Our St Andrews correspondent Sean Zak is at this week’s AIG Women’s Open. Here he talks to fellow US player Jessica Marksbury about Nelly Korda’s tough day, Jiyai Shin’s incredible round and who he thinks will walk away with the trophy on Sunday.

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Jessica Marksbury, Senior Editor GOLF: Good evening, Sean!

Sean Zak, senior editor at GOLF: Hello J-Mar!

JM: What a day. We have a lot to discuss.

SZ: We do! Let’s get started.

JM: Just when it looked like Nelly Korda was preparing for a coronation weekend with a four-shot lead at the halfway point of the Open, she is now two shots back and the final round on Sunday will likely go to a shootout. What went wrong for Nelly today?

SZ: It would be easy to say the loose swing on hole 16 that went five yards too far and went out of bounds was the problem, but in reality it was the putter. She needed three putts on the 1st green, resulting in a bogey. She misplayed the 2nd hole, and the putter didn’t help her. During the round, she missed at least two more short shots that were less than 5 feet away. It’s a new club, so I’m sure she’s still getting used to it, but today it wasn’t good. It made sense that she went straight to the putting green after the round.

JM: I can certainly understand a rough day on the green. But on the other end of the spectrum was Jiyai Shin, who shot a round of 67 for a total of seven under par – how impressive was that?

SZ: How impressive she is, period! Forget that round – which was incredible, by the way. Remember, she is one of the few players in the field who has played every AIG Women’s Open on the Old Course. She is 36 and after winning two Over a decade ago, she decided to return to Japan to be closer to her family. She mostly stopped competing on the LPGA Tour and focused on the Japan LPGA. But now she’s back at the Open and rocking it. I’m really looking forward to making her history tomorrow if she can somehow beat players 15 years her junior.

JM: Let’s hope Mother Nature brings us home with some sunshine tomorrow. What was the mood like on site today after the tournament started in brutal weather?

SZ: Oh, the mood was good. I was a little worried about the crowd numbers at the start of the week, but today the Scots and Brits and all sorts of spectators finally came. I’m told it’s because Monday is a bank holiday, which makes me even more hopeful of a huge crowd on Sunday.

JM: National holidays the day after the final round of a major? I can definitely support that! Sean, you wrote about Alexa Pano for the site today – were there any other storylines you were interested in?

SZ: If Alexa Pano can somehow stay on top on Sunday, does that bode well for the… New England Patriots? If you want to read more about this oddity, click here. But as far as other storylines go, I was pretty sad to see Charley Hull cave on Saturday. She’s so electric. She pulls people along by being so unabashedly herself. I was really hoping we might see that personality in the heat of battle on Sunday. Maybe we will, but it’s going to take something special.

JM: It’s quite an exciting leaderboard, with Lilia Vu one stroke back at six under par and Lydia Ko lurking at four under par. Who will you be following tomorrow?

SZ: I follow Lydia Ko. She’s the best speaker here. She has an infectious personality. She’s graceful and cheerful at this point in her career. And she’s constantly asked about her impending retirement. I don’t think that’s going to become a reality right now, but it’s a compelling notion as she flirts with the lead role.

JM: I have to ask: Since St Andrews is practically a second home to you at the moment, where will you be going tonight for something to eat and drink before the final round?

SZ: I head straight to Tailend for a takeaway fish and chips. It’s the most reliable meal in town. Then I head to Central Bar for a beer. The most underrated pub in town.

JM: The jealousy meter just went completely out of control, SZ! Before I let you go enjoy the beer, I have to embarrass you: who’s going to win this thing?!

SZ: Lilia Vu defends her title with a magic putter in her hand. Just like Cam Smith did in 2022. Everything within 10 feet falls. And a few bombs too.

Golf.com Publisher

A four-year member of Columbia’s first class of female collegiate golfers, Jessica can out-score anyone else on the masthead. She can out-score anyone else in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing print and online content, as well as overseeing major special projects like GOLF’s first Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her original interview series, “A Round With,” premiered in November 2015 and appeared both in the magazine and as a video on GOLF.com.