It’s the morning after the Sunday of the AIG Women’s Open as I write this and I can’t help but wonder how on earth Lydia Ko is feeling as she opens her eyes and remembers she has just won a major round the Old Course at St Andrews.
It’s been a fairytale fortnight for the Kiwi with a gold medal-winning performance at the Olympics in Paris and now this, her third major title coming more than eight years after her last. She described these past few weeks as “Cinderella-like” which should serve as a reminder to us all that Cinderella spent a lot of time unseen and unappreciated, methodically working through her chores with no reward.
Hard work and persistence do get rewarded in the end in all good fairytales, however, and Lydia has navigated the difficult waters of unprecedented early success (she was the youngest-ever world No 1 at a mere seventeen years of age) followed by a relatively barren period with no majors to her name. Her resilience, perseverance and steadfastness then enabled the slow steady climb to the realisation of all her dreams – that Olympic gold, entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame and her third major.

In 2013 Stacy Lewis was posing on the Swilcan bridge with the AIG Women’s Open trophy and Lydia had won the Smyth Salver. Now it’s Lydia’s turn to enjoy this particular photo shoot. [aigwomensopen.com]
The winner of the aforementioned Smyth Salver, which is presented to the low amateur each year, was England’s Lottie Woad. What a thrilling moment for her to stand beside Lydia at the prize presentation and realise that eleven years ago Lydia was receiving that very same salver. Lottie must be hoping and thinking that she has what it takes to win the big prize sometime in the next decade or so.
At 20 years of age she is already building her own impressive resume. In April of this year she was the first European to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and now she has snared the low amateur prize on another storied venue. Lottie entered the final round five shots ahead of her nearest challenger, Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez, which you may have thought would provide her with a comfortable day. Not so. Out several hours ahead of Lottie, Julia must have frightened the life out of the Englishwoman when she birdied five out of her first ten holes. The difficult, swirling conditions on the back nine derailed the Spanish challenge and Lotte took the salver by four shots, signing off at the last with a birdie and a creditable tied tenth finish in a major.So, now it’s on to the Curtis Cup for Lottie…..and for this humble blog and many of its friends.
Over the course of the last week the two teams contesting the Cup have descended on the wonderful heathland venue that is Sunningdale and on the day this blog is posted Lottie will proudly lead out her Great Britain and Ireland teammates in the greatest women’s amateur golf event of them all.

Another week, another golf course, another monumental challenge for Lottie Woad and her teammates as they take on the might of America. [aigwomensopen.com]
Hopefully, the following snaps will give a flavour of proceedings so far.

Sunningdale is gearing up for what promises to be a marvellous week. Even the weather is set to play ball.

Pam Butler-Wheelhouse (2nd from right]. the Lady Captain of Sunningdale Golf Club and Ella (front row) treated past players Mary Mckenna, Gillian Stewart and me to lunch on the verandah. Gorgeous , vista, gorgeous lunch, gorgeous company.

What’s the collective name for a set of Irish former Curtis Cup players and captains?
From left to right, Mary McKenna, Ita Butler, yours truly, Ada O’Sullivan and Claire Dowling.
The week is already a colossal success from the point of view of us oldies and watching the skill and athletic play of the two teams, always a joy and a delight, is still ahead of us. What a privilege to be even a small part of it all.

Nine times a player, twice a captain, Mary McKenna is on familiar territory in the Sunningdale clubhouse, surveying the scene at the start of the week.