The AIG Women’s Open caps off a thrilling major championship season this week at the Old Course at St Andrews. The return to the Home of Golf concludes an epic run of major golf that began in April with Nelly Korda winning her second major title at The Chevron Championship, followed by Yuka Saso’s victory at the U.S. Women’s Open in May. In June, Amy Yang earned her long-awaited major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and in July, Ayaka Furue became a first-time major winner at The Amundi Evian Championship.
At the Old Course, the best in women's golf will compete for $9 million, one of the biggest purses of the season, and come the end of the week, the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award winner will be determined, an honor that is given to the player with the best performance in the major championships throughout the season. Additionally, both the U.S. and European Solheim Cup teams will be finalized following the conclusion of Sunday play. Here are five things you need to know about the AIG Women’s Open.
Lilia Vu Defends
A two-hour drive west of St Andrews, in Ayrshire, Scotland, at Dundonald Links, Lilia Vu finished tied for 25th in her final tune-up ahead of her title defense at the AIG Women’s Open. Last season, Vu won in commanding fashion at Walton Heath to secure her second major title of the season. As she made the turn on the final day, Vu pulled four strokes clear of Charley Hull and the field and never relinquished her lead. The American rolled in a closing birdie on the 72nd hole for a six-stroke victory and her third of four wins on the LPGA Tour in 2023. Vu has a single victory so far this season after winning the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give in June, capturing her first title in her first start since returning from a back injury.
The Field
It has been a season of shifting dominance on the LPGA Tour, as Nelly Korda went on a tear early in the year with six victories through the first half of the season, and Hannah Green managed to pick up two victories of her own during Korda’s run of dominance. But as the Tour moves into the latter half of the year, a third player has entered that dominance conversation –Lauren Coughlin. Last week, Coughlin captured her second win in three starts at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open and arrives at St Andrews seeking her third top-five finish in a major championship this season.
Both Korda and Green will join Coughlin at the Old Course, where Korda is making her first appearance since her tie for 22nd at the Paris Olympics, and the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 will be looking to recapture the magic that led to her thrilling start to the year. Also in the field is Ally Ewing, who held the early lead last year at the AIG Women’s Open, and who has five top 10s in her last six starts. Lexi Thompson is poised to compete in her final AIG Women’s Open as she announced her plan to step away from full-time competition at the end of the season. Thompson has three top 10s in her last five starts. All three Olympic medalists in Paris – Lydia Ko, Esther Henseleit and Xiyu Lin – are also in the field at the Old Course.
Solheim Cup
Ratcheting up the excitement of playing in the season’s final major championship at St Andrews is the added pressure for many of the players in the field knowing that their performance will determine who will qualify for both the U.S. and European Solheim Cup teams. Both squads will be finalized upon the conclusion of play on Sunday. The U.S. Team will be made up of the top seven players in the U.S. Solheim Cup points list and the top two players in the Rolex Rankings not already qualified via the points standings. Three captain’s picks will round out the team and will be announced on Monday following the AIG Women’s Open. Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and Ally Ewing have already secured their spot on the team. Check out the current standings for the U.S. Team.
Stacy Lewis is leading the U.S. team for the second consecutive year as the event is moving from odd to even years and being played in back-to-back seasons. In September, Lewis will be looking to break a run of dominance by the Europeans, led by Suzann Pettersen, and hopes to regain the Cup when the matches get underway at Robert Trent Jones Golf in Gainesville, Va, after the teams tied in 2023. Here are the current standings for Team Europe.
Past Champions
A dozen past champions of the AIG Women’s Open are poised to play in what is a rare opportunity to compete at the Old Course at St Andrews. World Golf Hall of Fame member Karrie Webb, a three-time winner of the AIG Women’s Open in 1995, 1997 and 2002, headlines an impressive list of major champions that will be teeing it up this week at the Home of Golf. Also in the field are Jiyai Shin (2008, 2012), Catriona Matthew (2009), Stacy Lewis (2013), Ariya Jutanugarn (2016), In-Kyung Kim (2017), Georgia Hall (2018), Hinako Shibuno (2019), Sophia Popov (2020), Anna Nordqvist (2021), Ashleigh Buhai (2022) and defending champion Lilia Vu.
The Old Course
One of the biggest characters in the story of this year’s AIG Women’s Open is no doubt the championship’s return to St Andrews and the Old Course. For just the third time in the major’s history, it will be played at the Home of Golf. In 2007, Lorena Ochoa made history as the first woman to win the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews with an impressive four-stroke victory. In 2013, Stacy Lewis etched her name beside Ochoa’s as just the second woman to win at the famed venue. This year, the best in women’s golf will compete in Fife, Scotland, at the Old Course, which will play to a par 72 at 6,784 yards with just a single par 5 and par 3 on each nine-hole stretch.
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