Lucy Li has been known to golf fans for many years, having qualified for the 2014 US Women’s Open when she was just 11, becoming the youngest player to achieve it in the tournament’s history.
Fast-forward 12 years, and after 54 holes of the 2026 AIG Women’s Open, she was making her name at a Major again, tied for second on the leaderboard, three shots behind leader Yealimi Noh.
Li’s enviable position on the leaderboard with just 18 holes to play perhaps isn’t too surprising, because despite still only being 23, she has plenty of experience of big events and is in her seventh year as a pro.
Along the way, she has won twice, while she has had strong finishes at other Majors, including T12 at the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
During her professional career, Li has worked with caddies including Bryan Bush and John Pavelko. However, for the Royal Lytham & St Annes edition of the AIG Women's Open, her caddie was someone with solid experience of the tournament – Paul Drummond.
Drummond was born in Scotland, close to two-time host venue of the AIG Women’s Open, Carnoustie. Indeed, it was during the 2021 edition of the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie that he caddied for LPGA Tour legend Lexi Thompson.
Drummond worked as a club caddie at Carnoustie for 16 years, and that knowledge of the course clearly helped, as Thompson was T4 after three rounds and firmly in contention for her second Major title, before finishing in a tie for 20th.
Following his spell helping Thompson, Drummond turned to DP World Tour player Dan Bradbury. After that, he returned to the LPGA Tour scene, assisting Nicole Broch Estrup and Olivia Cowan before linking up with LI, setting the wheels in motion for their shot at AIG Women's Open glory.
