There is no greater opportunity for a golfer to etch their name into folklore than winning a major championship at the Old Course.
Unfortunately, however, the most talented female golfers on the planet have only been afforded that opportunity twice, about to be for a third time.
The last time the Women’s Open ventured northeast of Edinburgh, it was an American hoisting the coveted trophy aloft. Stacy Lewis – Team USA’s current Solheim Cup captain, sailed across international waters and claimed the title with closing back-to-back birdies to win by two over Hee Young Park in 2013 – her second and most recent major championship.
Although it is fantastic the Women’s Open Championship has its own identity, unlike the men, it isn’t a regulation for the girls to play their Open on a links layout, which brings more venues into the rota, such as Walton Heath, where Lilia Vu won last year, or Woburn’s Marquess Course, where Japan’s Hinako Shibuno won in 2019.
As a viewer, it is excellent to see different styles of golf played year to year at Britain’s championship. But it shouldn’t mean we have to wait 11 years to see them circle back around to golf’s most famous venue.
With the way technology in the sport has been trending, frying pan clubheads and balls which soar into orbit, this take on the famous layout might be unpopular to some, but the men are outgrowing the Old Course, especially if they don’t get hit with wet and windy conditions. They are just hitting it so far.
The girls get it out there, too; I know; some of the big hitters average north of 270 yards off the tee. But the exciting prospect about the Women’s Open at St Andrews is the chance to see the course played the way it was designed and in all of its glory. We won’t see makeshift tees across the road and golf’s most famous venue stretched out to the absolute maximum.
It shapes up to be the most anticipated event of the year. There are some clear front-runners. Nelly Korda and defending champion Lilia Vu come to mind, but the way the most prominent events have played out in women’s golf this year, you just cannot put your finger on what might happen.
We have had runaway victors, an Australian capitulation and the World No.1 pinching a major, but missing the cut in two others.
It is clear players are getting better and better, which means fields are getting more competitive, and these major championship things are becoming harder to win.
Who will be the next player to join the elite and exclusive club at the home of golf? Let’s look across the board at who it could be and how they are tracking.
THE EUROPEANS
England’s Charley Hull has forged her path to becoming one of the most consistent players on the LPGA Tour, backing that up at last week’s Scottish Women’s Open, finishing fifth. She has only missed one cut on the American circuit all year.
The 28-year-old has finished in the top 25 at the first three majors of 2024 and has demonstrated throughout her career that she can turn up at the most significant events. Hull has nine top-10s at the majors over her career, including a T2 at the 2023 U.S Open and an outright second at The Women’s Open in the same year.
But there is always a but … She may be well-equipped for links golf, flights her ball beautifully and a fantastic ball striker – ranked ninth on Tour in greens in regulation – but one trait Hull is struggling with is overcoming that final hurdle and lifting a trophy.
Hull turned pro in 2013 and has only claimed two wins on the LPGA Tour, a stat she will be desperate to improve on. However, one would think if she keeps putting herself in contention and knocking on the door, there is every chance of one opening in a tremendous way at St Andrews.
Celine Boutier had one of the great purple patches in 2023. Naturally, it has been difficult for her to maintain that kind of form, but she is still one of the leading European threats at St Andrews.
The Frenchwoman claimed four LPGA Tour titles in 2023, including last year’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links.
Links golf clearly suits the 30-year-old. She plots her way around clinically, always leaving herself in the correct positions. She broke through at the majors in her native country last year, claiming the Evian Championship, which proves she knows what it takes to get it done at the highest level.
All Boutier needs is a bit of luck to fall on her side and recapture just a smidge of that 2023 form, and she will be a definite challenger in Scotland once again.
THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS
Nelly Korda will be among the favourites when her name is announced on the first tee of the Old Course. How can you argue with her numbers? Not many win six events – and counting – in a career, let alone in seven starts, five of which were in a row, including a major, as she did.
But her results in the majors following the Chevron have been ordinary. She missed the cut at the U.S Open and the PGA Championship, and fought hard to finish in T26 at the Evian. So while her form early in the LPGA Tour season was unbelievable, she has been hit or miss at the major championships.
Ranked first on Tour in scoring average, second in greens in regulation and not far off the top in almost all other facets, if Nelly can keep the round-killing bad holes off the scorecard and play anywhere near her best, it begs the question, how many can she win by?
The defending champion Lilia Vu was one of the great feel-good stories of 2023. Coming from nothing, becoming World No.1 and winning two major championships. The beginning of 2024 wasn’t the fairytale 2023 was; a back injury caused her to withdraw from the HSBC Women’s World Championship and then the Blue Bay LPGA. The injury setback resulted in the then-world No.1 having to adjust her swing and breathing and miss a good chunk of the season.
It didn’t take long for her to recapture that form; she took advantage of Grace Kim’s final-round tumble to win the Meijer LPGA Classic and followed it up with a T2 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Vu is world-class in all key aspects, making her a perennial threat at the Old Course. A phenomenal putter, eye-test wise, there isn’t many better. We saw how putting can sway the result of an Open Championship when Cam Smith romped home to defeat Rory McIlroy at the 150th instalment of the event in 2022.
Vu is also in the top echelon of ball-strikers, a handy stat to have in your back pocket when the layout and conditions start asking questions about your shot shaping.
Also, she hits an incredible number of fairways, 74.75 percent to be exact; just a supremely accurate player who has proven she can get it done at the highest level on multiple occasions. At full health, she could be the main threat to defend her title.
Consistency is a buzzword throughout this feature, and arguably the most consistent performer on the LPGA Tour over the past seven years has been Jin-young Ko.
The South Korean has won annually on the American circuit since 2017 and boasts 15 wins and two major championships. The 29-year-old is yet to win in 2024 but is always sniffing around the business end of leaderboards.
Another generational talent with the flat stick, she also boasts excellent mental fortitude, gets around the golf course meticulously and never gets frazzled. She plays what’s in front of her, bringing her mountains of success.
While Ko hasn’t tasted victory at a major since 2019, she has never been far off. Her T2 at the PGA looked as classy as ever, as did her T6 at last week’s Scottish Open.
Could the floodgates open for the recently minted PGA Champion Amy Yang? Several close calls never deterred the South Korean. She stuck to her guns and produced an incredible display at Sahalee to become the oldest female major winner since Angela Stanford in 2018, at the ripe old age of 34…
“I always wanted to win a major, and I came close several times, and I started doubting if I’m ever going to win a major before I retire,” Yang said following her breakthrough.
She clinched one. Why not another?
Things are just clicking into gear for Yang at the right time of the season. She will be hungry to continue making up for lost time at the majors.
THE ANZACS
Lydia Ko kicked off the year with victory in the opening event of 2024 and always looked destined to grasp the remaining points she requires for automatic induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Destiny arrived with her gold medal at the Olympics, meaning Ko, aged just 27, joins world class, illustrious company.
After winning the Tournament of Champions in January, she lost in a play-off to a fast-finishing Nelly Korda at the Drive On Championship. And leading into the Chevron, the New Zealander was top of many punters’ minds. She finished in a tie for 17th at the year’s opening major.
Ko struggled slightly up until the Olympic Games, and last week’s ninth-place finish at Dundonald Links proves she is right where she needs to be when she returns to the Old Course. Ko also claimed low amateur honours at the venue in 2013, so she knows what holding silverware at the Home of Golf feels like.
The driver has caused her some issues this season but they look like a distant memory. But anyway, it isn’t a venue where a wayward driver will create too many problems. Having already entered golf immortality; a major championship would be the icing on the cake to a stellar back half of the season.
Hannah Green has been a standout performer this year on the LPGA Tour, with two victories and a surge into the top 5 in the official world golf rankings.
Out of the ANZAC hopefuls, Green is this scribe’s pick to be right in the mix on Sunday. The West Australian doesn’t sport the best record at the Women’s Open, but the way she hits the ball is imposing. Green is inside the top 35 longest hitters on the Tour, which certainly will not hinder her chances in Scotland, especially when she is ranked 14th in greens in regulation. If she has a lot of short irons or wedges in her hands, look out..
Green has won twice on Tour this season and is already a major champion and made a valiant final day surge at the Olympics to finish just out of the medals. It is hard to see her not featuring with the form line she has displayed this year.
Young guns Steph Kyriacou and Gabi Ruffels have had solid seasons on the LPGA Tour, Kyriacou found herself in the final group at the Amundi Evian Championship and Ruffels finished in a tie for sixth at last week’s Scottish Open. There are big things on the horizon for Australia’s young duo, which could come as early as this weekend at the Home of Golf.
It was nearly major number three at the U.S Women’s Open for Perth’s Minjee Lee. But the Sunday scaries got the better of her at Lancaster CC. Heading into the final round, Lee had a two-shot lead over eventual winner Yuka Saso. She signed for a horror eight-over to be seven adrift of Saso.
There will be no scar tissue for Lee; she has an outstanding record at the Women’s Open. In her last four starts in the U.K, she has three top-five finishes. She is phenomenal in the conditions she will face, a clinical operator who illustrates all the traits to be successful on a links layout. She executes shots immaculately, regardless of the hand Mother Nature deals, making for prime-time viewing.
Lee needs to cut out the one poor round; at two major championships this season, the shaky round has come on Sunday; the aforementioned U.S Open capitulation and a two-over 74 at the PGA. A Sunday 78 cost her last week at the Scottish. Just know if the 28-year-old can stay in the fight until the bitter end, she has every chance of adding to Australia’s legacy at the Home of Golf.
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