5 things to know about the AIG Women's British at St. Andrews, including the 'horrendous' forecast and Lexi Thompson's future major plans

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Even R&A chief Martin Slumbers can't believe how many of the top female players in the world have never competed over the Old Course. World No. 1 Nelly Korda first came to St. Andrews in 2017 when the AIG Women's British Open was held at Kingsbarns, but this week marked the first time she'd actually teed it up on the Old Course.

In all, 32 of the top 50 players in the Rolex Rankings have never played a competition at the Old Course. That list includes 2023 AIG champion Lilia Vu, Jin Young Ko, Rose Zhang, Hannah Green, Ruoning Yin, Minjee Lee, Yuka Saso, Brooke Henderson and a host of other top players.

"We take for granted that the men have played here since they were young boys playing in international events," said Slumbers.

This week marks only the third time the best female players in the world will compete over Old Course for a major title, with Lorena Ochoa winning the first in 2007 and Stacy Lewis the second in 2013.

"This is the Home of Golf. It is arguably the most important golf course in the world," said Slumbers. "I think we're going to enjoy watching them play."

Here are five things to know about what's bound to be a most memorable week in the women's game.

AIG Women's British: Photos

Weather report

When the women played here in 2013, the wind was so bad on Saturday that play was eventually canceled. Lewis played 36 on Sunday, which was no picnic, and beat the field with larges doses of brains and grit.

"This week looks horrendous to be honest," said Lewis, of a forecast that could see winds gusting over 45 mph on Thursday. Lewis thinks that kind of forecast takes about 60 percent of the field out of play.

Slumbers said they've slowed down the golf course quite a bit in preparation for the wind. They've raised the height cut on the greens and added more water to help them grow a bit.

"We've got some pretty good ideas about where we can put the pins to actually protect it as much as we possibly can," said Slumbers.

"Most importantly, we will set it up in a way that the players can play. The good news is the wind is forecast all four days to come from pretty much the same quadrant, so we can – we know where we can put the pins to give them some room.

"There is a risk that we'll have delays in play tomorrow, but we'll deal with that. I think the best players in the world want a bit of a hard challenge. I just hope it doesn't blow so hard that we can't play."

Final question

The most endearing portion of Wednesday's pre-tournament press conference schedule came when Stacy Lewis returned to the podium to take a final question from her five-year-old daughter, Chesnee, who bravely asked mom if they could get a pool if she won.

Lewis, the 2013 AIG champion, said yes. And then Chesnee added, "with a slide."

Lewis is the last mom to win on tour, claiming the 2020 Scottish Open title several months before Chesnee turned two.

Warming up

After a disappointing finish at the Paris Olympics, Korda traveled to Prague to see family, including her grandparents. Sister Jessica and her nephew Greyson were also in the family's native Czech Republic.

"That's always a nice way for me to reset and get back into it after that," said Korda, who won six times to start the season but then cooled off considerably.

She played the back nine of the Old Course on Monday and the front nine on Tuesday for the first time. Coming down the iconic 18th proved the most special to Korda, whose best finish in seven AIG appearances is a share of ninth in 2019.

Korda appreciates the creativity the Old Course demands and has learned what's most important for her when conditions turn ugly.

"For me, it's actually staying warm and being able to feel my hands," she said, "because that's usually why I have gloves, even when it's not really necessarily too cold, I stick my hands in the gloves, and I have hand warmers in there. It's staying warm and loose and not tightening up and being able to commit to your shots."

Golden hour

Lydia Ko still looks back at what happened at Paris and believes it was almost too good to be true. The gold medal is currently tucked away in her backpack, wrapped up in a towel. She brought it out to share with family members earlier this week in St. Andrews as her mom, brother-in-law and husband are in town.

"I think after Sunday this week, it will be more of a relief, in a way," said Ko, "where I can take a step back and kind of take everything in."

Ko says she's gotten to love links golf more over the years, citing Muirfield a couple years ago as the most fun she's had.

"It was just very windy," said Ko, "but I was like, you know what, not hitting a stock 7-iron 175 yards is OK. And sometimes it might only go like 100 yards. It's funny in ways, and I think it becomes a little bit more light out there."

Ko tied for 17th at the Old Course in 2013 as an amateur. Her best finish was a share of third in 2015 at Turnberry. She tied for seventh at Muirfield two years ago.

Final major?

Earlier this year at the U.S. Women's Open, Lexi Thompson announced that this would be her final full season on the LPGA. What that means going forward for the majors, however, remains uncertain.

Thompson's T-9 finish at the 2024 KPMG Women's PGA gets her in the field for next year's event at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco. She's also in the field for the 2025 Chevron Championship as a past champion. Thompson said she hasn't really thought about this week's AIG being her final major championship appearance because she has starts next year if she wants them.

"Going into next year, I'm going to take some time off and just see how I feel, see how I feel mentally and where I'm at," she said. "But I know I have a few majors if I want to be able to tee it up there and get my game ready."

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 5 things to know about the AIG Women's British at St. Andrews, including the 'horrendous' forecast and Lexi Thompson's future major plans