The opening round of the 2024 ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open was nothing short of wild! The event, held on a course completely waterlogged due to persistent rain, faced multiple suspensions, disrupting the flow of play and challenging the players’ focus. Play was halted for about an hour at the start due to rain, followed by another delay of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Despite these challenges, Minjee Lee from Australia managed to get through the strong wind, going completely bogey-free in the first round of the event with a purse of $2 million. Lee carded an impressive 5-under 67, securing a one-stroke lead over A Lim Kim and Megan Khang. While Japan’s Hinako Shibuno withdrew from the championship, 39 players are yet to complete their first round. What will Friday have in store for them?

Friday round to be on the safer side?

As released by the official X account of the LPGA Tour, “Round 1 will resume at 8:30 a.m. BST [3:30 a.m. ET] and Round 2 will begin at 9 a.m. BST [4:00 a.m. ET] @LPGA.” Will the weather fare well on Friday? AccuWeather predicts that South Ayrshire will experience windy conditions with intervals of cloud cover. Temperatures are expected to go as high as 18 degrees, and as low as 13 degrees.

Fortunately, there’s no rain in the forecast until late at night, which should allow for an uninterrupted round of play. However, darkness might become a factor, with a predicted 31% cloud cover, though visibility should be up to 16 km. Winds from the SW are expected to blow at 24 km/h, with 76% humidity due to the heavy cloud cover. Despite these conditions, as long as the rain stays away, players can look forward to a smoother round.

Last year, French professional golfer Celine Boutier claimed the championship with a two-stroke lead over Hyo-Joo Kim. But where does she stand after the first round this year?

Celine Boutier is in danger of missing the cut

Out of the 143-player field, only the top 70 players on the leaderboard will advance to the penultimate round of the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open on Saturday. Defending champion Celine Boutier currently sits at T60 after the opening round, tied with twenty-two other players, some of whom are yet to finish their first round.

Boutier carded five bogeys in Thursday’s round. Despite scoring three birdies on the front nine, she couldn’t manage to finish at even par, let alone under par. She ended the day with a disappointing 2-over 74, putting her at risk of missing the cut. With so many players tied for the 60th position, the competition to stay within the top 70 is fierce. Only a miraculous Round 2 can save her from missing the cut. Do you think the French professional can turn things around? Let us know in the comments section below!