As anticipation builds for the opening tee shot of the 2023 AIG Women’s Open to be hit at 06.30 tomorrow by Englishwoman Mel Reid, much has been made of how long the course has been playing during the practice days. On Tuesday, the course endured some torrential rain, and the site is noticeably soft in certain areas.
Naturally, you would assume that such conditions would play right into the hands of the longer hitters on the LPGA and LET Tours. However, the picture doesn’t seem that clear. Speaking today in her press conference, Nelly Korda raised an interesting point about such conditions actually favouring the shorter hitters. She said:
“I feel like every single time I’ve talked about maybe having an advantage because of length at golf course, you actually kind of see more of the shorter hitters playing well… I mean, they are used to hitting hybrids into the greens.”
The current world number one, with no less than eight LPGA titles to her name, is known for her length off the tee. She has averaged 268.84 yards on the LPGA this year, putting her 17th in the Driving Distance rankings. However, her comments reveal that she thinks this facet of her game might not prove ultimately to be that important.
(Photo by R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
Citing the 2nd hole, the Old Course 4th, she notes how the bunker in the centre of the fairway is brought directly into play with driver:
“Yeah, I would say No. 2 is very interesting for a longer hitter. Driver gets into that bunker in the middle of the fairway, and possibly if it’s downwind, it’s 3-wood. And my 7-wood lays pretty far back because it’s a pretty high, spinny club. So, I actually hit 3-wood, 3-wood into that green yesterday.”
The 2nd Hole at Walton Heath
Indeed, Nelly Korda won’t be afraid to simply lay back on many of these holes; prioritising fairways and greens to ensure she makes par. Whether or not this proves to be the best strategy as the course begins to firm up, only time will tell.
“So, I would say some of the holes just position-wise, it’s just better to lay back and have a longer club in and just take your par instead of risking trying to hit a driver in a pretty tight area and eventually being in the bunker.”
In light of these comments, it’s interesting to assess the role that driving distance plays in the women’s game. Of the 27 LPGA players currently in the top 30 of the Rolex World Rankings, the average rank for driving distance on the LPGA Tour is 72nd. Their average driving distance is 258.77 yards. At first glance, and without rigorous statistical analysis, it seems there are markedly less of the world’s best prioritising distance from the tee as there are in the men’s game.
Although comparisons must, of course, be taken with a pinch of salt, Russell Henley, the PGA Tour’s straightest hitter with 72.42% of fairways hit would sit 77th with the same percentage on the LPGA. Nelly Korda highlighted the importance of accuracy today after I asked about the difficulty of the heather that lines the fairways here at Walton Heath. She said:
“Yeah, almost broke my wrist today. It’s not easy. It’s really bouncy. If you get a good lie, then maybe but I would say 95 per cent of the time you will be pitching out with a 58 degree just to try to get it back into play. It’s really tough to get out of that.”
I have heard it said that the women’s professional game can be more ‘relatable’ to the amateur golfer. Having watched up close on several occasions, most notably inside the ropes at the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie in 2021, I couldn’t disagree more. It is astounding how rhythmic and metronomic these players are from the tee. They rarely miss a fairway, and their short games are impeccable. I can name but a few typical club golfers that play with such control and grace.
Out on the course I watched on as a number of groups played through the 2nd. Only trumped by the 13th for length, it was very interesting to see players happy to lay up short of the central bunker, leaving themselves a hybrid/fairway wood into a green with runoffs either side. Whilst a number came up just short (the good miss), it was seriously impressive to see the control on display with such long clubs going in to the green.
With the weather forecast set very fair for the week, the course will inevitably firm up, potentially causing strategies to change. One thing is for sure, however. These players will be choosing any which way to stay out of Walton’s infamous heather. It’s brutal, painful and certainly a shot-penalty if you find it buried in the roots.
