Fans attending the 2014 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open experienced quite a treat.
Hall of Famer and native Australian Karrie Webb emerged victorious after carding a final-round 68 to edge Chella Choi by a stroke. It was Webb’s 40th career LPGA victory and was the first of two wins for the living legend in 2014.
Webb is back this year to defend her title against a great field consisting of the world’s top-ranked players and a host of LPGA tournament champions hungry for another championship. World No. 1 Lydia Ko, top-10 players Shanshan Feng and So Yeon Ryu and 2012 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open champion Jessica Korda highlight the field, but they aren’t the only top players who could climb the leaderboard over the weekend.
Former world No. 1s Na Yeon Choi – who won the season-opening tournament this year – and Ai Miyazato and Yani Tseng are also teeing it up in the $1.2 million tournament at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Throw in stars like Moriya and Ariya Jutanugarn, Beatriz Recari, Hall of Famer Laura Davies and the field strength grows even deeper.
Webb won last year’s event with a 12-under-par total, and there should be plenty of birdies for the taking at the par-72, 6,479-yard course this week. The historic golf club was founded in 1891 and hosted the Presidents Cup in 1998 and 2011.
This week’s event marks the fourth year for the tournament and kicks off a three-week international stretch that continues with Thailand and Singapore. The trio of tournaments will provide a total of $4.1 million in prize money, payouts that give players quality chances to start their seasons off with a big windfall.
The LPGA has a long and storied history in Australia, and that legacy will continue to grow this week. Who will be the most under (par) in the “Land Down Under?”
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