The final women’s golf major championship of the year tees off Thursday, as the sport tries to sustain momentum at one of the world’s most famous courses.
For just the third time in the 48-year history of the women’s British Open—officially named the AIG Women’s Open since 2019—the tournament will be played at the Old Course in St Andrews, commonly known as the home of golf. The men’s Open Championship has been played there 30 times. There’s a record purse of $9.5 million up for grabs, with this weekend’s winner taking home $1.43 million.
The Women’s Open was last played in St Andrews in 2013, and this marks the first time at the hallowed grounds since the R&A, the governing body that runs the men’s Open, took control of the women’s event after merging with the Ladies’ Golf Union in 2017.
“You get goosebumps,” Charley Hull, the No. 10–ranked player in the world, said of her experience walking the Old Course during practice rounds. Top-ranked Nelly Korda (above) has looked forward to this week since July 2022, when Cam Smith chased down Rory McIlroy during the final round at St Andrews to claim the Claret Jug.
“Getting to see that on TV and knowing that we were going to be here this year, I was really excited for it,” Korda said. “The rich history out here and getting to play it ourselves.”
Going for the Green
The AIG Women’s Open is on a strong run of hot venues this decade. It has stopped at other historic Open Championship courses including Muirfield, Carnoustie, and Royal Troon—the site of Xander Schauffele’s second major victory last month.
That follows a similar strategy being used around the U.S. Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, which have also been played at famous courses previously reserved for men’s championships like Pebble Beach Golf Links and Baltusrol Golf Club.
Next year, Royal Porthcawl in Wales will host the AIG Women’s Open for the first time. Venues for 2026 and beyond have not been announced.
No Green Jacket
There remains one major outlier when it comes to courses hosting the biggest events in men’s and women’s golf: Augusta National.
The Masters annually draws the largest TV audiences in golf, largely due to the global fascination with the iconic 18 holes in eastern Georgia. But the exclusive club has yet to seriously entertain the idea of a women’s Masters, despite the success of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur now played the weekend before the men’s tournament.
In April, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said it would be “very difficult” to stage another tournament, when asked about the idea of a professional women’s event.
