Bedfordshire’s Holly Aitchison will make her debut on American soil this week (9-12 July) when she tees off alongside the world’s best female golfers in the US Women’s Open.
Aitchison, a member at Golf At Goodwood in West Sussex, qualified for the US Women’s Open after finishing in the top five at the European Sectional Qualifier at Buckinghamshire Golf Club in May.
The ‘Team Goodwood’ star has had two second place finishes since joining the Ladies European Tour in 2009, but qualifying for this year’s US Open ranks as her greatest career accomplishment to date. Despite stepping slightly into the unknown at the Lancaster Country Club, the venue for this year’s event, Holly is staying very composed in her preparation.
“My preparation for the U.S. Open has been going well. The European Masters was a little disappointing but I always try and put a positive spin on things and I played a lot of world class shots. Unfortunately my bad ones were too severe and I didn’t hole enough putts but things are definitely moving in the right direction,” commented the 28-year-old, who finished 62nd in the Ladies European Masters at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club over the weekend.
Aitchison, who will see her world ranking rise from its current world no.420 after the event, is treating the tournament just like any other, and despite lining up alongside the world’s best golfers, including Lydia Ko, Stacy Lewis and defending champion Michelle Wie, she is solely concentrating on her own game.
“First and foremost my goal is to enjoy the experience and learn as much as possible from some of the other players. Obviously making the cut would be great, but I am just focusing on playing to the best of my ability,” said Holly. “With regards to my golf, I have been working hard on getting a consistent shot, getting a little more height and squeezing out a little more distance. I have paid particular attention to hitting my irons closer and getting my putting on top form. I have also been using TrackMan to make sure my numbers are consistent, and I’m getting the most out of my game.”
Playing 6,850 yards, the Lancaster Country Club will be a step up in distance and this is something that her coach, Ryan Fenwick, has given special attention to.
“The course will be playing long, although I won’t really know how it’s playing until I get there and have a practice round. I’ve played The Downs course at Goodwood a few times off the back tees to get as much preparation playing long courses as possible! Although I didn’t play my best at the Buckinghamshire , the US Open is a completely different beast, as it will probably be played soft compared to the Ladies European Masters, which was hard and bouncy, with a lot of run.”
The Women’s US Open takes place from 9-12 July at Lancaster Country Club. Follow Holly’s progress at www.2015uswomensopen.com or follow @hollyaitchison on Twitter.