Catriona Matthew - who won the title three years ago at Royal Lytham & St Annes, and who was the highest placed British finisher in last year's event, coming joint 5th - said: "The course is in fantastic shape and the greens are some of the best we have putted on all year. Obviously, the wind will make it a huge challenge - but that's links golf."
Melissa Reid (pictured) is looking forward to aveing lots of family and fineds to support her around the course: "A few of my friends are coming out at the weekend. My dad may come out tomorrow (Thursday) and one of my sisters who has not seen me play gold before is going to come out on Friday."
"It's a great golf course - obviously it's dependent on the wind. It's just a matter of keeping your head strong and accept that if you finish par going in to the turn, you're going to have a pretty decent lead to be honest."
1986 British Open champion Laura Davies is also complimentary about the Hoylake course: "I always thought that Lytham was one of the best bunkered golf courses I ever played but I think this is on a par to it because you can see them all and you can see what you're facing - I don;t know who designed it - but it's fantastic."
To find out more about the Ricoh Womens Britsh Open Golf Championship, keep an eye on the official website at: www.ricohwomensbritishopen.com
