The AIG Women's Open Comes to Muirfield

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 Alex	USA
Casandra Alexander	RSA
Carmen Alonso	ESP
Brittany Altomare	USA
Na Rin An	KOR
Pajaree Anannarukarn	THA
Aditi Ashok	IND
Pia Babnik	SVN
Jess Baker (a)	ENG
Celine Boutier	FRA
Becky Brewerton	WAL
Ashleigh Buhai	RSA
Matilda Castren	FIN
Jennifer Chang	USA
Pei-yun Chien	TPE
Chella Choi	KOR
Hyejin Choi	KOR
In Gee Chun	KOR
Carlota Ciganda	ESP
Allisen Corpuz	USA
Lauren Coughlin	USA
Olivia Cowan	GER
Diksha Dagar	IND
Dame Laura Davies	ENG
Anna Davis (a)	USA
Hayley Davis	ENG
Savannah De Bock (a)	BEL

Manon de Roey	BEL
Perrine Delacour	FRA
Gemma Dryburgh	SCO
Louise Duncan	SCO
Nicole Broch Estrup	DEN
Jodi Ewart Shadoff	ENG
Ally Ewing	USA
Saiki Fujita	JPN
Ayaka Furue	JPN
Linn Grant	SWE
Hannah Green	AUS
Johanna Gustavsson	SWE
Georgia Hall	ENG
Lydia Hall	WAL
Mina Harigae	USA
Leonie Harm	GER
Mizuki Hashimoto (a)	JPN
Nasa Hataoka	JPN
Brooke Henderson	CAN
Esther Henseleit	GER
Celine Herbin	FRA
Alice Hewson	ENG
Whitney Hillier	AUS
Jungmin Hong	KOR
Kotone Hori	JPN
Wei-ling Hsu	TPE
Charley Hull	ENG

PLAYERS I-L

Janie Jackson	USA
Eun Hee Ji	KOR
Ariya Jutanugarn	THA
Moriya Jutanugarn	THA
Minami Katsu	JPN
Megan Khang	USA
A Lim Kim	KOR
Hyo Joo Kim	KOR
In-Kyung Kim	KOR
Sei Young Kim	KOR
Cheyenne Knight	USA
Jinyoung Ko	KOR
Lydia Ko	NZL
Tiia Koivisto	FIN
Jessica Korda	USA

Nelly Korda	USA
Jennifer Kupcho	USA
Steph Kyriacou	AUS
Bronte Law	ENG
Maude-Aimee Leblanc	CAN
Alison Lee	USA
Andrea Lee	USA
Minjee Lee	AUS
Jeongeun Lee5	KOR
Jeongeun Lee6	KOR
Stacy Lewis	USA
Xiyu Janet Lin	CHN
Ingrid Lindblad	SWE
Gaby Lopez	MEX

PLAYERS M-R

Meghan Maclaren	ENG
Nanna Koerstz Madsen	DEN
Leona Maguire	IRE
Mo Martin	USA
Caroline Masson	GER
Catriona Matthew	SCO
Caley McGinty (a)	ENG
Stephanie Meadow	NIR
Wichanee Meechai	THA
Jana Melichova	CZE
Morgane Metraux	SWI
Yuna Nishimura	JPN
Yealimi Noh	USA
Anna Nordqvist	SWE
Sanna-julia Nuutinen	FIN

Ryann O’Toole	USA
Su Oh	AUS
Amy Olson	USA
Lee-Anne Pace	RSA
Annie Park	USA
Inbee Park	KOR
Sung Hyun Park	KOR
Emily Kristine Pedersen	DEN
Ana Pelaez Trivino	SPA
Valery Plata (a)	COL
Sophia Popov	GER
Mel Reid	ENG
Paula Reto	RSA
So Yeon Ryu	KOR

PLAYER S-Z

Madelene Sagstrom	SWE
Mao Saigo	JPN
Lizette Salas	USA
Yuka Saso	JPN
Sarah Schmelzel	USA
Sophia Schubert	USA
Hinako Shibuno	JPN
Jenny Shin	KOR
Magdalena Simmermacher	ARG
Marianne Skarpnord	NOR
Angela Stanford	USA
Maja Stark	SWE
Lauren Stephenson	USA
Jasmine Suwannapura	THA
Sayaka Takahashi	JPN
Emma Talley	USA

Kelly Tan	MAL
Patty Tavatanakit	THA
Atthaya Thitikul	THA
Lexi Thompson	USA
Michele Thomson	SCO
Mariajo Uribe	COL
Albane Valenzuela	SWI
Lilia Vu	USA
Chanettee Wannasaen	THA
Lindsey Weaver-Wright	USA
Ursula Wikstrom	FIN
Miyuu Yamashita	JPN
Amy Yang	KOR
Angel Yin	USA
Liz Young	ENG
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.