AIG Women’s Open 2023: Field, course guide, who will win, and more!

Iona Stephen has set out her goal for 2024 of playing in the AIG Women's Open at St. Andrews

We preview the AIG Women’s Open as the world’s best golfers head to Walton Heath for the first time to vie for their final Major title of the year with a record $7.3m on the line.

JUMP TO: Live Leaderboard | Tee times | Who will win | The field | Course guide | Prize fund | How to watch | History

A Women’s Open on a heathland course? We can already hear the dissenting voices among you, except there is precedent for taking the final women’s Major of the year inland. Unlike its male counterpart, the Women’s Open
has never adopted a links-only policy and has previously done the rounds at Woburn and Sunningdale, among others. 

Now it’s the turn of Walton Heath in Surrey, which will welcome the world’s best golfers in the women’s game for the first time in its history. Besides creating a composite course for the occasion, they’ve built a festival fan village, booked a music act for Saturday night, and extended an invite to the LPGA rookie everyone is talking about. It’s all shaping up to be a must-watch and the perfect appetizer for the Solheim Cup in September.

Six storylines to follow at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open

Can anyone beat Celine Boutier?

Going one better than in 2022, Boutier claimed victory at the 2023 Women’s Scottish Open winning by two shots from Hyo Joo Kim. This was the 29-year-olds third victory of 2023 and the latest of back-to-back wins having claimed the first major of her career last week at the Evian Championship in her home country.

Boutier is currently walking away with the LPGA Race To CME title and is shooting up the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. At the start of the week, she isn’t an odds-on favorite at the bookies at 18/1, but thanks to her accuracy off of the tee and ability to hit Greens in regulation Walton Heath should suit her game with accuracy being a priority.

Everyone is talking about Rose Zhang

A win on her professional debut at the Mizuho Americas Open in June confirmed what we already knew: Rose Zhang is a future star of women’s golf with a swing to die for.

The 20-year-old has been rewriting the record books for a while now and has already drawn praise from – and comparisons to – Tiger Woods after eclipsing his winning record at Stanford. Her humility makes her easy to root for and a victory at Walton Heath would make her the youngest Women’s Open champion in history.

Jin Young Ko is the favorite

Before injury wrecked her 2022 season, the South Korean was dominating in a way we hadn’t seen since Annika Sorenstam. This year she’s been back to her best, winning twice and becoming World No.1 again.

The 27-year-old has come close at the Women’s Open twice before and the stats mark her out as the best iron player in the game. Walton Heath should play into her hands.

Georgia Hall is flying under the radar

The Englishwoman can count herself unfortunate that the depth in the women’s game is so great right now. We haven’t even mentioned Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, and Atthaya Thitikul, but Hall has been one of the best performers on the LPGA this season with five top 10s, including two seconds.

History tells us that she tends to save her best for the Women’s Open and unlike the rest of the world’s top 10, she knows what it takes to win one!

Solheim Cup hopes hang in the balance 

There are 40 days between the Women’s Open ending and the first Solheim shot being struck. Qualifying ends for both teams at the end of August and there are some big names who need a big result at Walton Heath.

Currently, Brits Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Bronte Law would need a captain’s pick unless they can snatch one of eight automatic places. Others to watch include Maja Stark and Linn Grant, who have had nine LET wins between them since the start of 2022.

Ellie Goulding is a headline act

How do you get extra bodies through the door? By inviting pop star Ellie Goulding to perform on the Saturday night after the day’s play. OK, so her music may not be to everyone’s tastes, but her audience reflects the kind of people the R&A are trying to get into golf.

This is also the first time live music has featured as part of the Championship weekend. A golf and concert ticket is £55, but discounts apply for juniors and 16 to 24-year-olds.

Who is in the field for the 2023 AIG Women’s Open?

144 Players will tee it up in the fifth and final women’s Major of the year, including all four of 2023’s Grand Slam champions, the Women’s Open’s defending champion, and all of the Rolex World Golf Rankings’ Top 50 players.

Chevron Championship winner Lilia Vu, US Open winner Allisen Corpuz, Evian Championship winner Celine Boutier, and Women’s PGA Championship winner Ruoning Yin will all be in action at Walton Heath, along with Ashleigh Buhai, above, who won the 2022 AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield.

They’ll be joined by a host of other huge names, including World No.1 Nelly Korda, Jin Young KO, Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Atthaya Thitkul, Nasa Hataoka, and Hyo Joo Kim.

Let’s take a look at the full field:

Alex, Marina

Alonso, Carmen

An, Na Rin

Anai, Lala

Anannarukarn, Pajaree

Ashok, Aditi Ashok

Baba, Saki (a)

Bennett, Kelsey

Boonchant, Jaravee

Borge, Celine

Boutier, Celine

Broch, Estrup, Nicole

Buhai, Ashleigh

Castren, Matilda

Cheenglab, Trichat

Chien, Peiyun

Choi, Hye-Jin

Chun, In Gee

Ciganda, Carlota

Corpuz, Allisen

Coughlin, Lauren

Cowan, Olivia

Dagar, Diksha

Davidson Spilkova, Klara

Darquea, Daniela

Davies, Laura

Davis, Hayley

De Bock, Savannah (a)

De Roey, Manon

Delacour, Perrine

Dryburgh, Gemma

Duncan, Lindy

Ewart Shadoff, Jodi

Ewing, Ally

Fassi, Maria

Foster, Anna (a)

Furue, Ayaka

Gainer, Cara

Galitsky, Eila (a)

Grant, Linn

Grechi, Emma

Green, Hannah

Gustavsson, Johanna

Hall, Georgia

Harigae, Mina

Hataoka, Nasa

Heath, Charlotte (a)

Hedwall, Caroline

Henderson, Brooke

Henry, Kylie

Henseleit, Esther

Herbin, Celine

Hewson, Alice

Horder, Chiara (a)

Hsu, Wei-ling

Huang, Ting-Hsuan (a)

Hull, Charley

Humphreys, Lily May

Iturrioz, Nuria

Iwai, Akie

Iwai, Chisato

Ji, Eun-Hee

Jutanugarn, Ariya

Jutanugarn, Moriya

Kang, Danielle

Katsu, Minami

Kawasaki, Haruka

Kemp, Sarah

Khang, Megan

Kim, A Lim

Kim, Gina

Kim, Grace

Kim, Hyo-Joo

Kim, In-Kyung

Kim, Sei Young

Kimura, Ayako

Knight, Cheyenne

Ko, Jin Young

Ko, Lydia

Koerstz Madsen, Nanna

Koivisto, Tiia

Korda, Nelly

Kupcho, Jennifer

Kyriacou, Stephanie

Lee, Alison

Lee, Andrea

Lee, Minjee

Lee, Mi Hyang

Lee6, Jeongeun

Lewis, Stacy

Lin, Xi Yu

Lindblad, Ingrid (a)

Liu, Yan

Liu, Yu

Lopez, Gaby

Lopez Ramirez, Julia (a)

MacLaren, Meghan

Maguire, Leona

Matthew, Catriona

Meadow, Stephanie

Metraux, Morgane

Napoleaova, Kristyna

Nishimura, Yuna

Noja, Chiara

Nordqvist, Anna

O’Toole, Ryann

Pace, Lee-Anne

Pedersen, Emily Kristine

Pettersson, Lisa

Reid, Mel

Reto, Paula

Rossi, Valentina (a)

Roussin, Pauline

Ryu, Hae Ran

Sagstrom, Madelene

Saigo, Mao

Sakurai, Kokona

Saso, Yuka

Schmelzel, Sarah

Schmidt, Patricia Isabel

Shibuno, Hinako

Shin, Jenny

Shin, Jiyai

Simmermacher, Magdalena

Stanford, Angela

Stark, Maja

Strom, Linnea

Tardy, Bailey

Tavatanakit, Patty

Thitikul, Atthaya

Thompson, Lexi

Trivino, Ana Pelaez

Valenzuela, Albane

Vu, Lilia

Weaver-Wright, Lindsey

Williams, Chloe

Yamashita, Miyu

Yang, Amy

Yin, Angel

Yin, Ruoning

Yoshida, Yuri

Young, Liz

Yubol, Arpichaya

Zhang, Rose

Watch: Ashleigh Buhai wins the 2022 AIG Women’s Open

Who is Ashleigh Buhai?

Turned professional the day after her 18th birthday, in May 2007. On just her third pro start, at the Catalonia Ladies Masters, she became the youngest-ever professional winner on the Ladies European Tour. 

After 221 LPGA Tour starts, she won for the first time by defeating Chun In-gee on the fourth playoff hole at the 2022 Women’s Open at Muirfield.

Secured her 21st professional title at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June 2023, her fourth worldwide victory in the last 10 months.

Interview: Ashleigh Buhai

When talking to Today’s Golfer defending champion Ashleigh Buhai on her incredible run of form and making up for lost time.

How do you reflect on your victory on Muirfield and the effect it had on your confidence?

I think it just gave me the extra belief in myself. I needed to know that I could win in the biggest pressure situation and get the job done. I had won on the LET multiple times, but I had not quite crossed the line on the LPGA. Winning in the fashion that I did kind of just sparked something in me.

Then I went down to Australia and won the Australian Open; again, coming down the gun on the last few holes. Then I went back to South Africa because my goal then was to hold three National Open titles at the same time. I think that was the most pressure I put on myself, being my home tournament, and wanting to win really badly, and I just managed to get the job done there. 

Then you followed it up by claiming your first LPGA Tour victory since the AIG Women’s Open. How special was that?

Yeah, it’s enormous. My goal this year was to get the monkey off my back and finally win on US soil.

You’ve spoken before about some of the changes you’ve made over the last 18 months. What led you to realize you needed to change something to turn around your fortune on the course?

I’ve been with my swing coach for 13 years and he just said, “Something is not right here. You’re swinging too good to not get results. It’s something else.” That’s when he put me in touch with Duncan McCarthy, (a mental coach). I think I got to the point where I felt I should have achieved more.

I’m 34, so I’m wanting to have a family. These things sit in the back of our minds and nobody really knows they’re there. Covid as well, not being able to go back home to see my friends and family was also really tough. We tapped into all that, and really got Ashleigh, the person, feeling better again.

How would you describe where you are now?

Definitely the best golf I’ve played in my career. I think we have found a good balance. And I’m on the older side on tour nowadays, I’m now one of the veterans.

Looking ahead to the Women’s Open, and knowing you’ve never played the course before, have you got any plans to visit Walton Heath beforehand?

It’s not going to be possible for me to visit any earlier than the week of the tournament. I’ll be playing the two weeks before at the Evian Championship and the Women’s Scottish Open. I’m a big believer that you’ve got to treat every tournament the same.

You’ve got to do the same preparation you do for every week, and you can’t put one tournament on a bigger pedestal than the other because I believe it creates more anxiety and more tension that you don’t need.

In recent years we’ve seen a big increase in prize money across all five Majors. Where do you think golf sits now in the drive for equality across all women’s sports?

I think we are right up there with it. Obviously, the Majors have taken on a step to bump all the purses up, and I think it’s fantastic. Basically, we are competing, the winner gets to take home almost $1 million in all the Majors now. It’s life-changing, especially as our average purses have probably previously been between one and two million.

What are the next steps to keep driving the women’s game forward?  

In the end, we want to be playing for more money every week. If you look at where the 100th person on the PGA Tour finishes on the money list, they are still making easily over a million dollars. But if you look at the 100th position on the LPGA, the position needed to keep your card, you’re looking at less than $200,000 for the season.

The gap is still far too big, and unfortunately, with what it now costs to travel the globe these days, the experience, flights, caddies, and accommodation, you’re still just probably breaking even.

It can be a very stressful career from that point of view, and I played like that for many, many years. That’s something that people don’t see from behind the scenes of what players have to go through on tour.

Betting odds for players to keep an eye on at the AIG Women’s Open

NELLY KORDA – 14/1

HYO JOO KIM – 14/1

ROSE ZHANG – 16/1

MINJEE LEE – 18/1

CELINE BOUTIER – 20/1

JIN YOUNG KO – 20/1

LEONA MAGUIRE – 20/1

ATTHAYA THITIKUL – 25/1

BROOKE HENDERSON – 28/1

CHARLEY HULL – 40/1

GEORGIA HALL – 45/1

LYDIA KO – 55/1

ASHLEIGH BUHAI – 66/1

*Betting odds as of Monday 7th August with bet365*

Interview: Simon Race

In an interview with Today’s Golfer, Walton Heath Head Pro Simon Race discusses where the 2023 Women’s Open will be won or lost at Walton Heath

Why have you created a composite course for the Championship?

I think when you have 36 holes, it makes sense to utilize those to create a composite course. The Old Course is incredibly strong anyway but by adding in two great holes – 12 and 13 – from the New Course, it makes it a truly fantastic set-up overall. We did the same for the 2018 British Masters.

Which is harder – the front or the back nine?

The front nine will be the tougher of the two. You’ve got four par 4s back-to-back to start, none of which are easy birdie holes at all. Whereas you feel like you make up a few shots on the back nine with two par 5s and slightly more scorable par 4s.  

Where are the big birdie/eagle opportunities?

All the par 5s will be reachable as long as they keep the ball in play. I think that’s where the big moves are likely to come from on the leaderboards. 

How tough is the closing stretch?

I think that if you offered the players pars on 15, 17, and 18, they’d take them and will probably be gaining on the field. There is the potential for a good score on 16 but even then there are a couple of deep bunkers which can catch you out. The par-3 17th looks fairly easy, but anything slightly offline there can leave very difficult up and downs.

What is the course’s main defense?

Although the greens are relatively large, the run-offs into the bunkers are quite pronounced and you can’t hit and hold the ball on every part of the green, especially if you’re coming from the wrong side.

With us being relatively high up, the wind is always a factor and that will give the course even more teeth during the Championship. The heather is our logo, and it’s one of the big defenses of Walton Heath. Finding the fairway off the tee and staying out of that heather will be paramount because it gives you control into those fast greens.

What attributes do you need to play well?

We had US Open Qualifying a month or so ago and the common theme from the male professionals was that they found the greens tricky to read. They were rolling beautifully, but just reading the subtle little slopes is vital. So, I think the player who can really figure out those greens will be in contention for the tournament.

Women’s Open Preview: Walton Heath course guide

Par: 72 | Yardage: 6,881
Course composite: (Old and New) 

1st hole: 404 yards | Par 4

Played as the 2nd hole on the Old Course, this is probably the toughest two-shotter of the lot with a fairway that slopes in the opposite direction to the dog leg. The tee shot plays into a hidden valley that constricts at the landing area, a feature of the course throughout. A good tee shot will still leave a long approach off a hanging lie to an elevated green.

5th hole: 172 yards | Par 3

The first par 3 on the course and the start of a scorable stretch. The green is fairly generous in size and is set slightly in a cluster of trees, so swirling wind must be taken into account. A deep bunker lurks front right and is the lone hazard on what is a beautiful hole, played over a sea of heather.

16th hole | 510 yards | Par 5

A great risk and reward hole and the last of three par 5s on the course. Favoring the right side of the tee is crucial as the second half of the hole dog-legs considerably to the left and is played tightly along the trees, which can come into play if out of position. The green slopes strongly from back to front and is guarded by one of the deepest bunkers in England on the right, as well as a heather-filled grass bunker on the left. Potential for eagle and disaster awaits.

18th hole: 397 yards | Par 4

A tough finishing hole for any player that gets out of position. The tee shot needs to be threaded between two deep bunkers on the left and yet more heather on the right. A yawning cross bunker sits about 40 yards short of the green and will prevent players from running the ball in from the rough. The green is long and narrow, protected by bunkers on either side.

Three things you need to know about Walton Heath

– The Surrey club has hosted five European Opens, the Ryder Cup in 1981, and the Senior Open in 2011. It is also used for US Open Qualifying and last staged the British Masters in 2018.

– The Ryder Cup was held at Walton Heath in 1981, but this was played over the Old Course. Europe. USA beat Europe 18.5-9.5 and this was the sixth and final Ryder Cup for Jack Nicklaus as a competitor.

– It is the first time the club has hosted the Championship, and the first AIG Women’s Open in Greater London since Sunningdale served as the venue in 2004.

Women’s Open preview: Tournament format

The final women’s golf Major of the year follows. a traditional format with four rounds of strokeplay. 144 players will play in the opening two rounds, heading out in groups of three.

As per the men’s Open Championship, the tournament will operate a single-tee start with every group going off the 1st, with the first group getting started at 6.30 am. Groups and tee times will be announced on Tuesday, August 8.

The cut will be made at the conclusion of Friday’s second round. The top 65 players including ties will make the weekend with players heading out in pairs based on their position on the leaderboard. In the event of a tie, a sudden-death play-off will take place on the 18th hole.

Women’s Open Preview: Prize Fund

At this year’s Championship, there are $9m dollars up for grabs at Walton Heath, a $3.2m increase on the 2021 purse at Carnoustie, and double the amount on offer in 2019. The 2023 champion will earn $1.35 million. The total prize fund for the AIG Women’s Open has increased significantly since AIG became the title sponsor in 2019. 
 
Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A said, “In AIG and Peter Zaffino, we have found an ally of women’s golf which has formed the basis of our strong partnership and I am delighted to see that continue. 
 
“We have a clear vision for the AIG Women’s Open; we want to see the best women golfers compete on the best golf courses in front of large crowds and show us how good they are.
 
“When I look around at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open and what we have achieved in five years, I am incredibly proud; but even more so, I am inspired by what we can still do. The future of women’s golf is bright and it is up to us, with the support of the wider industry, to take bold steps, in a way that is financially sustainable, to ensure our aspirations become reality.”

“In AIG, we have the support of a deeply trusted partner, as we look to continue to elevate the AIG Women’s Open.”

How the AIG Women’s Open prize fund has grown since AIG became the title sponsor in 2019:

2023 – $9 million

2022 – $7.3 million

2021 – $5.8 million

2020 – $4.5 million

2019 – $4.5 million

2018 – $3.25million

The prize fund for the men’s Open Championship, by way of comparison, increased to $16.5 m from $15m with winner Brian Harman pocketing $3m.

Purse breakdown for the top 25

1st $1,350,000

2nd $887,762

3rd $642,983

4th $496,552

5th $398,941

6th $325,726

7th $272,037

8th $237,873

9th $213,468

10th $193,942

11th $179,295

12th $167,092

13th $156,355

14th $146,596

15th $137,808

16th $130,000

17th $123,171

18th $117,312

19th $112,433

20th $108,524

21st $104,625

22nd $100,716

23rd $96,816

24th $92,907

25th $89,493

How to get tickets for the AIG Women’s Open

You could still be at the Women’s Open with championship day tickets, weekend passes, and four-day packages all still on sale. Day tickets cost £40 for over 25s, and £20 for those aged 16-24.

After moving day, on Saturday, there will be a concert in the evening from Global Superstar Ellie Goulding in the fan village. Tickets will be at a slightly higher price than the rest of the championship days costing £55 for those over 25s, and £40 for those aged 16-24, and under 16’s will be £20

Weekend tickets, which grant you access to the final two rounds and Ellie Goulding’s performance on Saturday night, cost £90 and £55 respectively, with five-day tickets priced at £160 and £90.

Apart from concert day, tickets for kids under 16 are free, but they must be accompanied by a paying adult. A £5 Mastercard discount is available per transaction. Book now at aigwomensopen.com/tickets

How to watch the AIG Women’s Open

If the journey to Surrey is a little too far then live TV coverage of all four rounds will be shown on Sky Sports Golf with highlights after each day’s play airing on the BBC and BBC iPlayer. BBC Radio 5Live will also keep you up to date with all of the key moments across the four days.

If you haven’t got Sky Sports then there’s still time. Prices start at £25 per month, and you can subscribe here. If you just want to watch the Women’s Open action, you can buy a NOW pass for £11.98 per day, or monthly pass for £33.99. Full details here.

If you are watching in the US, you can watch on Golf Channel and NBC Sports. If you don’t have them available to you currently you can create an account at either Hulu Live or YouTube TV. Both streaming services have free trials and packages that include both the Golf Channel and NBC Sports.

If you’re not in the US or want to watch coverage from places across the globe you can get a VPN. Thanks to its ability to work with most streaming services, we strongly recommend ExpressVPN.

Which golf courses have hosted the Women’s Open?

Woburn leads the way having hosted the event 11 times across two of its three courses.

Nine times: Woburn Golf Club (Duke’s Course)

Six times: Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Five times: Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

Four times: Sunningdale Golf Club

Twice: St Andrews Links, Carnoustie Golf Links, Woburn Golf Club (Marquess Course), Turnberry Golf Club, Lindrick Golf Club

Once: Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Royal Troon Golf Club, Kingsbarns, Fulford Golf Club, Wentworth Golf Club, Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club, Ferndown Golf Club, St Mellion, Moor Park Golf Club, Northumberland Golf Club, Foxhills Golf Club

Which courses will hold the Women’s Open in the future?

The Major heads to The Old Course at St Andrews, which plays host for the third time in 2024. Wales will then play host for the first time when the 49th tournament is held at Royal Porthcawl (above) in 2025, and the venue for the 50th Women’s Open in 2026 will be Royal Lytham & St Annes, which will be its sixth time as host.

Which players have won the Women’s Open in the past?

America’s Sherri Steinhauer and Australia’s Karen Webb hold the record for the most wins in the Women’s Open with three each.

Steinhauer is one of only three players to successfully defend the title (1998, 1999), alongside fellow American Debbie Massey (1980, 1981), and Taiwan’s Yani Tseng (2010, 2011).

Nine British players have won their home Open, including Laura Davies (1986), Alison Nicholas (1987), Penny Grice-Whittaker (1991), and Catriona Matthew (2009). Georgia Hall was the last to do, winning her maiden Major at Royal Lytham in 2018.

1976: Jenny Lee Smith (amateur, England) – Fulford

1977: Vivien Saunders (England) – Lindrick

1978: Janet Melville (amateur, England) – Foxhills

1979: Alison Sheard (South Africa) – Southport & Ainsdale

1980: Debbie Massey (USA) – Wentworth

1981: Debbie Massey (USA) – Northumberland

1982: Marta Gigueras-Dotti (amateur, Spain)

1983: Cancelled

1984: Ayako Okamoto (Japan) – Woburn

1985: Betsy King (USA) – Moor Park

1986: Laura Davies (England) – Royal Birkdale

1987: Alison Nicholas (England) – St Mellion

1988: Corinne Dibnah (Australia) – Lindrick

1989: Jane Geddes (USA) – Ferndown

1990: Helen Alfredsson (Sweden) – Woburn

1991: Penny Grice-Whittaker (England) – Woburn

1992: Patty Sheehan (USA) – Woburn

1993: Karen Lunn (Australia) – Woburn

1994: Liselotte Neumann (Sweden) – Woburn

1995: Karrie Webb (Australia) – Woburn

1996: Emilee Klein (USA) – Woburn

1997: Karrie Webb (Australia) – Woburn

1998: Sherri Steinhauer (USA) Royal Lytham

1999: Sherri Steinhauer (USA) – Woburn

2000: Sophie Gustafson (Sweden) – Royal Birkdale

2001: Se Ri Pak (South Korea) – Sunningdale

2002: Karrie Webb (Australia) – Turnberry

2003: Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) – Royal Lytham

2004: Karen Stupples (England) – Sunningdale

2005: Jeong Jang (South Korea) – Royal Birkdale

2006: Sherri Steinhauer (USA) – Royal Lytham

2007: Lorena Ochoa (Mexico) – St Andrews

2008: Jiyai Shin (South Korea) – Sunningdale

2009: Catriona Matthew (Scotland) – Royal Lytham

2010: Yani Tseng (Taiwan) – Royal Birkdale

2011: Yani Tseng (Taiwan) – Carnoustie

2012: Jiyai Shin (South Korea) – Royal Liverpool

2013: Stacy Lewis (USA) – St Andrews

2014: Mo Martin (USA) – Royal Birkdale

2015: Inbee Park (South Korea) – Turnberry

2016: Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) – Woburn

2017: In-Kyung Kim (South Korea) – Kingsbarns

2018: Georgia Hall (England) – Royal Lytham

2019: Hinako Shibuno (Japan) – Woburn

2020: Sophie Popov (Germany) – Royal Troon

2021: Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) – Carnoustie

2022: Ashleigh Buhai (South African) – Muirfield

Who holds the scoring record at the Women’s Open?

Two players share the scoring record, which hasn’t been matched for 18 years. Australia’s Karrie Webb shot a 19-under-par 269 to lift the trophy at Sunningdale in 1997. And England’s Karen Stupples (above) matched that winning total and scored to par in her victory at the same venue in 2004.

The highest-ever winning total came at Foxhills in 1978, when English amateur Janet Melville won the third playing of the tournament having taken 310 shots. The event was part of the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship in those days, with just four professionals taking part.

READ NEXT:
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About the author

Will Shreeve-Peacock
Golf Equipment Writer

Will Shreeve-Peacock is a golf equipment writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in golf shoes, GPS watches, rangefinders, and training aids.

He has a degree in journalism from Sheffield Hallam University and four years of experience working in golf retail with American Golf. Will was part of the sales and fitting team, making him the perfect man to review golf equipment.

Trained by a range of manufacturers, including Titleist and TaylorMade, to enhance his product knowledge, Will has all of the skills required to recommend the perfect equipment for amateur golfers.

Will started playing golf more than a decade ago at Thorney Lakes Golf Club, Cambridgeshire and is now a member at Burghley Park Golf Club in Stamford, Lincolnshire. His handicap index is 5.8, largely thanks to his scratch-standard short game.

Away from golf, Will enjoys going to the gym, cooking, spending time with his friends, and watching his beloved Manchester United.

Will uses a Cobra LTDx Driver, Cobra LTDx 3-Wood, TaylorMade P790 2-iron, Callaway X Forged 18 Irons (4-PW), Wilson Staff Model Wedges (52°, 58°), TaylorMade White smoke IN-12 Blade putter and the TaylorMade TP5x Golf ball.

When he’s not testing golf shoes, he chooses to wear FootJoy Hyperflex or Under Armour Charged Phantom. He uses a Shotscope Pro L2 rangefinder, and his favorite training aid is the PuttOut Pressure Putt Trainer and mat.

You can contact Will via email or follow him on Twitter here.