Australia’s greatest major titleholder, Karrie Webb, playing at St Andrews – image Australian Golf Media
The world of professional golf plays its final major of the year this week when the AIG Women’s Open is played over the Old Course at St Andrews, the third occasion the home of golf will host the event.
Lorena Ochoa and Stacey Lewis are the two previous champions when the event was played at St Andrews, the women getting the opportunity to play some of the Open Championship’s best layouts over the last 25 years.
Eight Australasians have made the field including seven-time major winner Karrie Webb who will play just her third LPGA Tour event in the last two years.
Webb, who won this event in 1995,1997 and 2002, the latter of which was just after the event became a major, explained why she is teeing it up this week given her lack of competitive play in recent times.
“I think this will be my last opportunity to compete at St Andrews. So even if it’s on the rota before I’m 60, these girls are too good for me to be trying to tee it up when I’m 56, 57.
I didn’t think I would be playing professional golf at 49. So, yeah, I’m just looking forward to having a good time out there as much as you can with the weather forecast, but just see what happens.
“It’s always meant a lot to me, actually. Even winning it the first couple of times, as a non-major, I always came into the Women’s Open thinking of it as a major. I think because it’s the men’s Opens had such a long history in Australian golf and growing up and getting up in the middle of the night to watch it, you know, for me playing in a Women’s Open was always as important as any of the majors we played.
“In 2001, it becoming a major, I think was long overdue. And the tournament’s only grown a lot since then. We started playing the Old Course and Carnoustie and Troon, places where women’s golf had never been played before.
“So it’s very special to be back here. I was looking for my yardage book from 2013. I missed the cut when I played in 2013, and I was, like, next time it’s here I won’t be playing golf again, I won’t be playing again. So I threw it out, so I couldn’t find it.
“But it’s good to be back here. I wouldn’t have thought 11 years ago I’d be teeing up here again.”
Webb is the only Australian to have won the event as a major although Karen Lunn won before the event joined the LPGA Schedule when successful in 1993.
Webb will be joined by fellow Australasians, Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Lydia Ko, Gabi Ruffels, Grace Kim, Stephanie Kyriacou and Hira Naveed.
