The AIG Women’s Open (or Women’s British Open) returns tomorrow until Sunday at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland.
America’s Lilia Vu will look to retain her title as the women compete for a nine million dollar (over £7 million) purse.
The Open will be fifth and final major of the year and the players’ performances will determine whether they qualify for both the US and European Solheim Cup teams in September with the squads finalised at the close of play on Sunday.
Three Irish golfers will be in the Open field, all dreaming of Major glory, with John McGovern taking a look at their chances…
Leona Maguire
Cavan-born Maguire tees off for the first round at 12.37pm on Thursday alongside 2022′s AIG Women’s Open champion, South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai, and South Korea’s former world number one Jin Young Ko.
Maguire has previously experienced success in the Open when she lifted the Smyth Salver for leading amateur at the AIG Women’s Open at Woburn in 2016, while she posted a career-best Major finish at Muirfield in the 2022 renewal, tying for fourth place.
Despite a disappointing performance at the Paris Olympic Games when hit by illness, the two-time LPGA Tour winner has still enjoyed positive recent form, including becoming the first Irishwoman to be victorious on the Ladies European Tour by winning the Aramco Team Series event in London in July.
Maguire will be hoping to return to top form and push herself onto the upper reached of the leaderboard when thing get going at the Home of Golf tomorrow.
Stephanie Meadow
Jordanstown’s Stephanie Meadow was one of 12 players to emerge from the field of 92 who took part in the single round qualifying event at Craighead links on Monday.
She booked her spot alongside already qualified Maguire and Kildare’s Lauren Walsh in the final women’s Major of the season.
The Co Antrim native will tee off alongside China’s Pei-yun Chien and Japan’s Yuna Nishimura for the first two rounds, and after a difficult Olympics in Paris, she will hope to regain her 2023 form when she displayed recorded a best Major finish since 2014 by claiming a share of third in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Lauren Walsh
(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Kildare’s Lauren Walsh is making her first professional start in a Major and she is relishing the task.
After competing in the Women’s Open as an amateur at Carnoustie in 2021 and finishing T42, Walsh will return to as a pro this time round.
The 23-year-old Kill resident is enjoying an impressive maiden year on the Ladies’ European Tour, with four top-10 finishes including ties for third at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies’ Open and Aramco Team Series – London.
Walsh will tee off at 2.16pm tomorrow in the company of Spain’s Marta Martin and the Czech Republic’s Jana Melichova.
Available in the UK and Ireland on Sky Sports Golf: Thursday 22 August – Sunday 25 August: 12.00pm-7.00pm each day.
Round One Tee Times – Thursday August 22
12.37pm: Pei-yun Chien, Yuna Nishimura, Stephanie Meadow (10TH TEE START)
12.37pm: Ashleigh Buhai, Jin Young Ko, Leona Maguire
2.16pm: Marta Martin, Lauren Walsh, Jana Melichova
Round Two Tee Times – Friday August 23
7.22am: Pei-yun Chien, Yuna Nishimura, Stephanie Meadow
7.22am: Ashleigh Buhai, Jin Young Ko, Leona Maguire (10TH TEE START)
9.01am: Marta Martin, Lauren Walsh, Jana Melichova (10TH TEE START)