By: Max Bechtoldt
The AIG Women’s Open kicks off early Thursday morning, wrapping up the 2024 LPGA Tour major season. Here are some of the groupings to keep an eye on for the first two rounds (All times Eastern):
2:00 AM Thursday – Lauren Coughlin, Madelene Sagström, Miyu Yamashita
It won’t take long to see some of the best players in the world tee off, as this is the first group off the back nine on Thursday. While likely very little of their round will make it to TV coverage for the opening round, they will be squarely in the window for Friday’s second. Coughlin is looking for her third win of the season, Sagström wants to solidify her Solheim Cup spot and Yamashita has the chance to prove herself against LPGA Tour competition for the last time this season.
2:11 AM Thursday – Hannah Green, Brooke Henderson, Amy Yang
All three of these players have had great seasons in very different ways. Hannah Green has really solidified herself as one of the biggest stars on tour, with two wins and jumping into the top five of the Rolex Rankings. Henderson is undoubtedly disappointed that she hasn’t hoisted a trophy yet, and has dropped out of the world top 20, but she still has been consistent with seven top 10s this year. Yang hasn’t done a whole lot other than win her first major championship at the KPMG, but that’s enough to consider the season a win.
2:55 AM Thursday – Ayaka Furue, Georgia Hall, Rose Zhang
Don’t be surprised to see the winner come from this group. Good putters without huge distance generally perform well at St. Andrews. Furue is one of the best short game players on the planet and is red hot with six top-10 finishes in her last eight events, including a major championship win. She could secure the Annika Major Award. Hall and Zhang’s putting numbers I dont think really do them a lot of justice this season, I think when the flat stick gets hot for each of them it can be a weapon.
7:26 AM Thursday – Lydia Ko, Ally Ewing, Celine Boutier
Hall of Famer Lydia Ko should feel a lot of confidence heading into The AIG Women’s Open. The Old Course is somewhere she should play well and she is playing with a lot of momentum. Joining her are Ally Ewing, who has been spectacular this year even if she has cooled as of late, and Celine Boutier, another player who has the playing style to win at St. Andrews. I would expect some low scores from this superstar trio.
8:10 AM Thursday – Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, Lilia Vu
Here we have the true headliner group, featuring the top two players in the Rolex Rankings along with the highest ranked British player. Vu, the defending champion, should feel comfortable here. While her back has played a role I think in some of her weekend performances, The Old Course is a very easy walking course. Hull, the defending runner-up, had her best week of the season in the Scottish Open. Korda is still looking to get back in the form of her early season where she won six times, but she showed a lot of encouraging signs in the Olympics. This course has a lot less trouble than Le Golf National, which should benefit her.
