Whoever wins this week’s AIG Women’s British Open will forever hold a special place in women’s golf history. Three years ago, Muirfield, host of 16 men’s British Opens, invited its first female members in the club’s 275-year history.
The club was actually removed from the R&A’s rota of British Open host venues after a 2016 membership vote failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to change the rule to admit women.
The membership voted again in 2017 and pushed it through. Needless to say, the final major of 2022 carries great significance.
Jennifer Kupcho, winner of the first female event ever hosted at Augusta National, won the final Chevron Championship at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course to kick off major season. Minjee Lee’s dominant performance at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles followed.
Then, In Gee Chun nabbed her third different major at the KPMG Women’s PGA, and two weeks ago, the Amundi Evian saw Brooke Henderson snap a six-year drought between her first and second major titles.
Here’s a look at 10 players to keep an eye on at Muirfield:
Minjee Lee of Australia smiles on the 2nd hole during the Pro-Am prior to the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield on August 03, 2022 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
Minjee Lee loves links golf, which automatically puts her on the short list this week. Couple that with four top-11 finishes in her last four starts at the AIG Women’s Open and a first and second already this year in the majors, and she’s the one to beat at Muirfield.
No one has made more birdies in the majors this season than Lee, who has 74, five more than Jennifer Kupcho.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand tees off on the first hole during the Pro-Am prior to the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield on August 03, 2022 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
While Lydia Ko has only one top-10 finish to her credit in this championship, her early play least week at the Women’s Scottish Open shows she’s in form, despite a lackluster Sunday.
Ko won early in the year at the Gainbridge LPGA. Here’s a wild one: Ko has 115 bogey-free rounds since 2014 in LPGA competition – 40 more than anyone else.
Georgia Hall of England tees off on the 1st hole during the Pro-Am prior to the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield on August 3, 2022 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/R&A via Getty Images)
The AIG Women’s British Open is Georgia Hall’s favorite event of the year, and it shows. She has three top-three finishes at the event, including a victory in 2018 at Royal Lytham. Hall relishes the opportunity to play links golf, and since 2017, she has compiled the lowest scoring average at the AIG: 70.10.
Hall won earlier this year on the LET in Saudi Arabia and tied for eighth at the Evian after a closing 65. She credited a recent chat with Rory McIlroy at the Old Course with improving her putting.
Leona Maguire of Ireland looks on during the Pro-Am prior to the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield on August 03, 2022 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Experienced links player tied for 13th last year at Carnoustie. The 2017 Women’s British Amateur champion thrives on a big stage, leading Europe to victory at the 2021 Solheim Cup at Inverness. In February, the former Duke star became the first Irish player to win on the LPGA.
Jin Young Ko of South Korea talks to the media during a press conference prior to the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield on August 03, 2022 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Hard to believe the World No. 1 hasn’t competed in a British Open since 2019, where she finished third. Ko’s first appearance in the event came back in 2015 when she finished runner-up to Inbee Park at Turnberry.
Earlier this week, Ko’s British caddie, David Brooker, sent her video highlights of Phil Mickelson’s 2013 victory at Muirfield. Brooker was on the bag when Lorena Ochoa won the first Women’s Open ever held at the Old Course.
Linn Grant of Sweden tees off on the 13th hole on day one of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 21, 2022 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
In addition to Linn Grant being a on hot streak in 2022, becoming the first woman to win on the DP World Tour in the Scandinavian Mixed, the 23-year-old Swede has deep roots in the area.
Her grandfather, James, was a Scottish golf pro who won the Scottish Boys Championship at nearby North Berwick, the same course Linn won the British Amateur Stroke play 49 years later.
In June, Grant beat everyone in the field, including 78 men, by nine shots at the Scandinavian Mixed. The former Arizona State player has won seven times around the world since turning professional last year. She tied for eighth two weeks ago at the Amundi Evian. This is her second British Open.
Jennifer Kupcho kisses the trophy after winning the 2022 Chevron Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, on Sunday, April 3, 2022. (Photo: Desert Sun)
The only three-time winner on the LPGA this season, Jennifer Kupcho doesn’t boast that great of a record at the British Open in three previous appearances. But, she’s ready for the challenge.
Kupcho describes herself as a “pretty good wind player” but noted that she has had to learn how to hit a bullet shot to navigate proper links conditions.
Mo Martin was the last American to win this championship in 2014 at Royal Birkdale.
Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden smiles during the Pro-Am prior to the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield on August 03, 2022 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Chloe Knott/R&A via Getty Images)
Madelene Sagstrom finished one shot back of Anna Nordqvist last year at Carnoustie in her fifth British Open appearance. The long-hitting Swede had a stretch of four consecutive top 10s earlier this season, and while she has since cooled off a bit, she’s primed to put herself back in contention on a big stage.
Mao Saigo of Japan plays her tee shot on the eighteenth hole during day four of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 24, 2022 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
While Mao Saigo makes her championship debut this week at Muirfield, she could be an interesting longshot to consider. A five-time winner on the Japan LPGA this season, Saigo’s performances in LPGA majors is on an upward trend: T-44, T-30, T-3. That third-place finish at the Evian came with a closing 64.
The 20-year-old turned pro in 2020.
Catriona Matthew of Scotland talks to her caddie during a practice round prior to the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield on August 02, 2022 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Scotland’s finest, Catriona Matthew, will hit the first tee shot at 6:30 a.m. local time on Thursday with her family by her side. Matthew, the 2009 British Open champion, grew up in nearby North Berwick and still lives there with her husband and two girls. Last year, the 52-year-old became the first European captain to claim back-to-back victories.
This is her 28th British Open appearance.
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