The final major on the LPGA Tour will take place at Muirfield in East Lothian, Scotland commencing tomorrow.

All the big names will try to capture the coveted trophy for winning this historic major, the 47th edition of it.

The defending champion is Anna Nordqvist who won at Carnoustie last year. The 35 year old from Sweden shot 12 under to win by a shot over Georgia Hall.

Quite a famous venue for this major. The previous 4 major winners this season were 25 year old American Jennifer Kupcho of Littleton, Colorado at the Chevron Championship in Mirage, California in late March, early April, 26 year old Perth Australia native Minjee Lee at the U.S. Women’s Open in Southern Pines, N.C.June 2-5th, 27 year old South Korean In Gee Chun at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship June 23rd-26th at Congressional Club in Bethesda, Maryland, and 24 year old Ontario, Canada native Brooke Henderson at the Amundi Evian Championship in Evian-les-Bainsm France July 21-24. So, the winners have been spread across the board hailing from 4 different countries.

Here’s intel on this year’s Open.

Key Holes.

No.9 556 yards, Par 5, Plays into the teeth of the wind. If the wind is helping, the players might be able to reach in two, but it’s usually into their faces, so it’ll be a three shot hole. And the winds are significant this week. There are bunkers to deal with on the approach, The approaches from downwind on the player’s second shot can be tricky as there is an out of bounds wall very close to the left side of the green. The putting surface is pretty straight forward, but finding it is a challenge.

No. 16, 178 yards, Par 3, Finding the putting surface on this hole is also a challenge with the green very well protected by bunkers. The green contours down to the left and at the front with bunkers waiting at both positions and a few larger traps on the right side. The green works down from the back to the front and depending on the wind, getting the ball close off the tee is a tough ask. On Sunday, the players may be relieved to make 3 and take their chances at the 17th.

No.17, 544 yards, Par 5, This is the most iconic hole at Muirfield. The usual wind allows the player to reach the green in two. The hole is a dogleg right to left, and the players will have to contend with bunkers on the left side off the tee to get in position to go for it in 2. The green is protected on the left and right by bunkers and there is a distinctive mound that cuts into the right side of the green. If there is wind in the player’s face on the tee or the player finds a bunker off the tee, there are distinctive cross bunkers 120 yards in front of the green making this hole tough to par instead of a great birdie opportunity. The green is straightforward and shots missed short and to the left, avoiding the bunker, leave the easiest up and downs.

No.18, 428 yards, Par 4, Considered a world class finishing hole on a world class course, par is a great score here, but not an easy feat if the player is trying to win the championship. The fairway is narrow with 2 bunkers to the left catching the slightest wayward drive. If the player pulls off her drive, she’ll have an outside chance at birdie. But if she misses the target, the penalty is severe. From the fairway, two short cross bunkers come into play for the longer approaches if players play short of the two bunkers on the left side off the tee. There are two traps on either side of the green, including a mounded bunker to the right which can present problems. The green plays uphill, but multiple undulations at the middle and back of the surface can make putting and chipping to these pins tremendously difficult. Pin positions just over the slope are famous, and can make or break potential champions. Quite a dramatic finish at Muirfield. Which player that handles that major pressure and difficulty on 18 best will capture the championship.

Past Champions

2021, Anna Nordqvist, 2020, Sophia Popov, 2019, Hinako Shibuno, 2018, Georgia Hall, 2017, In-Kyung Kim, 2016, Ariya Jutanugarn, 2015, Inbee Park.

Weather

Thursday, 64 Morning light rain, wind W 17 MPH. Chance of rain 70%.

Friday, 64, Partly cloudy, 12% rain, wind W 15 MPH.

Saturday, 65, Cloudy, 19% rain, Wind W 16 MPH.

Sunday, 67, 12% rain, Wind W 15 MPH.

TV

Thursday, 5 AM-12 PM CT, USA Network.

Friday, 5 AM-12 PM CT, USA

Saturday, 7-11 AM CT, USA, 11 AM-2 PM CT, NBC

Sunday, 7-11 AM CT USA, 11 AM-2 PM CT, NBC

Odds

Lydia Ko, 10/1

Nelly Korda, 10/1

Jin Young Ko, 14/1

Minjee Lee, 14/1

Atthaya Thitkul, 18/1

Brooke Henderson, 18/1

Lexi Thompson, 20/1

Georgia Hall, 22/1

Nasa Hataoka, 22/1

Sei Young Kim, 30/1

Charley Hull, 35/1

Ayaka Furue, last week’s champion at the Scottish Open, 35/1

Jennifer Kupcho, 50/1

Jessica Korda, 55/1

Winner

This is the third time in a row I’ve picked the 26 year old from Perth, Australia to win a major, and I was right at the U.S. Women’s Open with her, and I just trust her. She’s got ice water in her veins, and I read an article that was very legitimate that convinced me she’s the one to pick. So let me go back to the well one more time and take….

Minjee Lee

Vin Scully

The superb voice of sports, particularly Major League Baseball, passed away at 94 years old yesterday. He called Dodgers games all the way till 2016 when he was 88. He had some of the most memorable calls of World Series games in the history of the sport. He called game 6 of the 1986 World Series between the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox, the famed or infamous game if you’re a Red Sox fan when Mookie Wilson hit a ground ball that got through first baseman Bill Buckner’s glove and allowed the Mets to come back from a 4-3 deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning and win 5-4 in game 6 as they were down 3-2 in the series. The Mets had scored a run earlier in the inning on a wild pitch to tie the game at 4.

Another epic was Scully’s call on Kirk Gibson’s heroic 2 run homer with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th of game 1 of the World Series in 1988 between the Oakland A’s and the LA Dodgers. Gibson had a severe hamstring injury in his left leg and an injury to his right leg which kept him from playing and barely enabling him to pinch hit. Sculley called the at bat with the Dodgers down 4-3 and the great Dennis Eckersly on the hill for the A’s with a man on second. Gibson somehow, some way, caught a 3-2 pitch and drove it into the right field seats as Dodger Stadium went berserk. Scully was masterful in both calls showing composure while calling the spectacular moments and letting the players and the crowd tell the story instead of trying to describe it himself. He was a pro’s pro. I’m sure Jim Nantz, Joe Buck, Dan Hicks and MIke Tirico have spent many hours learning from the great one. He will be missed and remembered for quite a long time.

Georgia Football 2022 coming

I’m working on Georgia Football 2022 and will have it out by Monday at the latest. The Dawgs look to back up their national championship from last season in 2022. That’s a tall order for anybody, and Georgia hadn’t won a national championship since 1980 before their 2021 title. That’s 41 years. Kirby Smart said to ESPN’s Molly McGrath after the championship victory over the Crimson Tide in Indianapolis that he hoped it wouldn’t be 41 more years before their next championship. It’s hard to repeat and Georgia lost 8 players off last year’s stellar defense, 5 first round picks in the NFL Draft in late April, but Smart has reloaded with some young talents and the offense looks pretty formidable with Stetson Bennett back for another year to try and prove critics wrong once again. Will check in with you on Georgia no later than Monday. Thanks for reading.