Women Take the Stage at the Home of Golf

This is a dispatch from Nuala Neary,Global Ambassador for Project: Wander Bra, based in Scotland. Our ambassadors provide global perspectives on the impact of sports, in partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation. Follow Nuala’s adventures @ncneary

St Andrews, the home of golf, the most iconic course in the world and one that every golfer dreams of playing on. The Old Course emerged over 600 years ago from the living landscape, and has remained untouched since. The course originally consisted of 22 holes until October of 1764, when the St Andrew's Society of Golfers, now known as the Royal & Ancient (R&A), reduced the number of holes to 18, which set the standard for courses around the world. 

Links golf is a mixture of beauty and chaos (mainly because of the unpredictable weather in Scotland) and provides a different challenge compared to a parkland course. “Links” refers to the sandy and coastal land, where the wind, rain, and sea shape the course. 

Women at St Andrews

Women’s golf at St Andrews has come a long way since the first Women's Amateur Championship in 1929. The 2007 Women’s Open was the first professional women's event on the Old Course. This year's AIG Women's Open takes place on the Old Course for the first time since the introduction of the R&A’s Women in Golf Charter. This charter aims to increase the participation of women, girls, and families in golf and increase opportunities for women to have careers in the golf industry. The charter signifies the next steps at the home of golf to create an inclusive and supportive community within the sport. St Andrews is also the host of the Junior Ladies’ Open for players under the age of 23. Rounds 1 and 2 are played on the Eden Course and the Strathtyrum Course, a neighbor of the Old Course where the final two rounds take place. This allows aspiring professionals to compete at the highest level on the most iconic courses. Former winners of the prestigious competition include Carly Booth, who became the youngest Scottish player to become a Ladies’ European Tour player at the age of 17 back in 2009. In 2013, I had the most incredible experience of being chosen to participate in one of their golf camps with young people from around the world. It was an extremely inspiring experience with a week of coaching, playing, walking the old course, and receiving mentoring from LPGA pro Beatriz Recari. Opportunities like this inspire young girls that they can achieve anything in golf and that support is there for them.

This year's AIG Women's Open made its exciting return to the home of golf for the third time, having previously been played in 2007 and 2013 with Lorena Ochoa and Stay Lewis lifting the trophy. Ochoa and Lewis both joined the esteemed roll of honor at the home of golf following their victories on the iconic course. The first-ever Women's Open took place in 1976 in York, and the prize pot for the winner was £200. In 2001, the LPGA  announced that the Women’s Open would become a major championship, making it one of the most prestigious championships on the golfing calendar. With five major titles in a season, the Open is the last one of the 2024 season. I couldn't wait to get along and watch the 144 field of the best players in the world compete for the title of Champion Golfer of the Year.

The Lineup

Before we get into attending the event, I wanted to highlight some of Europe's exciting players. On the playing field, we had Leona Maguire, who was the first ever Irish player to win on the LPGA tour; England's Georgia Hall, who won this event back in 2018; Sweden's Linn Grant is a young, exciting player and is quickly becoming a fan favorite; and Celine Bouiter from France, who's a very consistent player and became a first-time major winner last season. Charley Hull, a big personality on tour with three second-place finishes at this major, was a favorite to win this year's Open. Her first appearance in the Open was back in 2013, and after an impressive performance, she was a captain's pick for that year's Solheim Cup. Hull became the youngest-ever player in the Solheim Cup and was pivotal to Europe's first-ever win on US soil. Finally, during the practice round, Scottish legend Catrina Matthews announced this would be her final Women's Open after 30 consecutive appearances and a victory in 2009. Matthews has cemented herself as a Scottish sporting legend with 11 professional wins and a two-time Solheim Cup-winning captain. She will be missed on the course. 

Attending the 2024 AIG Women’s Open

The first two rounds set the fans up for an exciting weekend of golf as well as some tricky weather conditions. Upon entering the course, fans were welcomed into the festival village, which offered free coaching, Adidas styling workshops, coaching clinics, cinema nights, and live music on Saturday night. It was a great way to excite golf fans. A highlight of the weekend was watching the world's number-one amateur, Lottie Woad from England. It was an absolute joy watching Woad flourish in a major championship. My favorite moment was her eagle on the 18th hole in the third round: her second shot hopped across the green and into the hole! I was in the grandstand behind the green for this shot, and it brought people to their feet. With another consistent round on Sunday, Woad won the Smyth Salver, which is an award at the open for the leading amateurs and a top 10 finish. She is such an exciting player to watch, with a great future ahead of her.

Sunday was one of the most exciting final rounds I’ve experienced in person. Linn Grant, Nanna Madsen, and Lottie Woad led the way for the Europeans, making their way into a top-10 finish. During the round, we saw four different leaders: Ji Shin, Nelly Korda, Lilla Vu, and Lydia Ko. Ko had a very consistent round and sunk a tricky downhill putt to give herself a one-shot lead. Vu was holing putts from ridiculous ranges in her round, and with a huge drive on the 18th, fans thought the title would go down to a playoff. In the end, Lydia Ko lifted the trophy just weeks after her historic Olympic gold medal. It felt like it was meant to be for Ko. In 2013, she competed on the Old Course and won the Smyth Salver with Georgia Hall as the leading amateur. It was amazing to experience this full-circle moment for Lydia Ko winning her third major title.

Fifty-two thousand eight hundred eighty-seven spectators passed through the gates at the home of golf to see the women play this year, the highest attendance since 2019. I hope attendance continues to grow next year as the competition heads to Wales for the first time, that young girls continue to get that up-and-close experience with the players, and that there will be a Scottish winner!