The 2025 AIG Women’s Open was the year’s final major, and provided a fitting send-off at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.

The prize fund for the AIG Women’s Open, which was being played at Royal Porthcawl was $9.75 million, an increase of $250,000 on the previous year.

The prize fund for the Championship has tripled since before The R&A’s partnership with AIG began in 2019. This year the Champion took home $1,462,500, the highest amount in the AIG Women’s Open’s 49-year history.

The growth in the AIG Women’s Open prize fund

• 2025 – $9.75 million

• 2024 – $9.5 million

• 2023 – $9 million

• 2022 – $7.3 million

• 2021 – $5.8 million

• 2020 – $4.5 million

• 2019 – $4.5 million (beginning of The R&A and AIG partnership)

• 2018 – $3.25 million

The winner on Sunday at Royal Porthcawl, 24-year-old Miyu Yamashita from Japan, earned $1,462,500, the highest amount in the 49-year history of the AIG Women’s Open. The purse has increased each of the last five years. The R&A and AIG partnership began in 2019.

Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open

WIN: Miya Yamashita, -11/277, $1,462,500

T-2: Charley Hull, -9/279, $829,742

T-2: Minami Katsu, -9/279, $829,742

T-4: A Lim Kim, -7/281, $485,403

T-4: Rio Takeda, -7/281, $485,403

T-6: Megan Khang, -6/282, $324,018

T-6: Wei Ling Hsu, -6/282, $324,018

T-8: Steph Kyriacou, -4/284, $276,168

T-8: Lottie Woad, -4/284, $276,168

T-8: Paula Martin Sampedro, -4/284, $0 (amateur)

T-11: Andrea Lee, -3/285, $

T-11: Mao Saigo, -3/285, $

T-13: Chiara Tamburlini, -2/286, $

T-13: Hyo Joo Kim, -2/286, $

T-13: Minjee Lee, -2/286, $,

T-13: Sei Young Kim, -2/286, $

T-13: Lauren Coughlin, -2/286, $

T-13: Pajaree Anannarukarn, -2/286, $

T-19: Georgia Hall, -1/287, $

T-19: Mimi Rhodes, -1/287, $

T-19: Yan Liu, -1/287, $

T-19: Linn Grant, -1/287, $

T-23: Jenny Shin, E/288, $

T-23: Ariya Jutanugarn, E/288, $

T-23: Morgan Metraux, E/288, $

T-23: Esther Henseleit, E/288, $

T-23: Celine Boutier, E/288, $

T-23: Haeran Ryu, E/288, $

T-23: Jinhee Im, E/288, $

T-30: Anna Nordqvust, +1/289, $

T-30: Jeeno Thitikul, +1/289, $

T-30: Narin An, +1/289, $

T-33: Ayaka Furue, +2/290, $

T-33: Nasa Hataoka, +2/290, $

T-33: Alexa Pano, +2/290, $

T-36: Sarah Schmelzel, +3/291, $

T-36: Lydia Ko, +3/291, $

T-36: Nelly Korda, +3/291, $

39: In Gee Chun, +4/292, $

T-40: Darcey Harry, +5/293, $

T-40: Madelene Sagstrom, +5/293, $

T-40: Casandra Alexander, +5/293, $

T-40: Angel Yin, +5/293, $

T-40: Akie Iwai, +5/293, $

T-40: Shannon Tan, +5/293, $

T-46: Ilhee Lee, +6/294, $

T-46: Diksha Dagar, +6/294, $

T-46: Lindy Duncan, +6/294, $

T-46: Brooke Matthews, +6/294, $

T-50: Bronte Law, +7/295, $

T-50: Ashleigh Buhai, +7/295, $

T-50: Amy Yang, +7/295, $

T-50: Mi Hyang Lee, +7/295, $

T-50: Stacy Lewis, +7/295, $

T-55: Kristen Gillman, +8/296, $

T-55: Emma Spitz, +8/296, $

T-55: Manon De Roey, +8/296, $

T-58: Chisato Iwai, +9/297, $

T-58: Yuri Yoshida, +9/297, $

T-58: Arpichaya Yubol, +9/297, $

T-58: Carla Bernat, +9/297, $0 (amateur)

T-58: Mary Liu, +9/297, $

T-63: Perrine Delacour, +11/299, $

T-63: Leona Maguire, +11/299, $

T-63: Patty Tavatanakit, +11/299, $

T-63: Yani Tseng, +11/299, $

T-67: Laura Fuenfstueck, +12/300, $

T-67: Grace Kim, +12/300, $

T-69: Dasom Ma, +15/303, $

T-69: Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, +15/303, $

71: Jeneath Wong, +17/305, $0 (amateur)

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There have been plenty of big tournaments on the 130-year-old links that sit by the Bristol Channel. Then-Stanford star Tiger Woods led an American team to Porthcawl for the 1995 Walker Cup, but it was Padraig Harrington’s Great Britain & Ireland team that prevailed. And Bernhard Langer would be a good person for tour players to consult, considering he won the Senior Open Championship twice at Porthcawl (2014, 2017), with the first victory coming by a whopping 13 shots.

The weather—namely wind—could play a role, but the current forecast looks manageable, with regular breezes not predicted to exceed 15 mph this week and temperatures in the high 60s.

The experience will be all new for many players who haven’t played the course or visited the area.

“I’ve never been to Wales,” said World No. 1 Nelly Korda. “I’ve never been to the golf course, so I am excited to check something new off the list. It’s the last major of the year. It’s always exciting to play in a major, so I’m looking forward to a good week in Wales.”

Mao Saigo (Chevron Championship), Maja Stark (U.S. Women’s Open), Minjee Lee (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship) and Grace Kim (Evian Championship) have won the first four majors of the season, but no player has won multiple times on tour this year.

With Lottie Woad’s victory Sunday in the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open in her pro debut, there have been 19 consecutive tournaments with different winners, the longest stretch to a season’s start in the 75-year history of the LPGA. Twenty players have won events, with a two-player team winning the Dow Championship.

Lydia Ko is the defending Open champion after her victory St. Andrews, but the previous four winners of the Women’s Open—Lilia Vu, Ashleigh Buhai, Anna Nordqvist and Sophia Popov—are struggling this season. Vu has missed the cut in her last five tournaments, three of which were majors; Buhai hasn’t made the weekend in three of the four majors; Nordqvist made the cut at the first two majors but missed at the Women’s PGA Championship and Evian Championship; and Popov is 1-for-7 in cuts in her most recent tour starts.

A look at our picks for the top 20 players we think have the best chance to win this major.

20. Georgia Hall

ANDY BUCHANAN

Rolex Rankings: 117; British starts: 12; Best finish: Won, 2018; ’24 Finish: T-22

The English golfer loves the British Open and my, does the British Open love her. In addition to her win at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2018, she’s finished second and third. Her season, however, has been a struggle, with Hall making only five cuts in 12 starts, and her only top-10 came in February.  Hall’s upside: She again showed her strength on links by finishing T-29 in Women’s Scottish last week.

19. Andrea Lee

Rolex Rankings: 28; British starts: 5; Best finish: T-7, 2020; ’24 finish: T-22

The American’s game has been trending up all season. She’s made the cut in all four majors and hasn’t finished worse than T-30, including a T-5 at Evian after leading the first round. She has two top-10s in the British and is looking for her first LPGA win since 2022.

18. Grace Kim

Rolex Rankings: 26; British starts: 2; Best finish: T-36, 2023; ’24 finish: T-37

Kim pulled off an incredible finish in the Evian, scoring an eagle to force a playoff and then going birdie-eagle over the two extra holes to beat Jeeno Thitikul. Maybe she can continue riding the wave in Europe, though she missed the cut last week in the Scottish Open and has only one other top-10 finish in 13 starts this season.

17. Maja Stark

Stuart Franklin

Rolex Rankings: 9; British starts: 3; Best finish: T-41, 2022; ’24 finish: T-71

Stark won May’s U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills, becoming one of three Swedes to capture a tournament this year. She has one other top-10 this season, but has been inconsistent enough to miss five cuts, including at Evian.

16. Carlota Ciganda

Rolex Rankings: 25; British starts: 16; Best finish: T-7, 2018; 7, 2019; ’24 finish: T-37

Ciganda is having one of her best seasons on tour, with five top-10s and a win in the Meijer LPGA Classic. She’s still looking to become the first Spaniard on the women’s side to win a major, and with 12 career top-12s in majors she continues to put herself in position to do that.

15. Ayaka Furue

Rolex Rankings: 19; British starts: 4; Best finish: T-20, 2021; ’24 finish: T-37

She has three top-10s this year and five-top 10s in majors in her young career. Furue won the Evian last year but missed the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open and Women’s PGA. She’s finished second, third and fourth in events this year, so her game is right there.

14. Akie Iwai

Atsushi Tomura

Rolex Rankings: 27; British starts: 2; Best finish: T-7, 2024; ‘24 finish: T-7

She finished T-11 in the 2023 British and added a top-10 last year. The 23-year-old Japanese star is having a fantastic rookie season with three top-10s and has made the cut in three of the four majors.

13. Charley Hull

Rolex Rankings: 20; British starts: 16; Best finish: 2, 2023; ’24 finish: T-20

The Englishwoman had to withdraw from the Evian this month after collapsing on the course due to battling a virus. She’s healthy again and played in the Scottish Open. Hull had the best chance of her career to win a major at the British when she was tied for the lead in 2023 after 54 holes, but Lilia Vu overcame her to win a second major for the year. This year, Hull has finished T-12 in two majors, the Women’s PGA and U.S. Women’s Open.

12. Mao Saigo

Rolex Rankings: 10; British starts: 3; Best finish: T-7, 2024; ’24 finish: T-7

Saigo, the tour’s rookie of the year last year, has had no sophomore slump. She won the Chevron in April and has five top-10s this season, including a T-4 at the U.S. Women’s Open. The Japanese star was T-38 at Evian but missed the cut at the Women’s PGA.

11. Hinako Shibuno

Rolex Rankings: 81; British starts: 6; Best finish: Won, 2019; ’24 finish: MC

It’s feast or famine for Shibuno in this major. She’s won it and finished third, but has also missed the cut three times. She’s gone through tough stretches and missed the cut in four consecutive events this season, but posted a top-10 at the U.S. Women’s Open. Her lone career win was at this major, so she’ll no doubt try to use those good vibes to get back on track this week.

10. Ariya Jutanugarn

Hunter Martin

Rolex Rankings: 18; British starts: 11; Best finish: Won, 2016; ’24 finish: 6

A two-time major winner, Jutanugarn has four career top-10s in the British. Her victory in ’16 at Woburn outside London came when she was just 20 years old and made her the first player from Thailand to win a major. In April, she flubbed a chip shot at the Chevron on the 72nd hole when she needed to get up and down for the win. The 12-time career winner still hasn’t notched a victory this season, but has been strong with six top-10s, including a T-8 last week.

9. Jin Young Ko

Rolex Rankings: 13; British starts: 6; Best finish: 2, 2015; ’24 finish: MC

Ko has four top-10s this year—including second-, third- and fourth-place finishes. The two-time major winner has 12 career top-10s in majors. Ko nearly won the British in 2015, leading after 54 holes, but Inbee Park stormed back to win and complete the career Grand Slam.

8. Lottie Woad

Rolex Rankings: 24; British starts: 1; Best finish: T-10, 2024; ’24 finish: T-10

Woad could haven’t done any better in her British Open prep than winining in both starts before it. The 21-year-old Florida State alum backed up her wint in the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur by capturing last week’s Women’s Scottish Open in her pro debut. She was the low amateur last year at St. Andrews and finished T-3 at this year’s Evian, which gave her the final point in the LEAP program to earn her tour card.

7. Hyo Joo Kim

Mike Mulholland

Rolex Rankings: 8 British starts: 8; Best finish: T-4, 2023; ’24 finish: T-29

The Korean standout has two top-10s and five top-25s in this event and plays well in European majors. She won the Evian in 2014 and has three top-10s in France. This year, she has four top-10s and a win at the Ford Championship.

6. Nelly Korda

Rolex Rankings: 1; British starts: 8; Best finish: T-2, 2024; ’24 finish: T-2

Korda, coming off a solo fifth in the Women’s Scottish, has been in a situation for the last month where she could lose her World No. 1 ranking to Jeeno Thitikul and that still holds true this week. A year after having six victories for the season by this juncture, Korda has surprisingly not won despite mostly playing well, posting four top-10s, including a T-2 in the U.S. Women’s Open. She hasn’t missed a cut this year, and her 13 consecutive made cuts are the most in her career.

5. Ruoning Yin

Rolex Rankings: 4; British starts: 2; Best finish: T-2, 2024; ’24 finish: T-2

Last year, Yin finished in a four-way T-2, two shots behind Ko.  She’s having a strong season, with three top-10s, including T-2 in both the Chevron and U.S. Women’s Open and is looking to add another major to her Women’s PGA Championship.

4. Angel Yin

Scott Taetsch

Rolex Rankings: 6; British starts: 9; Best finish: T-6, 2023; ’24 finish: T-10

Yin has nine career top-10s in majors and two of those are in the British. This season, she’s given herself a chance to win every major, with three top-10s—U.S. Women’s Open (T-9), Women’s PGA (T-6) and Evian (T-5)—as well as a 13th in Chevron. Yin won this year’s Honda LPGA Thailand and has six top-10s. She’s as due as anyone.

3. Lydia Ko

Rolex Rankings: 3; British starts: 13; Best finish: Won, 2024; ’24 finish: Won

Ko is back at the British, where she scored an emotional win last year at St. Andrews for her third major championship, and she’ll try to join Yani Tseng (2010-11) as the only players to win back-to-back in the Women’s British Open since it became an LPGA major in 2001. Ko’s victory last year was part of a dream season of Olympic gold and the final point for the LPGA Hall of Fame. This year, she won early at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, finished T-6 in her next start and doesn’t have a top-10 finish in eight starts since.

2. Minjee Lee

Ryan Lochhead/PGA of America

Rolex Rankings: 5; British starts: 11; Best finish: 3, 2020; ’24 Finish: MC

Lee is having a fantastic season, especially in majors, including a win in the Women’s PGA. Then she finished T-3 at Evian. The Australian has five career top-10s in this major and plays well everywhere, especially overseas. With a win in the British, she’d clinch the career Grand Slam.

1. Jeeno Thitikul

Rolex Rankings: 2; British starts: 7; Best finish: T-7, 2022; ’24 finish: T-17

Thitiul, the top-10 queen, is at it again this season with eight top-10s and one win at the Mizuho Americas Open. She nearly won the Evian but missed a short putt on the 72nd hole and lost to Grace Kim in their two-hole playoff. She also finished T-4 in the Women’s PGA, so her game is right where it needs to be to get what’s missing in her young, productive career—a major.

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There’s something deeply special about seeing the AIG Women’s Open come to Wales. To have one of the biggest events in women’s golf played at Royal Porthcawl—on home soil—is huge. I sadly won’t be working there this year, as I’ll be commentating at the Legends Tour’s Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, but I’ll be keeping an eye on it for sure!

Porthcawl has always had a place in my heart. It’s one of my favourite courses in the world: a proper links layout, open and exposed, where the wind can change everything. It’s a course that demands creativity, patience, and precision—and it’s about to test the best women players in the world.

I’ve played there plenty of times, and when the conditions turn, it’s no joke. The course’s biggest defence is the weather, without a doubt. When the wind is up, there’s nowhere to hide. And then there are the pot bunkers—plenty of them—waiting to catch anything even slightly offline.

But it isn’t just a big week for the players, it’s a big week for Welsh golf. We’ve hosted great events before, of course, but this is different. This is a women’s major. It’s a moment to put Welsh golf on the map, to show that we have world-class courses, passionate fans, and a deep love for the game.

Amy Boulden. Supplied

So I hope this week inspires others, especially young girls. I still remember going to watch this tournament with my parents when I was little. Seeing the best players in the world up close planted the seed that made me want to become a professional golfer. I can only imagine how powerful that same experience will be for the next generation watching in Wales.

Even though I’ve now retired from playing professionally, I’m really proud to be involved in various golf broadcasting. While I do miss the competitive side, I’m genuinely enjoying this new chapter. Getting to walk the course, watch the action up close, and bring that to viewers at home is a new kind of challenge—but one I’m embracing. It’s given me a front-row seat to the incredible level of talent especially in the women’s game right now.

Of course, I’d have loved to be there at Porthcawl. You never really lose that buzz during a major week. But instead, I’ll be cheering on the Welsh players who make the field and soaking up what promises to be an unforgettable week for our country, our course, and our sport.

Amy Boulden is a former LET professional player, turned on-course commentator.

Main image: David Cannon/Getty Images

This article was featured in the July 2025 issue of Golf Digest Middle East. Click here for a digital issue of the full magazine

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This month, all eyes turn to Royal Portrush as we build up to the 153rd Open Championship. From Xander Schauffele’s stunning victory 12 months ago at Royal Troon to Tommy Fleetwood’s unfinished business on Northern Irish soil in 2019, this is your ultimate preview of golf’s oldest major.

We go inside the ropes with Dubai-based coach Liam James, who shares his unique preparation for this year’s championship. We also explore why Portrush stands apart as one of the most distinctive tests in the Open rota. Plus, Edoardo Molinari returns with a breakdown of the key skills needed to lift the Claret Jug.

Elsewhere, we shine a light on the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Sunningdale, and catch up with Amy Boulden as she explains why the AIG Women’s Open is a milestone moment for both women’s and Welsh golf.

And if you’re thinking about your own game, don’t miss our look at how club-fitting, led by eGolf Megastore, is giving amateurs across the GCC a serious edge.

All this and plenty more in the July 2025 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download it to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite golf club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

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After a final round like that, no one would blame Korda for locking herself in her hotel room for a night of room service and sitcom reruns, but to her credit, she soldiered down to St. Andrews’ legendary Dunvegan Pub.

Nelly Korda dropped by the Dunvegan in St Andrews yesterday after the Women’s Open with a hoodie that says “it costs zero dollars to be a nice person”. Good to see she’s in good spirits after a rough closing stretch in the final round. pic.twitter.com/etqRJzhzlr

— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) August 26, 2024

Full marks to Korda for braving a public appearance after a blustery, brutal week at the Old Course, especially when contrasted with the way Rory dipped out after his Pinehurst heartbreak earlier this summer. There’s no more recognisable face or name in women’s golf, and for her show up to support a local business, even in a defeat, says everything you need to know about her character.

Well, almost everything. Thankfully her hoodie says the rest:

“It costs ZERO dollars to be a nice person.”

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At the end of a long week dominated by slow play that saw the opening two rounds both take around six hours to complete, the New Zealander reached the seven-under-par total that proved too strong for a formidable host of challengers down the stretch.

It was, in fact, an overall brilliant display by Ko and the cast of characters in her wake, almost enough, in fact, to distract the hardy souls who came to watch in weather severe even by the standards of a “normal” Scottish summer.

“It’s been a crazy past few weeks,” said Ko. “Something that was too good to be true [winning the gold medal] happened, and I honestly didn’t think it could be any better But here I am as the AIG Women’s Open champion. Obviously being here at the Old Course at St. Andrews, it makes it so much more special. I just loved being out there this week.

“It’s been the whirlwind of a past three weeks,” she continued. “It was crazy to get into the Hall of Fame by winning the gold. These are things that I could have never imagined because they were just too good to be true. To say, ‘Oh, like what are the odds that that’s going to happen at the Olympics, and then a couple weeks later I’m going to win the AIG Women’s Open,’ I would have thought somebody was messing with me. But here I am, and it’s just been unreal. I feel very fortunate.”

The moment that sealed the deal pic.twitter.com/VwdLJWUjqb

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 25, 2024

Given the enormity of the occasion and the peerless venue, the final numbers do not begin to tell the story of a final round containing just about every one of the traditional twists and turns associated with the storied Old Course. Indeed, the back-nine on Sunday was almost Augusta-like in its ability to provide drama and excitement.

By the time the various challengers emerged from the loop of six holes (7-12) at the far end of the links the winner appeared not to be a former World No. 1 in Ko, but the current No. 1, Nelly Korda. Making 3 at five of the loop’s constituent parts, the American was eight under par and clear of a chasing pack that included two more former No. 1s in Lilia Vu and Jiyai Shin. Over that six-hole stretch, Korda picked up two shots on Ko, three on Shin and four on Vu.

Not too long afterward, however, Korda began giving up her advantage. No more than 60-yards from the flag in two shots on the par-5 14th, the 26-year-old Floridian needed five more swings to get her ball in the hole. A whole new ball game was underway, one that complicated further three holes later when Korda found the notorious Road Hole bunker with her approach to the penultimate green. Unable to play toward the hole, she made an almost inevitable bogey.

“It’s golf,” said Korda. “I’m going to mess up, and unfortunately, I messed up over the weekend twice in two penalising ways coming down the stretch. That’s what kind of cost me the tournament.”

Paul Devlin/R&A

That suffering was hard enough for the long-suffering spectators—“drookit” (soaked) in Scottish parlance—to witness. But how Vu, needing a birdie on the almost drivable 18th to force a playoff, took four to get down from just in front of the green was just as painful. After seeing her drive gain maybe 20-extra yards when the ball landed on Granny Clark’s Wynd, the defending champion clumsily pitched 25 feet past the flag. Three putts followed, the ultimate anti-climax.

In contrast, Ko’s play over the closing two holes was both exemplary and, eventually, decisive. From the 17th fairway amidst the torrential downpour that represented the worst of the final day’s weather, the Kiwi struck a memorable 3-wood onto one of golf’s most elusive targets. Two putts led to a safe par that was followed by a birdie on the 18th. A deft pitch was the prelude to what turned out to be a title-clinching putt.

Her smile said it all.

“Seventeen was going to be difficult for every single person that teed up this week,” said Ko. “I just wanted to finish in a way that I could be proud of, not just the score but with my commitment and my approach to these shots. So yeah, 16 was when I first knew that I was tied, and then my goal was to make par on 17 and then make birdie on 18.”

Mission accomplished.

Oisin Keniry/R&A

Mention must also be made of Lottie Woad. The World’s No. 1 amateur confirmed her status by claiming the Smyth Salver that goes to the low amateur. Perhaps more impressively, Woad—who this week will spearhead the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup squad’s attempt to defeat their American counterparts at Sunningdale—tied for tenth place alongside Sweden’s Linn Grant and Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark for the unofficial title of low European, amateur or professional, on one under par.

“This has been really great for me confidence-wise,” confirmed Woad, an All-American at Florida State. “I’m really looking forward to the Curtis Cup. It is one of the big goals that I think any amateur wants to play in. Being near where I live, it’s going to be a lot of supporters. It’s one of my favorite golf courses in the world. I just love heathland courses. It’s going to be really fun.”

And hopefully better weather.

Main Image: Michael Reaves

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Still, the golf was worth watching. In winds that gusted to more than 40 mph, as many as 16 members of the 144-strong field gathered in the Home of Golf for the AIG Women’s Open Championship managed to eke out scores in red figures.

Best of all was the Charley Hull’s five-under-par 67, although the 28-year-old Englishwoman enjoys only a one-shot advantage over the formidable duo of defending champion Lilia Vu and World No. 1 Nelly Korda. Slow and wind be damned, the cream of the women’s game tends to make their way to the top no matter what.

“Before my round I was in there watching it on the television when I saw the scores, and I thought, how is she (Ruoning Yin) four under par?” said Hull. “That was an unbelievable score. I’d have taken that right then because it was gusting a lot on the range. I said to my coach it felt like they could call it at any minute because I don’t know how the balls are staying on the greens. So to go out there, shoot five under, play pretty solid, it was a lot of fun.”

As Hull went on to make clear, the speed of play was an issue, players sometimes forced to huddle on tees—the short 11th a prime culprit—for as much as half an hour before play resumed its snail-like pace. Just about everyone was affected. And not in a good way.

“When I got there, six groups were waiting on the 11th tee,” reported Leona Maguire.

“Just staying warm was the problem,” said Vu. “Especially for me with my back stuff, I am constantly stretching even when the pace is good. Definitely had to do a lot of that.”

“There was a lot of waiting on that back nine,” confirmed Korda. “The front nine was kind of flowing a good bit. Obviously in the tough conditions you have people stepping off and the flow to the round is a little slower, but you’re kind of expecting that. But then once we hit the 11th tee box, it was just full-on brakes. I just tried to stay really present and to have a good attitude with the weather that we had.”

For the solo lead!@HullCharley had her game dialed in today pic.twitter.com/keNsIm9MBS

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 22, 2024

And the leader?

“It took ages,” said Hull. “I had a bet with my caddie. I said, ‘I reckon it’ll take six and a half.’ He said, ‘no way, five hours 30.’ I was right. But you’ve just got to be patient. I knew what it was going to be like before the round. So I was mentally prepared for that.”

The other dominant story of the day remained the conditions that were not as bad as advertised but were still clearly foreign to many of golf’s best players. A home player too, as it turned out. En route to a birdie-free 79 and after claiming her ball was moving on the notoriously exposed 11th green on the Old Course, Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh was moved to utter the damning phrase, “don’t know how it was playable to be honest.”

Well, it was, even if there were more than a few tales of woe along the way. By way of example, Solheim Cup player Linn Grant committed one of the cardinal sins at St. Andrews when she missed one of the world’s widest fairways and drove the ball out of bounds at the storied 18th. Another Swede, past champion Anna Nordqvist, racked up a quadruple-bogey on the ever-perplexing par-4 12th. And there were almost more 7s and 6s than one could count, eight of those on the Road Hole 17th alone.

Then there was the putting, what is often the most difficult aspect of play in in high winds. Just about every player had something to say about just how tricky it was to stay stable over the ball. Choosing the line wasn’t any easier, the wind coming into play on even the shortest putts.

Back-to-back birdies to end the round put @NellyKorda just one back pic.twitter.com/6OzlejWD1F

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 22, 2024

“I had a two-footer for par on the ninth that was just straight across the wind,” said 2009 champion Catriona Matthew after completing a birdie-free 77. “I was grinding over that. Even though there was no real break, I still had to aim outside the hole a little bit.”

It wasn’t impossible though, the R&A deserving credit for the decision to produce greens slower than normal and to place the tees in places that left every hole sensibly playable.

No one, however, was more enthusiastic than Georgia Hall.

“I was very glad we didn’t stop play,” said the former Open champion, who shot 71. “I looked out my hotel room window at 5 a.m. and saw the flags on the range. It was blowing a gale, and I was like, ‘that’s great; hope it stays like that.’ Not sure many players would agree with me. But I hardly get to play like this. I play in America a lot, and to me it’s more of a wooden form of golf. This is natural, raw golf.

“I love those conditions, whether I play bad or not,” she continued. “This is a true Women’s Open. I believe this is how it should be every day. Part of the battle is with the weather and I just tried to make the most out of that out there. I was a bit worried a few times but I think the R&A are very clever with letting the greens be a bit slower so the balls weren’t rolling. I think if they cut them to a certain length, we would have to stop. So credit to the R&A for that.”

Main Image: ANDY BUCHANAN

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The R&A announced on Wednesday that the prize money payout at this week’s event will be a record $9.5 million with the winner earning $1.425 million. The total purse is up $500,000 from 2023 and almost double the amount offered just three years ago.

Part of the increase can be ascribed to the overall rise in paydays for women’s professional golf events on the LPGA Tour, and in particularly the five women’s majors, which have each had their purses jump past $7.9 million in the last year.

Here’s the payday in the other four women’s majors:
U.S. Women’s Open: $12 million/$2.4 million
KPMG Women’s PGA: $10.4 million/$1.56 million
Amundi Evian: $8 million/$1.2 million
Chevron: $7.9 million/$1.2 million

But the increase at the Women’s British Open can also be linked to the R&A taking over the operation of the event from the Ladies Golf Union in 2017, AIG coming on board in 2019 and an influx of money and resources both internal and external following both.

“With the outstanding backing we have received from AIG as our title sponsor we have been able to achieve a step change and take this championship to new levels,” said Martin Slumbers, the outgoing R&A CEO who is set to step down from his post later this year. “The increased prize fund and our enhancements to the staging and the spectator experience this year reflect our shared commitment to making the AIG Women’s Open a world class championship for players and fans alike.”

During last month’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, outgoing R&A CEO Martin Slumbers lamented the rising purses in the men’s professional game, worrying about the downstream effect they will have in taking away resources that could be used in other ways to grow the sport overall. But that’s not quite the concern here.

“I think the men’s game and the women’s game are in two completely different places,” Slumbers said during a pre-championship press conference on Wednesday. “But for the women’s game, the issues that we’re trying to really think about and focus on is how do we push it forward and elevate its profile? How do we take it to the great courses? How do we give them the opportunities to show how good they are and not really get caught up in all the difficulties that have been going on in the game.”

In that sense, the increase in the purse size is an investment in the growth of women’s golf overall, something he’s comfortable with.

Main Image: Ross Parker/R&A

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It is a prospect Moir has been anticipating with some relish. The Old Course might just be the most interesting lay-out on the planet when it comes to set-up options. Move the pin as little as 10 feet on some holes and the ideal line/position off the tee can change by as much as 50 yards. So for Moir there is much to think about, much to enjoy.

“It is actually more interesting setting-up the course for a women’s event,” says the 53-year-old Edinburgh University law graduate. “With the men I know I’m going to the back tees on pretty much every hole. With the women, every tee on the course is potentially in play.”

Moir describes his job simply as looking at each hole and figuring out how it will play best for the women. “At the end, we add up the yardages and hope it comes to something reasonably appropriate, which it generally does at the Old Course,” Moir says.

The total yardage for this year, Moir confirmed, will be 6,784 yards, 112 longer than 2013, when Stacy Lewis won the last Women’s Open at the Home of Golf. “But it will only play less than that,” he added. “There may be days when, because of the weather conditions, we will play a number of tees forward. It would be unusual for us to be off the farthest-back tees on all holes on any one day.”

Lorena Ochoa won the title the first time the Old Course hosted the Women’s British Open in 2007 – David Cannon

Stacy Lewis lifts the winner’s trophy following her victory during the final round of the Ricoh Women’s British Open in 2013 – David Cannon

Still, it isn’t the total length of the course that will most influence Moir’s tactics. His initial aim is to bring the features of golf’s most famous course—in this case the myriad bunkers that dot the rumpled landscape—into play for the women in the same way as they are for the men.

“Tee positions are important because we want the bunkers to be a threat,” Moir says. “The reality is that there is a bigger range of hitting distances at a Women’s Open than there is for the men. So achieving that for every player in the field is challenging. What we have found is that we are often using what might be called the old ‘medal tees.’ Sometimes, all you have to do is walk off the green and you are on the next tee. That’s always refreshing and seems to fit well for bringing the bunkers into play. I’m looking forward to seeing the women play the course in the way it was first envisaged.”

There are other set-up differences between the two genders, the most significant being firmness of the greens and the pin positions. The biggest influence on both, of course, is the fact that shots the leading women hit tend not to create as much spin as do their male counterparts.

“Even on a shorter course, the women are more likely to be using longer clubs for their approach shots,” Moir says. “And, if they are using the same clubs as the men, the ball is spinning less. So we don’t have the same emphasis on firmness. That’s not to say the greens won’t be firm this week; they will be. But there is a limit to how firm we would want them to be for the women. Nowadays for the men there isn’t really a limit at all.”

Interestingly, green speed is not something that differentiates the male and female game. For Opens on either side of the gender divide, Moir strives for a Stimpmeter speed of 10½ feet on the Sunday before the event. Then the weather forecast—and invariably the strength of the prevailing wind that comes straight off the Eden Estuary and the steeply sloping 11th green—will determine whether that figure is “gently” adjusted up or down, or stays the same, over the subsequent days.

“If we are at 10½ we have the control we need to go be way or the other,” Moir says. “It’s pretty easy to put speed on. The challenge is taking it off.”

As ever, the subject of pin positions (Moir is careful to say “hole positions” in line with the USGA and R&A’s mystifying wish to meddle with the game’s long-time terminology) is always tricky. It is often the case that Moir doesn’t make a final determination until the night before or even on the morning of play. And this time, differences between the men and the women do play a part in the decision-making process.

“If the weather is good, and the course is playing fast and firm, then clearly the men would be hitting a lot of wedges into the par 4s and reaching the par 5s in two,” Moir says. “That was obvious from the 150th Open in 2022. The hole positions over the four days had to be very demanding just to allow the players to separate themselves from the rest.

“For the women, the hole positions are just as important,” he continues. “But because the course will play ‘longer’ for them, we’re not looking for the 72 hardest positions. We want to be able to utilize more areas of the greens. And not have to be seeking out, necessarily, the four toughest positions on each green. We want the women to be able to showcase their abilities. And the Old Course, unless we have extreme weather, is not somewhere we would expect to see the best players in the world struggling to break par. We want the women to have the ability to score well, in the same way that the men do.”

What has gone the way of the dinosaur is the now out-dated notion that a course set-up for leading professionals should have “six easy, six medium and six hard” pin positions. Indeed, when making presentations to the membership at host courses, Moir likes to joke that the norm these days, at least for the men, is “six hard, six really hard and six brutal.”

“That is just today’s reality,” he says.

Still, there is fun to be had at the Old Course. As is the case for many observers of all things par 5, Moir loves the long 14th, a hole that offers so many options, especially when three shots are required to reach the putting surface. What line a player must take with the second shot in order to leave the easiest third shot varies enormously depending on the pin position.

The par-5 14th hole features the famed “Hell Bunker.” – David Cannon/R&A

The short par-4 12th is another Moir favourite, “an amazing, bizarre and endlessly interesting hole.”

Ah, but then there is the par-5 fifth, which, along with the shared 13th, boasts the biggest double green on the course and so a huge range of pin positions

“It’s a classic,” asserts Moir with a smile. “I’m not sure we will do this, but we have done it for the men. One day we put the hole maybe 12 yards on the green. Then the next day we had it 85 yards from the front.”

The par-4 18th will play more than a long par 3 for the top women’s players this week at the AIG Women’s Open – David Cannon/R&A

For all that, the hole Moir is perhaps most looking forward to watching the women play is the last. In the ever-longer men’s game, the 18th has often been reduced to “long par-3” status. But that won’t be the case for the women. For them, the relationship between the location of a drive, the Valley of Sin that fronts the putting surface and the pin position will provide an eternally fascinating test of first, imagination and second, execution.

“We will be using the same tee as the one we use in the Open,” Moir says. “In the right weather the ball does run a mile, but it is likely we will see the players hitting ‘proper’ wedge shots into the green.”

One last thing. Because of the Olympics, this Women’s Open is being played a couple of weeks later than normal. So even the lengthy gloaming that makes summer golf in Scotland virtually an all-day event is compromised.

“We will be using a two-tee start on the first two days,” says Moir. “That’s just a necessity because we have less daylight to play with.”

True. But they also have a great course, one set-up to its best advantage, to play on.

Main Image: Dom Furore

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2023 produced drama and chaos within the game and, although it would be nice if things calmed down some on the men’s side, there is no guarantee that will be the case.

But let’s focus on happier times—and special events on the calendar come 2024. It’s an Olympic year and the Games are in Paris. The women have a great summer stretch that includes a week at the Old Course. And there are more than a few other significant anniversaries.

Here are nine things that we’re looking forward to in 2024, with items listen in order of when they appear on the calendar.

LIV Golf Mayakoba (Feb. 2-4)

The first event of the third year of the league is scheduled for the El Camaleon Golf Course in Mexico. It makes this list for several reasons. First, it’s less than five weeks away and it’ll be interesting to see what the professional golf landscape looks like by then. Who will be on Jon Rahm’s team? Will more PGA Tour players jump to join him? And it should be the first time that Rahm speaks publicly since he awkwardly announced that he was under “strict instructions” not to talk or do public events.

Players Championship (March 14-17)

Golf loves anniversaries and this one marks the 50th playing of the PGA Tour’s crown jewel. The top LIV players still won’t be there, but it’ll be the biggest event of the year to this point, and you can expect the tour to pull out all the bells and whistles.

Scottie Scheffler celebrates his 2023 Players Championship victory – Keyur Khamar

Men’s major championships

OK, so we’re lumping all four big men’s events into one item, but they’re as important as ever and it will still be the only time we see the best players in the world competing against each other.

Masters, April 11-14: Golf fans wait nine months for another major and it’s always worth the wait. And no place in the game does tradition like Augusta National. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Phil Mickelson’s first Masters victory (and first major win), 40 years since Ben Crenshaw won his first green jacket and 60 years since Arnold Palmer won his third Masters title, the last major championship of his legendary career.

PGA Championship, May 16-19: We return to Valhalla outside Louisville this year, site of Rory McIlroy’s second PGA Championship and his last major triumph. Yes, it’s been 10 years since the championship ended in nearly complete darkness, and McIlroy made par on the last hole to top Mickelson and win back-to-back majors. Forty years ago, in 1984, it had been 10 years since Lee Trevino had won a major when he shot 67-69 over the weekend at Shoal Creek to capture his last.

Rory McIlroy celebrates winning the 2014 PGA at Valhalla – Fred Vuich

U.S. Open, June 13-16: Anytime a U.S. Open returns to Pinehurst No. 2, as it does this year, it brings up memories of Payne Stewart making the putt on the final hole to beat Mickelson. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Stewart’s win, just four months before he would tragically die in a plane crash.

Open Championship, July 18-21: McIlroy again. Although this year is at Royal Troon, McIlroy won 10 years ago at Royal Liverpool. Forty years ago, at the Old Course, Seve Ballesteros shot a final-round 69 to beat Bernhard Langer and Tom Watson by two shots. It was Ballesteros’ second Open title. And 70 years ago, a 23-year-old Peter Thomson won the first of his five Open championships at Royal Birkdale.

World Golf Hall of Fame Induction, June 10

Padraig Harrington, Tom Weiskopf, Sandra Palmer, Beverly Hanson, Johnny Farrell and the seven remaining co-founders of the LPGA not already in the Hall of Fame—Alice Bauer, Bettye Danoff, Helen Detweiler, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Shirley Spork and Sally Sessions—will all be inducted. In addition, the new World Golf Hall of Fame building in Pinehurst will be having its coming out party after more than two decades in St. Augustine, Fla. Expect Harrington’s speech to be off-the-charts great. He’s always been one of the most thoughtful people in the game. Look at his beauties on the golf ball rollback and the love of the game to give you an idea of what’s in store.

Padraig Harrington is set to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame – David Cannon

Dustin Johnson turns 40, June 22

Time flies. Sure, DJ hasn’t been all that competitive in the majors over the past three years—with more missed cuts (four) than top-10 finishes (three)—but he’s still one of the players who people most love to watch hit balls, and his swagger can be spotted from fairways away. Hard to tell how much more he has left in the tank, but with two majors, 24 PGA Tour victories and two LIV Golf titles to his credit, the dude has been great for a long time and is one of the best players of his generation.

Olympics

Men’s Competition, Aug. 1-4: It only comes around every four years so, yes, it’s a big deal. And an Olympics in Paris should be spectacular, Le Golf National hosting both tournaments. Justin Rose won gold in 2016 in Rio and Xander Schauffele followed it up in the COVID-delayed Tokyo games in 2021. The summer always produces a crowded golf schedule and it’s even worse during an Olympic year. Still, expect all the top names to compete, which almost guarantees another big winner.

Women’s Competition, Aug. 7-10: Inbee Park and Nelly Korda are the last two gold medalists on the women’s side, and Korda should be among the favourites again this time, three years after her victory in Tokyo. This begins a wonderful stretch for the women, who have the Olympics, the AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course and Solheim Cup all within five weeks.

AIG Women’s Open, Aug. 22-25

Any major at the Old Course automatically goes onto a list of events to watch during the year. The women return for the third time after Lorena Ochoa won in 2007 and Stacy Lewis prevailed in 2013. There are few things in the game more wonderful than watching someone chase a major late on Sunday battling the final few holes in St. Andrews. There’s always drama.

Solheim Cup, Sept. 13-15

Another no-brainer and a chance to settle unfinished business from 2023. The last version in Spain ended in a 14-14 tie, with Europe retaining the Cup. Captains Suzann Pettersen and Stacy Lewis are both back, both teams will look very similar and there’s no reason to think the final result will be anything other than close. It will be difficult to replicate the 2023 drama, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise if it did.

Members of the 2023 European Solheim Cup team celebrate the birdie putt on on the 17th green by Carlota Ciganda that ensured a 14-14 at Finca Cortesin in September and allowed the home team to retain the Cup – Angel Martinez

Presidents Cup, Sept. 26-29

Sure, these matches haven’t been competitive, and may not be again this time. But Royal Montreal is a wonderful venue, and the golf-crazed Canadians have one of their own (Mike Weir) at the helm of the International team. If they could somehow pull off the massive upset, it would be one of the great scenes of the year.

Main Image: Getty Images

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