After the AIG Women's Open was hosted at Muirfield for the first time in 2022, and another new venue, Walton Heath, was confirmed as the location for the 2023 tournament, it returns to the scene of two of its previous tournaments in 2024 - The Old Course at St Andrews.
Despite having previously hosted the Major in 2007 and 2013, though, the tournament's return to the Home of Golf surely helps highlight the increasing esteem placed on the women’s game as it strives for parity with the men’s equivalent.
Venues simply don’t get more iconic than The Old Course at St Andrews, and it will welcome the world’s best in the women’s game for the tournament between 21 and 25 August.
The Home of Golf is not only recognised as the oldest course in the world, but its history of hosting some of the most famous tournaments of all time is all but unmatched.
Among them are no fewer than 30 Open Championships, including two Jack Nicklaus wins – in 1970 and 1978 – of which the latter sealed his third career Grand Slam. Then there was Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros’ win in 1984 whose winning putt he later described as “the happiest moment of my sporting life.”
Other famous moments at the course include John Daly’s Open win over Constantino Rocca in a four-hole playoff in 1995, the two times Tiger Woods has claimed the Claret Jug there, in 2000 and 2005 and, of course, the most recent Open held there – the historic 150th – when Cameron Smith held his nerve to claim his first Major title, with Cameron Young, Viktor Hovand and Rory McIlroy in pursuit.
The two previous times the Women’s Open has been held at the venue have been equally memorable. In 2007, one of the all-time greats, Mexican Lorena Ochoa, won by four shots to claim her first Major title, while six years later, American Stacy Lewis achieved a two-shot win for her second Major victory.
As for the venue, there’s history at almost every turn, from the instantly recognisable R&A Clubhouse to the elegant five-star hotel that flanks the famous Road Hole. Then there’s the Swilcan Bridge, the scene of many iconic moments over the decades, including when 18-time Major winner Nicklaus waved farewell after his final tournament as a professional in 2005.
The course is equally fabled among golf fans the world over. Each hole has its own name, while many of its bunkers are among the most feared in the world, with daunting names to boot, including Hell and The Coffins.
Avoid the bunkers and there are other potential pitfalls including the Swilcan Burn that straddles the first and 18th fairways and the Valley of Sin, an eight-foot depression standing in front of the 18th green that’s seen many a world-class player come unstuck over the years.
Considering its incredible history, array of landmarks and the unique challenge the course poses, there couldn’t be a more fitting venue to conclude another year of Majors. As the action plays out on The Old Course, there's every chance it will make for one of the most memorable AIG Women's Opens to date.
