Aberdeen’s Gemma Dryburgh has every reason to feel optimistic when she tees off in her maiden US Women’s Open today.
The 28-year-old has arrived in North Carolina in excellent form and is feeling confident to be in the field at Pine Needles.
Dryburgh, playing in a major for the fifth time, feels she “is riding a bit of momentum” after moving into the top 200 of the Rolex Rankings after reaching the quarter-finals of the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play at Shadow Creek.
She told The Herald: “Everything feels bigger and better at a major.
“There is a ‘wow’ factor but you don’t need to do anything differently.
“You can end up doing too much preparation and tiring yourself out in the build-up.
“I just try to treat it like any other week of the season.”
The Scot, who grew up in Westhill in Aberdeenshire, gambled by heading to Las Vegas for last week’s match-play event when she was first reserve.
The risk paid off after Anna Nordqvist withdrew and Dryburgh landed a late spot.
Unmissable opportunity
She said: “I looked at how much it would cost to get to Vegas at short notice.
“It was going to be quite expensive but I thought I’d kick myself if I didn’t go and someone else got in instead of me. So I said ‘let’s do it’.
“Vegas is a place where you can hit the jackpot and I suppose I did.”
Dryburgh tees off at 7.48am local time alongside American amateur Bailey Davis and Amanda Doherty.
She is one of two Scots in the field alongside amateur Louise Duncan.
What a week! From being first reserve on Tuesday for @LPGAMatchPlay to making it to the quarter finals. After 42 holes yesterday I was gutted to lose in the end but so many positives to take forward. Next up is the @uswomensopen! Cannot wait! pic.twitter.com/apF6iXrAS3
— Gemma Dryburgh (@gemmadryburgh) May 29, 2022
Dryburgh said: “I do believe a win is around the corner.
“It’s great to be on the tour as that was always the dream but I don’t want to just be making up the numbers.”
Meanwhile, world number two Nelly Korda is simply grateful to be back competing after a blood clot in her arm and admits she has low expectations for this week’s US Women’s Open.
Korda revealed in March that she had been diagnosed with the clot after her arm swelled up following what she said was a “typical morning workout”.
Rehab ahead of return
The 23-year-old Olympic gold medallist subsequently underwent surgery and will compete for the first time since early February at Pine Needles in North Carolina, where the second major of the year boasts a record prize fund of £7.9 million.
“I was just feeling funny,” Korda told a pre-tournament press conference when asked how the blood clot came to be diagnosed.
“My arm wasn’t feeling too great. I listened to my body. I went to the ER, got some ultrasounds, found out that I had a blood clot, went back home and saw a specialist, Dr Michael Lepore; he was great. Can’t think of a better doctor to do the procedure. I’ve been good ever since.
“Obviously I did a lot of rehab and went out to California for a month, did rehab there, worked with my coach Jamie Mulligan. Wanted him to be there for when I first started hitting balls.
“I started gradually, really slow. I probably went like 60 per cent. I was hitting my 8-iron 100 yards to see how it was feeling, and then once I got the clearance from my doctor I was good to go.
“I’ve missed it so much. Definitely as I got closer to this week, I started finally hitting it a little longer, I think the juices started flowing a little bit more, but I’m so happy to be out here. I’ve missed everyone and I’m just grateful.”
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