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The AIG Women’s Open Comes to Muirfield

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The AIG Women’s Open is coming to the Muirfield course for the first time after the 275-year-old club finally opened membership up to women in 2019. Muirfield last hosted a major, the Open Championship, in 2013.

Defending champion Anna Nordqvist won by one stroke at Carnoustie last summer. This year’s event, starting on Thursday 4th July at 11am, is not only the first time a women’s event has been held at the course in West Lothian, it is also the first major event for men or women to be held there since Phil Mickelson won The Open in 2013.

A move to admit women to the male-only Honourable Company was rejected in 2016, drawing criticism from the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, and prompting the R&A to removee Muirfield from The Open rotation. A second poll the following year resulted in an 80 percent vote in agreement with admitting female members, opening the way for this year’s event.

Anna Nordqvist is the defending Women’s Open champion, having beaten Georgia Hall, Madelene Sagstrom and Lizette Salas by one stroke at Carnoustie last year.

See also: Luke Donald is Facing Challenges as Europe’s Ryder Cup Captain

Women’s Open

Male players familiar with the coarse welcomed the move and offered a few tips for playing it, including to watch out for crosswinds. The course is par 71 and measures roughly 6,680 yards.

Swede Anna Nordqvist, whose husband is Scottish, aims to become the first player since Yani Tseng in 2011 to successfully defend her title.

But the Swedish star will have plenty of competition as the AIG Women’s Open is coming to the Muirfield course for the first time. One of her main rivals at Carnoustie, England’s Georgia Hall, will enter as one of the favourites, not least as the top home nations hopeful, having finished inside the top three in three of the past five Championships, including a win in 2018.

Brooke Henderson is another player with trending form after winning the Evian Championship, while the world’s top three of Jin-Young Ko, Nelly Korda and Minjee Lee will all be expected to challenge.

Muirfield

A huge contingent of young players will also be hoping to add their names to the AIG Women’s Open trophy, including Atthaya Thitikul, Yuka Saso and Patty Tavatanakit. Established stars and former AIG Women’s Open Champions such as Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis will also be hoping to make their mark.

AIG Women’s Open Field 2022

PLAYERS A-H

Marina AlexUSA
Casandra AlexanderRSA
Carmen AlonsoESP 
Brittany AltomareUSA
Na Rin AnKOR
Pajaree AnannarukarnTHA
Aditi AshokIND 
Pia BabnikSVN
Jess Baker (a)ENG
Celine BoutierFRA
Becky BrewertonWAL
Ashleigh BuhaiRSA
Matilda CastrenFIN
Jennifer ChangUSA
Pei-yun ChienTPE 
Chella ChoiKOR
Hyejin ChoiKOR
In Gee ChunKOR
Carlota CigandaESP
Allisen CorpuzUSA
Lauren CoughlinUSA 
Olivia CowanGER
Diksha DagarIND 
Dame Laura DaviesENG
Anna Davis (a)USA
Hayley DavisENG
Savannah De Bock (a)BEL
Manon de RoeyBEL
Perrine DelacourFRA 
Gemma DryburghSCO 
Louise DuncanSCO
Nicole Broch EstrupDEN 
Jodi Ewart ShadoffENG
Ally EwingUSA
Saiki FujitaJPN
Ayaka FurueJPN
Linn GrantSWE
Hannah GreenAUS
Johanna GustavssonSWE
Georgia HallENG
Lydia HallWAL
Mina HarigaeUSA
Leonie HarmGER
Mizuki Hashimoto (a)JPN
Nasa HataokaJPN
Brooke HendersonCAN
Esther HenseleitGER
Celine HerbinFRA 
Alice HewsonENG
Whitney HillierAUS
Jungmin HongKOR 
Kotone HoriJPN
Wei-ling HsuTPE
Charley HullENG

PLAYERS I-L

Janie JacksonUSA 
Eun Hee JiKOR
Ariya JutanugarnTHA
Moriya JutanugarnTHA
Minami KatsuJPN 
Megan KhangUSA
A Lim KimKOR
Hyo Joo KimKOR
In-Kyung KimKOR
Sei Young KimKOR
Cheyenne KnightUSA
Jinyoung KoKOR 
Lydia KoNZL
Tiia KoivistoFIN
Jessica KordaUSA 
Nelly KordaUSA
Jennifer KupchoUSA
Steph KyriacouAUS
Bronte LawENG
Maude-Aimee LeblancCAN
Alison LeeUSA
Andrea LeeUSA
Minjee LeeAUS
Jeongeun Lee5KOR 
Jeongeun Lee6KOR
Stacy LewisUSA
Xiyu Janet LinCHN
Ingrid LindbladSWE
Gaby LopezMEX

PLAYERS M-R

Meghan MaclarenENG
Nanna Koerstz MadsenDEN
Leona MaguireIRE
Mo MartinUSA
Caroline MassonGER
Catriona MatthewSCO
Caley McGinty (a)ENG
Stephanie MeadowNIR
Wichanee MeechaiTHA
Jana MelichovaCZE
Morgane MetrauxSWI
Yuna NishimuraJPN
Yealimi NohUSA
Anna NordqvistSWE
Sanna-julia NuutinenFIN 
Ryann O’TooleUSA
Su OhAUS 
Amy OlsonUSA
Lee-Anne PaceRSA
Annie ParkUSA
Inbee ParkKOR
Sung Hyun ParkKOR
Emily Kristine PedersenDEN 
Ana Pelaez TrivinoSPA
Valery Plata (a)COL
Sophia PopovGER
Mel ReidENG 
Paula RetoRSA
So Yeon RyuKOR

PLAYER S-Z

Madelene SagstromSWE
Mao SaigoJPN
Lizette SalasUSA
Yuka SasoJPN
Sarah SchmelzelUSA
Sophia SchubertUSA 
Hinako ShibunoJPN
Jenny ShinKOR
Magdalena SimmermacherARG
Marianne SkarpnordNOR
Angela StanfordUSA
Maja StarkSWE
Lauren StephensonUSA
Jasmine SuwannapuraTHA
Sayaka TakahashiJPN
Emma TalleyUSA 
Kelly TanMAL
Patty TavatanakitTHA
Atthaya ThitikulTHA
Lexi ThompsonUSA
Michele ThomsonSCO
Mariajo UribeCOL
Albane ValenzuelaSWI
Lilia VuUSA
Chanettee WannasaenTHA 
Lindsey Weaver-WrightUSA
Ursula WikstromFIN
Miyuu YamashitaJPN
Amy YangKOR
Angel YinUSA
Liz YoungENG 
Rose Zhang (a)USA

Whoever wins, it will be a remarkable event as the AIG Women’s Open is coming to the Muirfield course for the first time after the 275-year-old club finally opened membership up to women in 2019.

See also: The Real Life Golf Story Behind The Phantom of the Open