THE FIRST OPEN
The Wills Australian Ladies Open was first played at Victoria Golf Club in 1974, with Japan’s Chako Higuchi beating local Penny Pulz by three shots. Prize money was $10,000 with Higuchi’s share $2000. This year the field will compete for a share of $US1.3 million with $195,000 going to the winner.
THE WINNERS
There have been 19 winners of the 25 Opens. Karrie Webb holds the tournament record of five wins (2000, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2014). The only other multiple winners with two each are England’s Laura Davies (2004, 2009) and Taiwan’s Yani Tseng (2010, 2011).
QUALITY
The winners of the Australian Open come from nine different nations and have won 41 majors between them.
THE NATIONS
Australia leads the way with seven wins, from USA with four, Sweden three, two each to Scotland, England, New Zealand, Taiwan and Japan and one to South Korea.
THE COURSES
There have been 14 courses play host to the Women’s Australian Open with Royal Adelaide staging the event for the second time this year. Yarra Yarra in Melbourne has held the most Opens, seven in a row between 1995 and 2002.
RECORD SCORES
Karrie Webb holds the tournament record score of 22-under, her 270 total coming on the par 73 layout of Yarra for her first Open win in 2000. Her final round was a nine-under par 64. The tournament’s highest winning score was 289, when the Open was held at Royal Melbourne for the first time in 2012. Jessica Korda was one of six players locked at three under par in the largest playoff of any Australian tournament, winning on the second sudden-death hole.
PLAYOFFS
The monster play-off of 2012 involved Korda, Stacy Lewis, Julieta Granada, Brittany Lincicome, So Yeon Ryu and Hee Kyung Seo. That was the fifth playoff in the Open’s history. Australian Jan Stephenson defeated American Pat Bradley on the fourth sudden-death hole in the 1977 Open, which had been shortened to 36 holes because of rain. In 1995 Swede Liselotte Neumann won in a three-hole sudden-death play-off with countrywoman Annika Sorenstam and American Jane Geddes. Webb had missed a spot in that play-off by just one shot but in 2002 she defeated Norwegian Suzann Pettersen on the first hole of sudden death. And Webb had to go three extra holes to beat Jiyai Shin at Kingston Heath in 2008.
TOURNAMENT OF FIRSTS
The 2012 Open was Jessica Korda’s first win as a professional, with Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam (1994), Catriona Matthew (1996) and Mhairi McKay (2003) also registering their first professional victories in the Open.
RUNNERS-UP
Rachel Hetherington’s second place to Sorenstam was the first of three occasions in which she finished runner-up in her national Open. The others were in 2000 behind Karrie Webb and 2004 behind Laura Davies. In addition to their multiple wins, Webb and Davies have also finished second twice, the Australian in 1996 and 2001 and the Briton in 2003 and 2010. Jiyai Shin, winner in 2013 has also finished second twice in 2008 and 2011.
THE BOWL
The trophy for the Open, the Patricia Bridges Bowl, is named in honour of Australia’s most revered women’s golf official, who served three terms as President of the Australian Ladies Golf Union. In an administrative career spanning four decades, Patricia Bridges OBE was instrumental in the establishment of the Women’s Australian Open in the 1970s. In 2006 she became the first life member of Golf Australia.
THE SALVER
The leading amateur in the Open receives the Silver Salver. World number one Lydia Ko was leading amateur in 2011, 2012 and 2013 before winning as a pro in 2015. Australia’s top ranked player Minjee Lee was leading amateur in 2014.
PLAYER PROFILES
By Karen Harding
LYDIA KO
Lydia Ko is a record breaker. The first amateur to win twice on the LPGA Tour, the youngest winner in LPGA history, the youngest player, at 17, male or female, to reach number one in the world, she is also the youngest major winner in LPGA Tour history and the youngest winner of the Rookie of the Year award (2014). In 2016 alone, she shot a career-low round 62 twice, added four wins including a second major, the ANA Inspiration, and 10 additional top-10s including a runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and T3 at the U.S. Women’s Open. She was the silver medallist at the Rio Olympics. A great putter and tremendous scorer, Ko is the one to beat.
COUNTRY: New Zealand
DATE OF BIRTH: April 24, 1997
WORLD RANKING: 1
2016 (LPGA): 24starts, 24 cuts, 4 wins, 14 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US2,493,059 (2nd)
ARIYA JUTANUGARN
It is hard to adequately describe the brilliance of Ariya Jutanugarn’s 2016. Starting the year ranked 62, she finished as world number 2 after five wins, including the RICOH Women’s British Open, and 11 other top-10 finishes, three of which were in majors. She became the first Thai golfer, male or female, to own a major and the first player in LPGA history to have their first three career wins in succession. She is also only the second player to win the Rolex Player of the Year, Race to the CME Globe and LPGA Official Money title in one season. A birdie machine (469 in 2016) and ranked top-10 in seven significant scoring categories, look for an outstanding performance again.
COUNTRY: Thailand
DATE OF BIRTH: November 23, 1995
WORLD RANKING: 2
2016 (LPGA): 28starts, 27 cuts, 5 wins, 16 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US2,550,947 (1st)
BROOKE HENDERSON
The exceptional career of Brooke Henderson continued in 2016 when she birdied the first playoff hole against Lydia Ko to win the KPMG Women’s PGA, becoming the second youngest player in LPGA history, behind Ko, to win a major, the youngest to win that event and the first Canadian to win a major in 48 years. Henderson was also top-10 in two other majors, repeated her 2015 Cambia Portland Classic victory, recorded an astonishing 15 top-10s and finished third in the Rolex Player of the Year award behind Ariya Jutanugarn and Ko. A birdie machine, she reeled off 455 of them, second only to Jutanugarn. A rare talent and looking to better her T9 at this event in 2016.
COUNTRY: Canada
DATE OF BIRTH: September 10, 1997
WORLD RANKING: 9
2016 (LPGA): 31starts, 30 cuts, 2 wins, 15 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US1,724,420 (3rd)
HA NA JANG
What a year 2016 was for Ha Na Jang. After an excellent 2015 LPGA rookie season, she started the year with two wins from her first five starts, the Coates Golf Championship and the HSBC Women’s Champions, later adding the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship. A week before her first win, she recorded the LPGA’s first ever ace on a par-4, at the Pure Silk Bahamas PGA Classic. Jang was also T5 at the RICOH Women’s British Open. She led the tour in rounds under par and was top-10 in other scoring categories. This girl can really play. With a T4 at this event last year, she is sure to perform well and spectators will be captivated by her outgoing personality.
COUNTRY: Republic of Korea
DATE OF BIRTH: May 2, 1992
WORLD RANKING: 6
2016 (LPGA): 22 starts, 21 cuts, 3 wins, 8 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US1,383,640 (8th)
KARRIE WEBB
Beyond champion, beyond icon, beyond legend, there is Karrie Webb, Australia’s great golfer. It’s not just the numbers of her career but the manner of them and her personal qualities that set her apart. 41 LPGA wins, seven majors, leading current player on all-time win list, leading current player on career money list, the youngest player (in 2001) in LPGA history to achieve the LPGA career Grand Slam and first player (in 2002) to achieve the Super Career Grand Slam – five different majors, coming heartbreakingly close in 2014 to adding a sixth. 2005 LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer, Webb has a history of come-from-behind wins, including the 2014 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, her fifth national crown.
COUNTRY: Australia
DATE OF BIRTH: December 21, 1974
WORLD RANKING: 62
2016 (LPGA): 20starts, 15 cuts, 0 wins, 3 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US378,876 (52nd)
HARU NOMURA
Haru Nomura blossomed in 2016, securing her first LPGA title at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, the second Japanese winner after Chako Higuchi in 1974, and claiming the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic six events later. Her performance in majors was strong, finishing eighth at The Evian and top-20 in two others, and she was T4 at the Rio Olympics. Her scoring average improved by 1.26, taking her from 37th in 2015 to ninth in 2016. Most of that improvement was in birdies, finishing third in that category, up from 60th in 2015, and in putting which improved from 61st in 2015 to sixth in 2016. A very consistent player who will make a stout defence of her title here.
COUNTRY: Japan
DATE OF BIRTH: November 25, 1992
WORLD RANKING: 21
2016 (LPGA): 28starts, 27 cuts, 2 wins, 6 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US1,228,319 (11th)
MICHELLE WIE
The journey of Michelle Wie has seen incredible highs and lows, yet throughout she has remained a crowd favourite. A phenom, Wie first competed in an LPGA event in 2002, aged 12, and played seven events as a non-member the following year. Much was expected of her but things did not go to plan. With enormous mental strength and her unique “table-top” putting stance, she roared back in 2014, winning two events including the U.S. Women’s Open, posting a further 11 top-10s, and finishing third on the money list. Plagued by injury and illness through 2015, Wie struggled in 2016 and is again on the comeback trail. A fashionista as well as superbly gifted player, Wie is too good to discount anywhere.
COUNTRY: USA
DATE OF BIRTH: October 11, 1989
WORLD RANKING: 183
2016 (LPGA): 25starts, 13 cuts, 0 wins, 1 top-10
2016 MONEY: $US76,109 (105th)
MINJEE LEE
Australia’s Minjee Lee is a bright star. After a stellar amateur career during which she was ranked #1 in the world, Lee produced a fine 2015 LPGA rookie season and in 2016 continued her rise. She claimed the LOTTE Championship and the Blue Bay LPGA, with a further six top-10s to round out a great year which included an ace on a par-4 at the Kia Classic, only the second in LPGA history, and a T6 at the Rio Olympics. Now Australia’s highest ranked player, Lee’s game stands up against any in the world. Ranked fourth in 2016 on birdies and eagles, she is blessed with a technically sound and fluid swing that is a joy to watch.
COUNTRY: Australia
DATE OF BIRTH: May 27, 1996
WORLD RANKING: 17
2016 (LPGA): 27 starts, 26 cuts, 2 wins, 8 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US1,213,902 (12th)
CHARLEY HULL
The prodigious Charley Hull won her first adult event at Turnberry, aged nine, and has been breaking records since. She was LET Rookie of the Year in 2013 after some spectacular results and won the LET Order of Merit in 2014. She missed just one cut in her 2015 LPGA rookie season and in 2016 recorded her maiden LPGA victory at the CME Group Tour Championship, firing a tournament record. She finished T2 at the ANA Inspiration, a major, and top-20 at two other majors. She was T4 at the 2016 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, T7 at the Rio Olympics, and improved her world ranking by more than 20 places. Fearless, naturally gifted and charismatic, Hull is one to watch.
COUNTRY: England
DATE OF BIRTH: March 20, 1996
WORLD RANKING: 15
2016 (LPGA): 22 starts, 19 cuts, 1 win, 5 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US1,114,360 (15th)
CARLOTA CIGANDA
After a promising amateur career Carlota Ciganda joined the LET and LPGA Tours in 2012, winning both the LET Order of Merit and Rookie of the Year titles. From 2013 she concentrated more on the LPGA Tour, improving steadily each year. 2016 proved her breakout year with two wins in a one-month span, the first at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship when she came from five strokes behind to defeat Alison Lee in a playoff, and her second, after finishing runner-up in 2015, at the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational. She had another five top-10s for a solid year. She has a great team event record, representing Europe in Solheim Cup and Spain in the 2014-winning International Crown and the 2016 Olympics.
COUNTRY: Spain
DATE OF BIRTH: June 1, 1990
WORLD RANKING: 20
2016 (LPGA): 26 starts, 22 cuts, 2 wins, 7 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US1,116,289 (14th)
MO MARTIN
COUNTRY: USA
DATE OF BIRTH: October 8, 1982
WORLD RANKING: 32
2016 (LPGA): 28 starts, 26 cuts, 0 wins, 4 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US732,914 (23rd)
JENNY SHIN
COUNTRY: Republic of Korea
DATE OF BIRTH: October 7, 1992
WORLD RANKING: 38
2016 (LPGA): 27 starts, 24 cuts, 1 win, 5 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US630,649 (27th)
MI HYANG LEE
COUNTRY: Republic of Korea
DATE OF BIRTH: March 30, 1993
WORLD RANKING: 40
2016 (LPGA): 27 starts, 23 cuts, 0 wins, 2 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US442, 976 (42nd)
KARINE ICHER
COUNTRY: France
DATE OF BIRTH: January 26, 1979
WORLD RANKING: 46
2016 (LPGA): 29 starts, 25 cuts, 0 wins, 5 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US628,968 (28th)
PORNANONG PHATLUM
COUNTRY: Thailand
DATE OF BIRTH: December 4, 1989
WORLD RANKING: 44
2016 (LPGA): 27 starts, 24 cuts, 0 wins, 5 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US617,761 (30th)
CHELLA CHOI
COUNTRY: Republic of Korea
DATE OF BIRTH: August 25, 1990
WORLD RANKING: 52
2016 (LPGA): 30 starts, 25 cuts, 0 wins, 5 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US604,684 (31st)
AZAHARA MUNOZ
COUNTRY: Spain
DATE OF BIRTH: November 19, 1987
WORLD RANKING: 51
2016 (LPGA): 27 starts, 25 cuts, 0 wins, 5 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US440,968 (43rd)
JODI EWART SHADOFF
COUNTRY: England
DATE OF BIRTH: January 7, 1988
WORLD RANKING: 55
2016 (LPGA): 26 starts, 25 cuts, 0 wins, 3 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US593,328 (32nd)
CAROLINE MASSON
COUNTRY: Germany
DATE OF BIRTH: May 14, 1989
WORLD RANKING: 53
2016 (LPGA): 30 starts, 23 cuts, 1 win, 4 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US635,223 (26th)
CATRIONA MATTHEW
COUNTRY: Scotland
DATE OF BIRTH: August 25, 1969
WORLD RANKING: 63
2016 (LPGA): 23 starts, 21 cuts, 0 wins, 2 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US414, 683 (44th)
SU OH
COUNTRY: Australia
DATE OF BIRTH: May 23, 1996
WORLD RANKING: 71
2016 (LPGA): 22 starts, 17 cuts, 0 wins, 2 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US383,623 (50th)
DANIELLE KANG
COUNTRY: Republic of Korea
DATE OF BIRTH: April 28, 1988
WORLD RANKING: 67
2016 (LPGA): 27 starts, 23 cuts, 0 wins, 3 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US505,316 (36th)
ANGELA STANFORD
COUNTRY: USA
DATE OF BIRTH: November 18, 1977
WORLD RANKING: 59
2016 (LPGA): 26 starts, 19 cuts, 0 wins, 4 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US488,588 (37th)
MORIYA JUTANUGARN
COUNTRY: Thailand
DATE OF BIRTH: July 28, 1994
WORLD RANKING: 84
2016 (LPGA): 29 starts, 24 cuts, 0 wins, 2 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US446,948 (40th)
SARAH JANE SMITH
COUNTRY: Australia
DATE OF BIRTH: July 8, 1984
WORLD RANKING: 114
2016 (LPGA): 28 starts, 24 cuts, 0 wins, 1 top-10
2016 MONEY: $US340, 318 (56th)
LAURA DAVIES
COUNTRY: England
DATE OF BIRTH: October5, 1963
WORLD RANKING: 366
2016 (LPGA): 15 starts, 4 cuts, 0 wins, 0 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US19,949 (151st)
YANI TSENG
COUNTRY: Chinese Taipei
DATE OF BIRTH: January 23, 1989
WORLD RANKING: 116
2016 (LPGA): 25 starts, 13 cuts, 0 wins, 0 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US70, 910 (109th)
XI YU LIN
COUNTRY: China
DATE OF BIRTH: February 25, 1996
WORLD RANKING: 75
2016 (LPGA): 25 starts, 17 cuts, 0 wins, 2 top-10s
2016 MONEY: $US307,078 (61st)
NELLY KORDA
COUNTRY: USA
DATE OF BIRTH: July 18, 1998
WORLD RANKING: 249
2016 (SYM): 19 starts, 15 cuts, 1 win, 7 top-10s
2016 MONEY: US$70,129 (9th)
