Stars struggle as the year’s final major begins at the AIG Women’s Open

The final major of the 2023 calendar kicked off today in the U.K. as the ladies teed it up at the AIG Women’s Open. The Women’s Open is being contested this year at Walton Heath Golf Club just outside of London.

So what’d you miss from Round 1? Check it out below.

Stars continue to struggle

The LPGA’s top stars haven’t played their best golf in majors thus far this season, and that trend continued Thursday at Walton Heath. Nelly Korda, the top-ranked player in the world, couldn’t get much momentum in Round 1 as she recorded four bogeys and three birdies en route to a one-over 73. World No. 2 Jin Young Ko had a similarly mediocre performance in posting a 73 of her own, while newly minted major champ Celine Boutier could only muster a 74.

Of the top 10 players in the Rolex Ranking, just two players (Hyo Joo Kim and Allisen Corpuz) were under par during the opening round.

Crowded leaderboard

The stars might not have lit up the course on Day 1, but with the way the leaderboard is bunched together, they’ll have opportunities to climb the standings as the week plays out.

Ally Ewing, who shot a four-under 68, leads after Round 1 and is joined by 32 other players under par. Twenty-seven more players posted even par on the day, meaning a whopping 60(!) players are within four shots of the lead after 18 holes. Among them? Major winners Jeongeun Lee6 (-3), In Gee Chun (-2), Allisen Corpuz (-2), Hyo Joo Kim (-2), Stacy Lewis (E), Anna Nordqvist (E), Minjee Lee (E), Danielle Kang (E), Ruoning Yin (E), A Lim Kim (E) and Lilia Vu (E).

With a leaderboard that bunched together with that many proven winners, anything can happen.

Best quote

“Hitting the opening [shot] in the Women’s British Open is special. It’s a nice accolade — is that the right word? Look at me go. Honestly it was really cool. That was really cool for me. It was nice, my mates got up, a couple of my family members drove down, getting up in the middle of the night is tough, especially when you’re getting on a bit like me and I have to warm the body up more than used to. Nice to get done early.” —Mel Reid

Down the leaderboard

1. Ally Ewing (-4)
T2. Jaravee Boonchant (-3)
T2. Perrine Delacour (-3)
T2. Emily Kristine Pedersen (-3)
T2. Jeongeun Lee6 (-3)
T2. Amy Yang (-3)
T7. 12 tied (-2)

Notables

T19. Charley Hull (-1)
T33. Anna Nordqvist (E)
T33. Leona Maguire (E)
T33. Danielle Kang (E)
T33. Rose Zhang (E)
T33. Lilia Vu (E)
T60. Nelly Korda (+1)
T60. Jin Young Ko (+1)
T81. Lydia Ko (+2)
T81. Ashleigh Buhai (+2)
T81. Atthaya Thitikul (+2)
T103. Brooke Henderson (+3)
T114. Lexi Thompson (+4)
T128. Jennifer Kupcho (+6)
T134. Patty Tavatanakit (+7)

Full leaderboard

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.