just I love everything that they're doing. We'll get to television windows and everything else expanded it for this year. But it's it's my favorite week of the year and very, very fortunate to have gone to a couple of these so I'm just pumped.

“I'll just jump in here and reiterate a point we made during US women's open week which is you know I think the US GA is put the pedal to the metal with elevating the US women's open and has really put.”

Pressure on these other majors on the women's side to raise their game and I see the R&A and this as you women's open as answering that call Cody to your point and in my opinion you know that the women's open. The British open and the US women's open are kind of the clear top two events on the women's circle right now which is you know. Hopefully we get some more kind of feeling feeling that urge to to elevate. Well just to color into like for those in our familiar you guys have done open. Angie women's open radio for last several years you're not doing the no there will not be.

“Angie women's open radio this year but this is a tournament you guys are are intimately familiar with and have seen up close and personal.”

And just like first long as you know kind of we've done this podcast and really honed in on women's golf. And then you've been good like they've been going to really good venues this this was not has not if you're unfamiliar like the history of this tournament.

It was not always it wasn't even run by the RNA until like what 2014 or something like that it's I don't know if I have that right but it was not even.

I'm sitting on the same level as the open championship for for many many years was not going to venues like it has been over the last several years so it's it's on a massive. Wonderful trajectory which is just an amazing thing for the women's game in general. I know. It's pretty good. I'll just plug Beth Ann Nichols had a piece I think it came out yesterday kind of diving into the the history of the ad you women's open this is 50 years this will be 50 years since the first playing in 1976.

And solid to your point. Like it's there's a long time there where they were playing this and it wasn't considered a major which is wild to think about and so yeah the growth of this event specifically over its 50 years since inception is just incredible. It's one of the only events on the LPG account of it wasn't a major back then you know they're just major inflation going on here was that the reco days or the weed a big stays weed a big weed a big yeah yeah they brought reco into kind of to bolster and you know because they're quickly running out of money.

“Unfortunately the what was it. I'm going to call me they kid what the Canadian open is you know Canadian hope and major status had to die for this one to live the field tomorrow.”

Yes yeah yeah. Some are golf season is here our closets are looking a lot like the row back website the row back lightweight loop or short of you have not checked this out yet you are missing out it is exactly what you need for hot weather golf it's got the comfort of a gym short but it looks like a proper golf shorts got a stretch waistband it's got belt loops real button and fly looks like a normal pair of shorts but it's super lightweight. You got swamp ass problems this is the pair of shorts for you they have so many great colors with it as well. I'm been slowly making the transition from the from the just the regular loop or short into this lightweight short for the summer because it's been fantastic.

Second we've been trying the row back tailwind polo for just about every day where I I reach for this very very much more often than I normally would a polo even on just around the house like to where the tailwind polo because it's soft it's clean it's lightweight it's just you throw it on and just immediately feel refreshed and brand is wrapping one right here as well. It is swim season the medley swim trunk the liner is fantastic you just it's a pair of shorts basically that you actually want to wear and you can also jump in the pool with them the designs are great they got pockets it's just a quality quality piece and it's going to hold up to the to the test of time as well.

You know you get 20% off your first order through the end of the week check out row back stop laying up R. H O B A C K dot com code N L U. I went out order for this first go around I'm going to get us back on track here ran you see you got away this one out a little bit because. No, I think there's a group. Yeah, I didn't I didn't realize we're going straight to the story line so I was just feeling it out you know here we go, but it would work out because I went with the defending champ so I think that that that's good and I know where you're going and I think this is a good one to do next.

Yeah, tell us tell us your next story on the last two major championships this year we came get a mention for hate and you I think it's because you guys are afraid of the pronunciation that I've understood. I got I have I have Korean gentleman and my DMs on instagram congratulating me on how good and get constantly reminding me to push back on Randy's pronunciation.

There's no R in you that's actually a true story. Hey, Daniel is the second favorite on the board plus 1225 I saw her behind of course, Nellie quarter that that means.

The odds makers think she's got a better chance of winning this championship than genotidicune that does which we've also not mentioned genome this far into the episode. Are we fine to declare hate and you as like officially surpassed genome as a better golfer.

“What depends on what do they play. I don't know about a better golfer. I'd say better at performing like finishing on the top of the leaderboard. I think an overall golfer genos pretty good.”

I think genome has major Sunday issues that others have been able to eclipse her on, but I don't know if you're if you're just overall generalization of a better golfer is there.

It depends on what test they're taking right. I think on the test they've been taking here of late.

“It seems that perhaps happens superior, but it's not like it's just all the sample size.”

This is the overall five forward looking for a dude index. That's an interesting question. Are we going to, you know, two years from now we're going to look this round from head on you and wonder, you know, was this a hot streak and kind of fade back and not then to oblivion. But we've seen that in the women's game as well. People gobble up majors in the short period of time and kind of fading back into it and I just I find that find it interesting of we talked a lot about the short major championships span here.

KPMG was not very long ago. She's extremely extremely hot player right now and is one of the, is the second biggest favorite on the board that's coming into this week.

And like closer odds than we've seen. Nellies plus 750, um, normally Nellies been below plus 500 basically for for almost all the major championships this year. If I remember right. And hey, then you come in down to almost 10 to one kind of at the 12 to one number is a lot of respect and it should be just one of the last two majors and I think it would be an absolute stunner to do a clean sweep of the last three majors of the year would be remarkable like extremely, extremely remarkable and I'd be very surprised if that happened.

But uh, flagging it. That's an interesting storyline heading into this one. If I mean we could there's two possibilities that we could get a three time major winner in 2026 with the top two ladies on the board this week. That's awesome.

I'll put my name on this. I would have, hey, Ron. Hey, Don. Sorry to the Koreans and saw these mentions. I just blank it upology from now and to the end of time.

“I mean, I think she's better right now. She's a better golfer or the the results say so. She's the best Paul striker on the LPGA tours statistically right now. She leads the tour and greens and regulation. I think you know second by the way.”

You know is second. I think I think it's up to genome now to kind of respond to this. I don't that's not shade to genome. I think that's more just super bullish on hit on you and what her golf game is right now. She, she is one of these ladies that I think can really pinnereers back and go make birdies. Now whether that translates to links golf, especially if it's breezy and the conditions roll in. That's a different question, but I don't think there's anything fluke or, you know, any like red flashing lights about this where it's like, yeah, this is a hot couple months and but I'm not buying it.

I'm I'm very very bullish. Yeah. She's got a solid if unspectacular record on the links like nothing. No crazy MCs right back, but just you know kind of 20 is 30 is played fine last week.

“I'm taking the other side. I'm normally the anti not anti, but I'm normally a bit short genome. Yeah. I don't know that. I think it's like genome this week. I think it's going to be a lot about hitting greens.”

I think you know, I think that she is she is is not hot. She's elevated her level right now. Correct. What I will say is that for somebody who's going into her fourth AIG women's open, she's played in two women's Scottishas in the past. She missed this year's. She did not play last year's. She hasn't had the best finishes, but you're right. There's no miss cuts there. I do think she has a tremendous advantage if we're still playing the comparison with genome of like genome is carrying a, you know, a caravan of just bad juju right now. She got some bad karma with her and I don't know what she's going to have to do to try to shake that, but maybe it's on a golf course that nobody would really expect her to win and that's on a links test.

I just don't know, but I, but it's, it's so frustrating. I think as a, as a fan, because genome is supposed to be that person and I think we all believe that she is. It's just that like, I don't even know like what is missing because if you take the Sunday like scoring average side out of it, it still doesn't really paint a very good clear picture outside of like. She doesn't have, it's, it's, it's the bottle like she is missing it and when she needs it most, it's just not there.

“Maybe that's why TC loves or so much this week. That's kind of his, TC's type.”

Yeah, I was kind of in the same coast. She was the low amateur here. I think she was the only amateur in this the cut or two, I made the cut in 2018, which she was 15 at the time. I think that's got to count for something as well. You can't, I can't believe it's already been eight years since that George Hall lived them. Like that's, that one feels like three years ago to me. I don't understand how that was eight years ago. I feel like she played, she played pretty, played pretty well at Mirfield, which is probably the most comparable of the tests for this week that they've played in the women's road over the last, you know, however many years since, you know, last eight to ten years.

Cody, what do you got next? Number seven.

I just want to get it in here as a storyline book market. There's something in the air with, with L.C. when it comes to links golf.

“And I think she's really found herself at home up at Dundonald and just loves the women's Scottish. She played so good there the first two rounds and then, you know, really, her Saturday Sunday rounds were not bad at all.”

This again had had people who just completely lifted and separated there. Hasn't had the best run of major championships this year with two miss cuts one at the KPMG and another one at the Evian, but very good showing last year. It was her first made cut in four appearances at the AG women's open. She finished tied for 13th. And I just think that there's something in the air. She got that little walk, you know, the little she got that stutter and her step again big smiles out there.

I think if there's somebody who's like, wait a second, you know, I think it, I think it's L.C's time guys.

Find some, find it odds maker man. I mean, she's going to be down there on the sheet odds makers hate her thing. I know, that's did a lot of disrespect recently. So if you, if you got that feeling Cody, I might, I might check somebody out here. I'll join you. I mean, I'd be a fun fun to ride out with you, but this is going to be one of the lines from when we started and I saw you had us.

“He's, he's, I, I love her game for this, this test. I think it's, it fits her and T. It's just all about the Potter, you know, that's that's kind of the main thing.”

But I think that these greens, like there's not that much slope in and especially that that more the front of him and now, you know, I think that that suits her.

I'll ride, I'll ride with you right now. She's 75 to one in my local book and I can get a little profit boost on it. So I'll, I'll, I'll put that in right now. It's worth a little flyer. Sure that. Why not? Randy.

“I, somebody else that we talked about every year, but I think it is a storyline. It's a word in these storyline is Charlie Hall, you know, another shot at not only winning her first major championship.”

But the, the AG women's open, this one being played in England, Charlie is of course English. Listen, I think everybody kind of knows her near misses, but just in case she has five major runner-up finishes in her career, she's got two in the last three years, two runner-ups in the last three years here at the open championship. If anybody saw last week, she made some of the headlines. She had a birdie put at Dundonald and ended up walking off of that hole with a nine, which was tough, but that's a stuff you got to get out of the way at the Scottish open, you know,

to be doing that at the British open. And so, you know, Randy, it's a contrived American link. Yes, yes, I just think Charlie Charlie is a fascinating person. She is magnetic to watch whether it's in person or on television. She plays quick. She plays decisively. There's so much just in her golf that is good. And we say it all the time, you know, it just feels like she's got to win a major in her career. And I think an AIG women's open would be the most forceful, the most impactful major that she could win.

And so I find myself rooting for it. You know, having been on the ground several years, we were on the ground for both of her runner-ups. There is a palpable electricity on the ground when Charlie is in the hunt. And I think that's great for this tournament. And I'm hoping she gives it another run this year. I think it's 60, is there 65th major championship? Yeah, 13, 13 seasons, all right. In England too, you know, it's a, yeah, that would. She does not in the last five years. Does not have any major finishes where she's made the cut and finished worse than 25th place. She either misses the cut or top 25s. She has no 30, if she's no 40, it's no 50.

And even those top 10, she has one T10 this year at the Chevron and otherwise four runner-ups in a third are her top 10 finishes. So yeah, it's just, she lets you know exactly where her golf game stands. Like she's either going to go chase it or, yeah, she's probably missing the cut and will be involved at all.

“You know, it's an English major, it's, you know, expecting a firm hard, you know, got to be precise with your shots. She loves the big moments. She loves tough golf courses. She loves a challenge. She likes being the chaser.”

Why not Charlie? I mean, I don't know what else you're kind of looking for here, but it seems like she has to be like overwhelmingly the local favorite as well.

I just don't know. And for most people to like kind of crumble having that pressure on them, Charlie is a person who's like, no, she'll love it. She'll be out there yucking it up with all the locals and everything else like that. Big, this could be the time. This could be it. From your mouth to God's ears. It would be sensational. She did miss the cut here in 2018, which as we know means who knows who absolutely who knows what it means with with Charlie Hall. You know, her best mate was winning that week, her head was somewhere else, you know, she's a, I don't know, she was named Godmother or something like that to Georgia's kid, but she got to have some good vibes going. I just saw she's in the YouTube game now has her own YouTube channel.

It's a lot, there's just so many herring Tommy similarities here over the finish of the little bit different. It's just a lot going on. I mean, she's, I wish I could place a better her further either finish second or miss the cut because that's the two options that I think are going to happen this week, but she's plus, you know, plus 3000 30 to one heading to this. I think, I don't know, I think that's fair.

“It's fair to say she's being slept on a little bit. And I think like the difference between good and great in golf usually comes down to the details having everything dialed.”

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“I'm a side sleeper. I've got the tool. And when I got the, but also I'm traveling with my my good and travel pillow as well because that, that's what kills me is the the inconsistency when you go to a hotel.”

No sense the UK, especially over in the UK. Yeah, it's like stripping out a variable basically.

Just like Charlie Hall, these Lagoon pillows deserve are going to get slept on. I got one guys. If in a Lagoon pillow, I don't pick. I got a Lagoon pillow in a pick. And I shouldn't have burned this one before before we went, you know, we were going to draft some teams here, but Lotty Wode was on a heck of a heater just a couple of months ago. She's now the ninth favorite on the board. I'm seeing at 32 to one. She, she won. What did she win earlier this year? She won in Cincinnati.

It was opposite, it was opposite. U.S. Open is why we, we probably didn't cover that one very much, but as never finished outside the top 10 at AIG women's open in her two starts.

She was low amateur two years ago. She finished top 10 last year.

“Just kind of feels like she's sliding a little under the radar. I'm going to keep trying to be ahead of this call of I think I've picked her to win a major this year.”

I'm going to keep trying to be ahead of picking Lotty Wode to do some damage. And I'll be wanted to be one of the first players who score I've checked come Thursday morning. T.C. Last round.

Gosh, she sounds like I would, man, like if we came down to it and it was like Lotty versus eight on versus L.C. or something like that, that would be that would be epic.

I think Lotty's going to be in the mix one way or another. My last one is whether whether or not the sky sports slash world feed will be on peacock for me personally. That is one of the biggest storylines of the week is will I be able to to watch the proper feed of all of this and in something that's a little bit more. Shoot into just the whole field instead of whoever NBC is deciding to produce against. If it costs them twenty five dollars extra to do that it's probably not then T.C. I'm unfortunately but.

But some of the you know they mail some of this in to right there might just be like world feed straight onto our TV.

Yeah. Decent part of it. I don't think. I don't think NBC makes a big investment in this one. I could be wrong there. Which like the little I caught of the the scholars last week and Cody and so you guys both shot at this out. The social on the podcast week was just how, how not complicated it is to golf. Throw up some drone shots do some picture and picture stuff like it's. I mean the world feeds doing all this stuff on a weekly basis. We can't even get NBC and golf channel to do the bare minimum.

“So I think the hope for me is that the golf channel stuff's actually been better than the NBC stuff on some tournaments this year.”

So hopefully that kind of continues and what there's two hours two hours each day on NBC. But it's still a golf channel for the eight Eastern on Thursday Friday on golf channel eight AM to two PM on USA. That's Thursday Friday for rounds one and two Saturday Sunday you find on USA from seven a.m. To 12 p.m. and then 12 p.m. to two p.m. Eastern will be on NBC on the network TV. So should fit in nice not really you know going up against early round ESP and plus coverage of the rocket classic like watch.

Watch what some links golf this week people come on if you're this far into this episode you're going to be you're going to be doing that. Have you feeling but Cody storyline 11 of 12. Big week final major of the year. But it's also a big week for team Europe in the soulheim cup soulheim cup of course couple months away in Amsterdam like us Netherlands outside Amsterdam. We're going to be there, but this is a final week of auto qualifying for Anna Norquist in the European squad.

So they take eight people automatically qualified and then captain Norquist gets four captains picks. They do it a little bit different than team USA. They take two of the top point earners from the ladies European tour right now that would be Charlie Hall and Chara Timberlini and then they work off the Rolex rankings for the next six auto qualifiers. Currently that would be Lottie Wode, my stark Celine Boutier, Esther Henslite, Carlota and Lynn Grant is in that last spot like I said she's going to have four captains.

That's not going to be for a couple more weeks.

“I would say this no matter what I think points or no points and Lynn is definitely on the verge potentially of getting kicked out of that last spot.”

But Lynn's going to be on the team. There's really no other way around it. So the people who are on that kind of outside looking in Rolex ranking wise Nana Kurtz-Matsin, she's 63rd in the world. Leona Solheim Starward, she's 79th and then the other two that are closest on overall can either go ladies European tour or Rolex, but really the one to watch out is Helen Breen. She currently has 132 points on the ladies European tour list and that is only one point behind Chara Timberlini right now.

It's going to be interesting, I would say either way. I would expect Helen Breen to get a captain's pick just because she's so young, she hits the ball so far and has so much of a career ahead of her.

But team Europe has been known to ride with people who you never would really expect to make that list.

So it'll it'll be very very interesting, but there is some room in here for upwards momentum for some.

“Got Randy where are we tipped off about Helen Breen?”

I mean it was five or six years ago. Years ago, she's like 14 years old beaten up all the European amateur events. I think she's still a teenager, just six. I think I want to say she's 62 or 63, hits the absolute shit out of the ball. I hope she's at the sole home cup will be a death of you know back in European talent at the moment.

I'm looking at you know, injured limb-lad, not playing good golf. I'll say this. Ingrid's very interesting, she won last year on a rookie season on the LPGA tour. She did not qualify for this event.

Of course, this is one of the silly things about the AIG women's open.

They're final qualifiers actually was on Monday, so yesterday. She also missed out on that. So she is currently not in the AIG women's open. She doesn't have any room at all there. But again, young sweet expect her to get picked.

What about how do we feel all Leona? Because it seems like Bernardo's could be kind of on the ground. Just since not as big of a deal. I think she played well relatively well last week, showed a little bit of form. I think that's one that you can see captain saying, hey, I need to see something out of you.

Leona should be a good one for her to just stay in the mix. And I don't think she's going to win, but you know, do her usual hit fair with your head greens, make it ton of bars and just kind of be the adult. I don't know, I think she's like the heart you'll see. Yeah, I think she's going to be there.

I don't think you can leave her off just with her past soul-hime performances. But you're right, T-T-T-8 last week at the Scottish. Her other team real good week was at the Ramco in Las Vegas earlier this year. She still thought that that Ramco event was a match play event.

“That's why, you know, if they played the soul-hime cup there,”

it could just be an LC and Leona dual man. Just keep it going. Does Lopez Ricara have a chance? I think she does just based off of recent form. This is also one of those things that's very interesting.

I don't really know that we've just seen time and time again. Team Europe is so personality based. And I don't know if she has been able to bridge the gap.

It's her first year playing on the LPGA tour to a lot of, you know,

to the captain's assistant captains, everything else like that. So I don't know. It truly, it's up in the air right now, T-C. I think Lopez Ramirez maybe has a little better shot in my opinion. But yeah, we shall see.

Randy, bring us home. I, oh, Randy, real quick, I just wanted to say this. I mentioned a lot of team Europe stuff. Team USA still has a couple weeks. They automatic points cut off after the Canadians' women opened.

So that's, you know, a couple weeks to play here. But still chronic going down the same time once. Sorry about that. No, that's all right. My last storyline, you know, we were all a bit tickled. Ryan Fox coming out of seemingly nowhere to win the men's open a few weeks back.

“Just curious, you know, is there a, is there a analogous woman out there that could do the same?”

I, I was just poking around. So, so to set the stage, Ryan Fox 39 years old went into that open championship. I think ranked 53rd in the world had a couple PGA tour wins. And then that was the extent of that had some European tour wins. I was trying to find there.

There's not like a clean example. Maybe the best example would be a few years back when Ash, when Ash, you high, won at your field, that she was probably the most Ryan Fox like, but I do think, you know, I had three names that kind of fit that mold. They're not perfect.

TC, you're going to hate this one. Carlotta Saganta was was somebody that is a little bit in that mold.

What similar resumes and then Gabby Lopez, who's ranked a lot higher in the women's Rolex rankings at the moment,

but somewhat similar type profile. I would maybe look at those women if we're going to have any similarities between this year's men's open and the women's open. All right, those are our 12 story lines ahead of this week's AIG women's open. Little championship info courtesy of my friend, Big Randy at no laying up. This is the sixth women's open that role of the men's Saint Anne's Georgia Hall won at 1728.

Katrina Matthew won at three under in 2009. Sherry Steinhauer won in 2006 at minus seven on a Kassorenstem won at minus 10 in 2003. Sherry Steinhauer won again when it wasn't a major back in 1998. 6600 yard golf course parse 71 as TC mentioned, some weather. Just like good steady sturdy win, nothing crazy, nothing you got to change plans for.

“I think nothing's going to affect the course set up or anything like that.”

But pretty decent constant wind. You don't need a ton of wind at live them for it to have a pretty decent size effect on things. They'll definitely get it easier than we did TC. But as it happens with most opens, but you know, this is going to be some good links golf to be played this week. This is still forged by nature.

Is that right? This is certifiedly forged. Allegedly. Allegedly. Yeah.

Also interesting.

Sherry Steinhauer also won the Dumaria.

So it's kind of netted us. You know, they were beaten up Royal Lithuanians there in the early decade of the 2000s. They were going there every three years. Yeah, absolutely. If you're not familiar with live them again, go watch our video one and two.

It's the only course on the road. It starts with the par three and it's awesome. It's a great, great little hole. And the finish is just fantastic as well. The last four holes all changed directions.

So no matter which direction the wind blows, you're going to get some sort of weird challenge out of it.

“Awesome, 18th green right in front of the clubhouse.”

You know, we're Gary player. Allegedly approved his lie behind the green in 1977. For all that stuff. A lot of history there, man. It's just a really fun, fun golf course.

So some pairings to watch. Say on Kim Rio Takita and Taketa and Yuna Iraqi. Iraqi. And you know, it's going to mess that up. I had it when I typed it out.

Welcome to the party. You're at 809. I'm good with the Koreans. I'm not as good with the Japanese players. Heoju Kim.

This is 809 local. Correct. Heoju Kim. Minji Lee. Malsai go at eight 20 local.

Lotty woad. Aki ey and Andrea. Leah eight thirty one local. Lydia Co. Nellie Korta.

Hayden you eight forty two locals. So we'll be a lot of golf. Having already been played probably by the time we wake up on Thursday morning. Gabby Lopez. The EY and Celine Boody A. They're 12.53 local.

Running in Nasa Hatoca and Jennifer Cupchoa were at 104. Miyo Yamashita. Geno Titicoon and Lauren Coglin at 115. Great pairing for Lauren there. That one.

And then Charlie Hall. Hannah Green and Brooke Henderson will be at 126. Local time. So we did. Let's do our draft now.

We did an offline duck race.

Randy won the first slot.

I got second Cody third TC fourth. We can move through this somewhat quickly. We got to make our picks to win and not to win as well. So Randy. Big spot number one on the board here.

He taken. God. Uh. This is a little bit more of a decision than I thought it would be. I'm going to go with the defending champion.

Yeah. Yeah. I am. I just. I got there something about Nelly.

She just can throw in a miss cut every now and again. A little bit more variance in my opinion than in me. So give me. Give me more of the sure thing. I'm going to play both sides of the coin.

I'm going to say I told you so either way. I can have an eye told you so if I take Nelly right here. Despite my speech earlier.

“I think she's going to top 15 this tournament.”

Almost certainly. So I'll I'll take Nelly if you're going to hand me. Yeah. That one on a platter. That might look terrible Sunday.

Truly. Going with my heart here. I wanted to happen. Come on Charlie. Charlie.

Charlie Hall. Third overall pick. T.C. I'm going to go with L.C. Wow.

Round one. Okay. We should have put some stakes on this.

How many rounds we going?

Five rounds. Five rounds. Five rounds. Give me a lot of. Damn it.

“That's why I knew I shouldn't have hyped her so much.”

Cody. Oh man. This puts me in a tough tough tough spot. You know what? Somebody should've been knocking on the door.

A bunch. Eventually somebody's got to let her in. Brokanderson. Jeez. You guys are leaving both hate and angino to me in this spot.

I'll take hate on you. Gee. I'll take the top two players on the board if you're going to give it to me. That's nice. That's nice.

That's nice. Um. On the snake, Randy. Yeah. On the snake.

Hmm. Cody.

Do I go with our close personal friend.

Show you. Kim. Perhaps Ron Glenn. Gina here. And I downplayed her a little bit.

But give me Gina. I do, I do like written for her.

“So I'll take Gina with one and I'll take her good friend.”

Ronning in with my other pick. Okay. I was hoping Ronny would fall to me. All right. I will take.

I'll take you. Kim. I don't like that pick at all what I do that. All right. Cody.

I like it. I think that's good majors, man. She just really isn't. I'll tell you. I want a good golf course for her.

That's my pick. I'm going to be. Oh, well. So we got. I'll take the brides made from last week.

Taylor and Kim. Well, I like that. She spends a really good golf. GC on the snake. So many different ways we can go.

Crazy. Crazy. Oh, I give me. It's not even the field. Kimi.

Aki UI. Okay. Good pick.

And then for the second one.

I think you bound to take her sister. That would be provocative. Oh, I. Be fuddles me that she's not a good links player.

“But I think that turns around this week.”

I'm just going to take a flyer. Give me hand and green. Okay. There's a terrible record in this event. She played.

It's all good. It's like late last week. But I just. It doesn't make sense to me. I thought a lot.

Gabby, but yeah, give me her. Gabby Lopez. Cody takes Gabby Lopez. I am going to take. Say young Kim.

Okay. 5, 2, 3 big. Gosh, I think I have to take Lydia coal. So give me Lydia. Okay. And then I want to go off the board a little bit with my last pick. Who is it a little bit of a deeper sleeper? You know what I'm going to take? I'm going to take the winner from last week. I'm going to take Jenny Chin. I'm going to take Jenny Chin. I'm going to take I'm going to take. And choke in here. Give me Eena Yoon. I love my team. Cody. I'll go with Nasa for me. Okay. T.C. I will do To be an area to tan a gun, okay?

You know, it's crazy that Minji, I mean, Minji at least playing an awful golf. I can't. Not a hundred a hundred. Yeah, no. It's insane.

You had to have bad season, man. Yeah, really bad. Yeah. All right. So Randy's team. Meow, you're Mashi'dad, Junotidikun.

Running in, Lydia Co, Jenny Shen. I've got Nelly Korda, hate on you. Yo, you Kim, say young Kim, and you know, you know, Cody's got Charlie Hall, Brooke Henderson, Alim Kim,

Gabby Lopez, Nasa Hatoka. T.C.'s got Lauren Cogwin, Ladi-Wood, Aki-E-Y, Hannah Green, and Ari Jutana-Garn. So, let's get on record.

Who will win? And who will not win? Randy, I'm starting with you. But with Suvi's sick, if I pick Nelly after not taking your number one.

Uh, I think I'm bound. Oh, god, can she really repeat?

I really, I really like her game.

Who won?

“It's been 15 years since we had somebody who won this championship twice,”

and that wasn't back to back years. That was Yani. Uh, 15 different winners since. So, it's a lot of, uh, history is not saying, uh, that's going to happen,

but nothing is impossible, big. Yeah. Yeah. I, even though she's on my team,

I am quite confident Gino is not going to win.

Okay. Cody. Charlie. Charlie in the wind. I love it.

I love the, God, I love it, Cody. Who won't?

“Uh, I don't think Hayden's going to win.”

Okay. Uh, okay. TC. I'm going to Lauren wins. And Charlie does not win.

Oh, whoo. Is the, you know, kind of kind of flipping the fleece. What thing on your head here? Yeah. I'm, I'm taking a lot of road to win.

And Nelly will not win. Wow. Despite her being on my team and me taking a field. I feel like we're all trying to, for a new part.

We're trying to win. We'll, I lot of stuff here. Pretty close to the sun here. Yeah. Yeah.

“We are going to be live on Sunday afternoon.”

Uh, the edge of women's open wraps up at 2 p.m. Eastern time. But we're going to go live around 6 p.m. Eastern at the conclusion of the rocket mortgage over on the PGA tour. Um, you can find us there here on the no-ling up podcast YouTube channel. Uh, we have another episode out on the trap draw this week. Things were out on.

Uh, and if you happen to miss it last week, the things that are sick. Uh, episode is in your queue as well.

If you, uh, look at first and more podcast content to get you through.

Uh, the remainder of this week. Come on. You split me on. You split me on Diplomatic Community. Uh, I didn't, I didn't think about it.

I'm on the route on that now. Is that, is that? I think so. Where were we settled? Okay.

So. Yeah. So I, I only had one note, Angel Yan. I must be dealing with some type of injury. She's the only top 25 player, not at lithium this week. Uh, like I said, if you want a history of this event.

Check out our podcast episode 885 or Bethany Nichols. How to real nice piece on, um, golf golf week dot com golf week dot com. There we go. Amen to that. Thank you everyone for tuning in and joy the AIG women's open this week.

We'll see you live here on Sunday evening. Cheers.