Catriona Matthew: The Open at St Andrews will be my last time competing

Catriona Matthew has revealed that this year’s Open at St Andrew’s will be her last time competing at the famous competition.

The Scot won the Open at Royal Lytham in 2009, the crowning achievement of her decades-long career that also saw her win the Solheim Cup three times as a player and twice as captain.

As she approaches a landmark appearance at the tournament, Matthew has decided that she will bow out this week.

“I think it’s my 30^th Open in a row and it’s going to be my last one,” she told STV. “I think, for a Scottish player, what better place to finish than at St Andrews?

“I’ve always loved it here and however big this event is, it’s always bigger when it’s at St Andrew’s.

“I just thought it was the perfect opportunity to play my last one.”

Matthew is now looking to savour some final memories at the historic venue, with her husband Graham as caddy, before stepping aside to help let the next generation of talent flourish.

“I’m not playing enough to keep playing in it and you don’t want to come out and play terrible golf,” she said. “If you’re not playing week in, week out, then it’s not worth it.

“You also feel you might be taking a spot away from someone else who may be trying to start their career. I just felt that here, where my husband can be with me on the bag, what better place?

As a former winner, Matthew has experience of the Open that few other can match and it’s not surprising that she regards the tournament as one that’s different from all the rest.

“Obviously I won it back in 2009 and being British and Scottish it was always one of my favourite events to come and play in every year,” she explained.

“I probably tried too hard and put too much pressure on myself most years but it was always the one you wanted to come back and play in, win and play well.”

This year’s event has profile, importance and prize money far removed from when she first turned pro, and Matthew welcomed the changes that she has seen over the years.

“Women’s golf has changed beyond recognition since I first started out on tour back in 1995,” she said.

“Especially in the last ten years we’ve seen the purses zoom up. I think that’s great to see.

“There’s all the global players now and that’s great to see. When I started out it was all Americans, Europeans and maybe one or two Japanese players. Now it really is a global game and I think that just shows how the game has grown around the world and I think the Olympics has been a huge boost for it.”

And as she prepares for what is likely to be an emotional farewell to the Open, the Scot has her eye on a strong showing that doesn’t end too soon.

“I think I’m realistic to know that I’m not going to win it but if I could make the cut, that would be fine,” she said.

“I’ve been practising a lot the last few weeks and hitting it well. Thursday’s another day, when you actually tee it up.

“If I could still be here on Sunday, that would be nice.”