Are we on the brink of witnessing one of the greatest stories in golf? The 20-year-old Scottish amateur Louise Duncan had more or less given up on golf last year, last week she “wasn’t hitting it great”, at the start of this week she was merely hoping to make the cut, and when she stood on the first tee on Thursday she admitted she was “shaking like a leaf”. Despite all of that, she will start the final round two back of the lead in a tie for fourth and will hit the course in the pre-penultimate group. There’s absolutely no doubt that her task is a stiff one, but the locals believe in her and plenty have made their way to Carnoustie specifically to support her quest to become the first amateur winner of a major championship since Catherine Lacoste at the 1967 US Women’s Open.
If we’re not to witness something truly astonishing – and realistically we won’t – then history suggests that the winner will come from the final group which contains the 54-hole co-leaders Anna Nordqvist and Nanna Koertz Madsen. Incredibly, 14 of the last 16 winners of this championship were tied second or better heading into the final lap. In other words, a little like the Monaco Grand Prix, making the front row of the grid is a huge advantage. Two-time major winner Nordqvist also has the benefit of local knowledge. Her husband is a Dundee man and she has even played the course on Boxing Day during recent Christmas visits. Madsen is a winner in Europe, but has yet to land a trophy at LPGA level.
Tucked in behind them is Lizette Salas who back in 2019 finished second in this championship at Woburn. Her 16-under total is the best by any golfer who didn’t win the title, a quirky feat she repeated when second at this year’s KPMG PGA Championship. For many, she will be the sympathetic winner of choice.
In total there are 14 players within three blows of the leaders and all will fancy their chances of going low in perfect scoring conditions. Among them is Lexi Thompson, who is using a local caddie this week, the World No. 1 Nelly Korda, the Jutanugarn sisters Ariya and Moriya, and England’s Georgia Hall, the winner of the championship in 2018 who shared the lead through 36 holes before carding a 73 yesterday. With a packed leaderboard and a brutal final three-hole stretch, we’re all set for a spectacular finale to the 2021 major championship season. Our coverage begins at 1.30 BST.
-9: Anna Nordqvist, Nanna Koertz Madsen
-8: Lizette Salas
-7: Sanna Nuutinen, Louise Duncan, Madelene Sagstrom, Lexi Thompson
-6: Ariya Jutanugarn, Nelly Korda, Brooke Henderson, Moriya Jutanugarn, Yealimi Noh, Sei Young Kim, Georgia Hall