Gemma Dryburgh took a walk around the Old Course last Sunday but didn’t have a tee time. She played the New Course and got reacquainted with the town before it begins to bustle for next week’s AIG Women’s British Open.
“I have only actually played it once,” said Dryburgh of her experience on the Old Course. “So I have not played it as many times as people might think.”
Dryburgh, who hails from Aberdeen, is the only Scot currently playing full-time on the LPGA. It’s a big fortnight for the 31-year-old, who not only wants to repeat Bob MacIntyre’s feat of winning the Scottish Open and make a run at the Old, but also solidify her spot on this year’s European Solheim Cup team. These are the last two events left to qualify for the biennial event. Dryburgh made her Solheim debut last year in Spain where Europe retained the Cup.
“It’s probably in my own hands,” said Dryburgh. “If I have a good two weeks, I think I’ll be on the team. But we’ll see. It’s up to Suzann (Pettersen) and the other captains, obviously.”
Dryburgh, who played collegiate golf at Tulane, broke through with her first LPGA title at the 2022 Toto Japan Classic. Currently 80th in the Rolex Rankings, she has rebounded from a string of four missed cuts with top-20 finishes at both the Amundi Evian and CPKC Women’s Open.
At this week’s ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, Drybrugh will be paired with recent gold-medal winner Lydia Ko and defending champion Celine Boutier in the first two rounds.
The 2024 Solheim Cup will be held Sept. 13-15 in Gainesville, Virginia, at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. The Americans haven’t won a Solheim since 2017. Team Europe will be made up of the top two finishers on the Solheim Cup points list (currently Charley Hull and Linn Grant) along with the top six in the Rolex Rankings not otherwise qualified. Pettersen will then have four captain’s picks.
Germany’s Esther Henseleit, who recently won silver in Paris, is also in the field at Ayrshire. She’s currently third on the points list, five points behind Grant. Stark and Alexandra Forsterling are not much further behind.
Boutier (No. 7) and Stark (No. 23) look primed to get in off the rankings with Leona Maguire (31), Carlota Ciganda (33), Madelene Sagstrom (35) and Georgia Hall (40) occupying the rest of the six.
Once again, Henseleit is lurking just outside at No. 42. Should she be in need of a pick in two weeks, she’d surely be a lock after what transpired at the Summer Games.
Similarly, it’s hard to imagine Pettersen leaving Anna Nordqvist, a longtime European stalwart ranked 66th in the world, off the 12-player squad. She’s surely good for one of the four picks as well.
Here’s a look at what could be Pettersen’s shortlist heading down the stretch. Strong finishes in Scotland could propel a number of these players up the standings. The picks will be announced after the AIG.