ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Catriona Matthew will take her final walk over the Swilcan Bridge this week.
She’s hoping it’s on Sunday.
“I think this will be the last time I play in this event,” said the 54-year-old Matthew, who hails from nearby Edinburgh and famously won her only major title at the 2009 Women’s Open at Royal Lytham, just 11 weeks after giving birth.
“I have no illusion,” she continued. “I’m not going to be winning the event, but I think a goal for me this week would be to try and make the cut. You don’t want to come and keep playing in the event when you’re not competitive. It just felt being in St. Andrews, in Scotland, the Home of Golf, what better place to play my last one.”
Matthew, who is playing her first world-ranked event since last year’s AIG Women’s Open, hasn’t made a cut at this championship since 2020. Her last top-10 came in 2016 when he tied for fifth at Woburn. At St. Andrews, Matthew’s record includes a T-7 (2007) and T-11 (2013).
She’s spent much of this year not playing but preparing for the Curtis Cup at Sunningdale, where she will captain the Great Britain and Ireland squad in a couple weeks.
“My record probably hasn’t been as good as I would have liked in this event,” Matthew said. “I think before that I just tried too hard, put too much pressure on myself coming back. Playing in Britain, you’re wanting to play well in front of the home fans and family and friends. Delighted that I managed to get the win the one time but wish my record had perhaps been a little bit better than it was.”
Matthew will tee it up alongside fellow Women’s Open champions Stacy Lewis and Karrie Webb for the first two rounds around the Old Course.
“She’s been such a tremendous competitor and to go up against her in Solheim Cup and watch her be a leader there, and she’s really become a leader in women’s golf I feel like off the golf course and has helped us continue to grow,” Lewis said. “It’s just a huge honor for me to get to play with her.”
She could have a front-row seat to Matthew’s Swilcan goodbye.