• Aussies on Tour: Lee savours annual taste of Scottish links

It is a rare delicacy in the modern menu of professional golf yet self-confessed foodie Minjee Lee is ready to savour her annual taste of links golf starting with this week’s ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open.

A week out from the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, Lee is making her 10th start in the Women’s Scottish Open, absorbing almost all of Scottish culture with the guidance of new caddie and Edinburgh native, Mikey Patterson.

The pair already have a major championship together courtesy of Lee’s third major championship win at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last month, Patterson’s efforts to tempt Lee into eating haggis and black pudding less of a success.

On the back of her third-place finish at the Amundi Evian Championship Lee “ate my way through London” before turning her attention to sweet Scottish strawberries and the links courses for which she has become so fond.

The world No.5 has finished top 20 in each of her past three starts at Dundonald Links and is ready to sink her teeth into more links-style creativity.

“I like when we do get the opportunities to play links golf, just the creativity,” said the 29-year-old.

“I really enjoy this type of golf I guess. I just like the cool weather.

“Sometimes we're hit with a ton of wind, rain, the conditions are much harder usually, like the surface.

“Just being able to like picture it in your mind and executing it gives me a lot of joy when I can do it.”

The 2025 championship marks the seventh time that Dundonald Links has hosted the Women’s Scottish Open and the fourth year in succession.

It breeds a familiarity that Lee hopes to use to her advantage.

“We've been here quite a few times now, so I know the course really well,” said Lee, who has the added luxury of staying on site this week.

“I know where to miss it and where it's best to play from. When the wind does get up, I just kind of know my way around the course now.

“I think that really helps, playing it more than a couple times now.”

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Cassie Porter and Kelsey Bennett will make their tournament debuts, Porter out in the first group of the day alongside fellow Australian Kirsten Rudgeley.

As is the case at Dundonald Links, there are 10 Australians in the field for the final senior major of 2025, the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Sunningdale Golf Club in London.

Steve Allan comes in on the back of his second PGA TOUR Champions win of the year at the DICK’s Open while Richard Green will be hoping to go one better than his runner-up finish to KJ Choi 12 months ago at Carnoustie.

Photo: Monica Marchesani/LET

Round 1 tee times

LPGA Tour/Ladies European Tour
ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open
Dundonald Links, Gailes, Ayrshire, Scotland
4:30pm            Cassie Porter, Kirsten Rudgeley
5:14pm            Minjee Lee
5:25pm*          Hira Naveed
6:09pm*          Gabriela Ruffels
9:31pm*          Karis Davidson, Momoka Kobori (NZ)
9:53pm            Robyn Choi
9:53pm*          Stephanie Kyriacou, Amelia Garvey (NZ)
10:15pm          Kelsey Bennett
10:26pm*         Grace Kim

Recent champion: Lauren Coughlin
Past Aussie winners: Rebecca Artis (2015)
Prize money: $US2m
TV times: Live 6:30pm-10:30pm Thursday, Friday on Fox Sports 505; Live 11pm-2am Saturday; Live 9pm-1am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

 

Subscribe to WPGA Tour Newsletter