2025 AIG Women's Open (Jul 31 - Aug 03)

[Argonne69]

Race to the CME Globe: 650 Points

 

Format: 72 holes

 

Purse: $9,500,000

 

Location: Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan, Wales

 

Par: 72

 

Yardage: 6,580 yds

 

History: This is the 32nd year for the event. In 2024, Lydia Ko shot a final round 69 to win by two strokes over Lilia Vu, Jiyai Shin, Nelly Korda and Ruoning Yin at the Old Course at St Andrews to claim her third major title. 

 

Coverage:

 

Jul 31: USA Network 7:00 am - 2:00 pm (EDT)

 

Aug 01: USA Network 7:00 am - 2:00 pm (EDT)

 

 

Aug 02: USA Network 7:00 am - 12:00 pm (EDT)

Aug 02: NBC 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm (EDT)

 

Aug 03: USA Network 7:00 am - 12:00 pm (EDT)

Aug 03: NBC 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm (EDT)

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

It's the middle of summer, and we're already at the final major of the year. Sigh. Lol.

 

Can't disagree that Lottie is the favorite. Two wins and a T3 in her last three starts is quite the feat.

 

Hopefully we get some British Open weather, but that it's fair to both the morning and afternoon waves.

 

Note that coverage is on USA Network in addition to NBC.

 

Edited July 29 by Argonne69

[JungleJimbo]

Iona Stephen provides a course vlog / preview of the AIG Women's Open

 

 

[Oneput]

Wishing for some dramatic finish like 2025 Evian final R!

[18majors]

 

This scenario would apply even if Jeeno misses the cut this week:

 

 

[18majors]

 

Tee times for featured groups

[18majors]

 

It appears that AIG Women's Open is cheap; their leaderboard doesn't have the "Shot Link" features!

[tonyj5]

My field rating for this event is a super 86%, making it the second highest rated field of the year (the KPMG was 87%).
My breakdown is 82% from the LPGA Priority List and 90% from the Rolex World rankings. The Rolex ranking is super high because there are many highly ranked players from other tours in the field.
Every player that is ranked in the top thirty-three of the Rolex Rankings will be teeing it up this week.
Lydia Ko is the defending champion.
All twenty winners on the LPGA Tour, and twelve winners from the LET, will be teeing it up this week.

Other Stuff:
Lottie Woad's win this past weekend was the first win for a player from England this year.
Lottie was also the fourth rookie to win on the LPGA Tour this year, and the eighth first time winner.
There has not been a multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this season in the first nineteen tournaments, that is the longest streak in the 75 year history of the LPGA.

The Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year race got a bit closer this week. Rio Takeda still leads with 838 points, but Miyu Yamashita has cut into her lead with 690 points. Chisato Iwai is third with 596 points and Akie Iwai is 4th with 402.

There was not much movement by LPGA players this week in thr Rolex Rankings, but these players are certainly worth mentioning:

Nelly Korda retains the top spot for the 108th week in her career which ranks 5th on the all-time list. If she is number one next week she will tie Yani Tseng for 4th place.
Lottie Woad skyrockets from 62 to 24.
Sei Young Kim leaps from 50 to 35.
Outside the top 100:
Julia Lopez Ramirez catapults from 197 to 111.
Paula Reto powers her way up from 170 to 143.

In the all-important Race to the CME Globe, where you must finish in the top 100 to retain your full time playing privileges for 2026:
Lottie Woad appears for the first time on the chart all the way up at the 46th position.
Paula Reto greatly improves her chances by jumping from 95 to 75.
Mary Liu (94 to 85) and Soo Bin Joo (99 to 90) still have work to do, but now have a much better chance.
In Gee Chun jumps into the top 100, moving from 102 to 95. Jasmine Suwannapura fall out of the top 100, dropping from 100 to 102.

I will leave everyone here with the following questions (feel free to comment):
How is it possible that (according to the LPGA broadcast this weekend) Nellie Korda has a lower scoring average this year then she had last year when she won six times?
How is it possible that Hye-Jin Choi does not have an LPGA victory on the LPGA Tour in her 3 plus years as a member? She has twenty-six top ten finishes.

Edited July 29 by tonyj5

[DuenPhen]

59 minutes ago, tonyj5 said:

My field rating for this event is a super 86%, making it the second highest rated field of the year (the KPMG was 87%).
My breakdown is 82% from the LPGA Priority List and 90% from the Rolex World rankings. The Rolex ranking is super high because there are many highly ranked players from other tours in the field.
Every player that is ranked in the top thirty-three of the Rolex Rankings will be teeing it up this week.
Lydia Ko is the defending champion.
All twenty winners on the LPGA Tour, and twelve winners from the LET, will be teeing it up this week.

Other Stuff:
Lottie Woad's win this past weekend was the first win for a player from England this year.
Lottie was also the fourth rookie to win on the LPGA Tour this year, and the eighth first time winner.
There has not been a multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this season in the first nineteen tournaments, that is the longest streak in the 75 year history of the LPGA.

The Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year race got a bit closer this week. Rio Takeda still leads with 838 points, but Miyu Yamashita has cut into her lead with 690 points. Chisato Iwai is third with 596 points and Akie Iwai is 4th with 402.

There was not much movement by LPGA players this week in thr Rolex Rankings, but these players are certainly worth mentioning:

Nelly Korda retains the top spot for the 108th week in her career which ranks 5th on the all-time list. If she is number one next week she will tie Yani Tseng for 4th place.
Lottie Woad skyrockets from 62 to 24.
Sei Young Kim leaps from 50 to 35.
Outside the top 100:
Julia Lopez Ramirez catapults from 197 to 111.
Paula Reto powers her way up from 170 to 143.

In the all-important Race to the CME Globe, where you must finish in the top 100 to retain your full time playing privileges for 2026:
Lottie Woad appears for the first time on the chart all the way up at the 46th position.
Paula Reto greatly improves her chances by jumping from 95 to 75.
Mary Liu (94 to 85) and Soo Bin Joo (99 to 90) still have work to do, but now have a much better chance.
In Gee Chun jumps into the top 100, moving from 102 to 95. Jasmine Suwannapura fall out of the top 100, dropping from 100 to 102.

I will leave everyone here with the following questions (feel free to comment):
How is it possible that we have had 20 winners in 19 tournaments this year (2 winners at the Dow), and neither Nelly Korda (world #1) or Jeeno Thitikul (world #2) have a victory? 
How is it possible that (according to the LPGA broadcast this weekend) Nellie Korda has a lower scoring average this year then she had last year when she won six times?
How is it possible that Hye-Jin Choi does not have an LPGA victory on the LPGA Tour in her 3 plus years as a member? She has twenty-six top ten finishes.

I can answer at least one of the questions. Jeeno has a win this year at the Mizuho. 

[TiScape]

Do ya’ll make fun of the players attire here like they do over in the men’s thread?

If so…

 

🤣

Edited July 29 by TiScape

[Hawkeye77]

2 hours ago, tonyj5 said:

My field rating for this event is a super 86%, making it the second highest rated field of the year (the KPMG was 87%).
My breakdown is 82% from the LPGA Priority List and 90% from the Rolex World rankings. The Rolex ranking is super high because there are many highly ranked players from other tours in the field.
Every player that is ranked in the top thirty-three of the Rolex Rankings will be teeing it up this week.
Lydia Ko is the defending champion.
All twenty winners on the LPGA Tour, and twelve winners from the LET, will be teeing it up this week.

Other Stuff:
Lottie Woad's win this past weekend was the first win for a player from England this year.
Lottie was also the fourth rookie to win on the LPGA Tour this year, and the eighth first time winner.
There has not been a multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this season in the first nineteen tournaments, that is the longest streak in the 75 year history of the LPGA.

The Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year race got a bit closer this week. Rio Takeda still leads with 838 points, but Miyu Yamashita has cut into her lead with 690 points. Chisato Iwai is third with 596 points and Akie Iwai is 4th with 402.

There was not much movement by LPGA players this week in thr Rolex Rankings, but these players are certainly worth mentioning:

Nelly Korda retains the top spot for the 108th week in her career which ranks 5th on the all-time list. If she is number one next week she will tie Yani Tseng for 4th place.
Lottie Woad skyrockets from 62 to 24.
Sei Young Kim leaps from 50 to 35.
Outside the top 100:
Julia Lopez Ramirez catapults from 197 to 111.
Paula Reto powers her way up from 170 to 143.

In the all-important Race to the CME Globe, where you must finish in the top 100 to retain your full time playing privileges for 2026:
Lottie Woad appears for the first time on the chart all the way up at the 46th position.
Paula Reto greatly improves her chances by jumping from 95 to 75.
Mary Liu (94 to 85) and Soo Bin Joo (99 to 90) still have work to do, but now have a much better chance.
In Gee Chun jumps into the top 100, moving from 102 to 95. Jasmine Suwannapura fall out of the top 100, dropping from 100 to 102.

I will leave everyone here with the following questions (feel free to comment):
How is it possible that we have had 20 winners in 19 tournaments this year (2 winners at the Dow), and neither Nelly Korda (world #1) or Jeeno Thitikul (world #2) have a victory? 
How is it possible that (according to the LPGA broadcast this weekend) Nellie Korda has a lower scoring average this year then she had last year when she won six times?
How is it possible that Hye-Jin Choi does not have an LPGA victory on the LPGA Tour in her 3 plus years as a member? She has twenty-six top ten finishes.

 

As long as you feel strongly about it . . .

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, TiScape said:

Do ya’ll make fun of the players attire here like they do over in the men’s thread?

If so…

 

🤣

 

Looks sharp. 

 

[ChronicSlicer]

3 hours ago, tonyj5 said:

How is it possible that (according to the LPGA broadcast this weekend) Nellie Korda has a lower scoring average this year then she had last year when she won six times?

 

Well first off she won 7 times last year. Secondly, I honestly don’t think she had to face the best of the best every week when it came down to those in contention last year. Sure, a few weeks she faced off with consistent players and multiple winners but she had a lot of lesser known, less experienced competition.

[Argonne69]

3 hours ago, tonyj5 said:

My field rating for this event is a super 86%, making it the second highest rated field of the year (the KPMG was 87%).
My breakdown is 82% from the LPGA Priority List and 90% from the Rolex World rankings. The Rolex ranking is super high because there are many highly ranked players from other tours in the field.
Every player that is ranked in the top thirty-three of the Rolex Rankings will be teeing it up this week.
Lydia Ko is the defending champion.
All twenty winners on the LPGA Tour, and twelve winners from the LET, will be teeing it up this week.

Other Stuff:
Lottie Woad's win this past weekend was the first win for a player from England this year.
Lottie was also the fourth rookie to win on the LPGA Tour this year, and the eighth first time winner.
There has not been a multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this season in the first nineteen tournaments, that is the longest streak in the 75 year history of the LPGA.

The Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year race got a bit closer this week. Rio Takeda still leads with 838 points, but Miyu Yamashita has cut into her lead with 690 points. Chisato Iwai is third with 596 points and Akie Iwai is 4th with 402.

There was not much movement by LPGA players this week in thr Rolex Rankings, but these players are certainly worth mentioning:

Nelly Korda retains the top spot for the 108th week in her career which ranks 5th on the all-time list. If she is number one next week she will tie Yani Tseng for 4th place.
Lottie Woad skyrockets from 62 to 24.
Sei Young Kim leaps from 50 to 35.
Outside the top 100:
Julia Lopez Ramirez catapults from 197 to 111.
Paula Reto powers her way up from 170 to 143.

In the all-important Race to the CME Globe, where you must finish in the top 100 to retain your full time playing privileges for 2026:
Lottie Woad appears for the first time on the chart all the way up at the 46th position.
Paula Reto greatly improves her chances by jumping from 95 to 75.
Mary Liu (94 to 85) and Soo Bin Joo (99 to 90) still have work to do, but now have a much better chance.
In Gee Chun jumps into the top 100, moving from 102 to 95. Jasmine Suwannapura fall out of the top 100, dropping from 100 to 102.

I will leave everyone here with the following questions (feel free to comment):
How is it possible that we have had 20 winners in 19 tournaments this year (2 winners at the Dow), and neither Nelly Korda (world #1) or Jeeno Thitikul (world #2) have a victory? 
How is it possible that (according to the LPGA broadcast this weekend) Nellie Korda has a lower scoring average this year then she had last year when she won six times?
How is it possible that Hye-Jin Choi does not have an LPGA victory on the LPGA Tour in her 3 plus years as a member? She has twenty-six top ten finishes.

 

As @DuenPhenmentioned, Jeeno won the Mizuho. 

 

Nelly has only teed it up a dozen times this year. In half of those she scores in double digits under par. Definitely helps the scoring average, but unfortunately she ran into a hotter player each week. Four of those were classic birdiefests, so a great week can easily be outshined. Nice -14 week at the Ford Championship, but Hyo Joo shot 22 under 

 

Hye Jin is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Simply put, if she's in contention on Sunday, she plays meh. If he's out of it, she'll move up easily into a top 10. She's certainly not the only player to muck up Sundays.

 

This year's Meijer's was classic Hye Jin. Shot a decent final round 68, but her back nine had her at even par for the day after a sloppy bogey on the 17th. Finished with a birdie on the easily reachable par 5 18th, but Carlota managed a 67. No reason she should have parred the easy par 5 14th. 

 

[ChronicSlicer]

15 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Looks sharp. 

 

My first thought was she went shopping with MC Hammer. Second thought are those rain paints?

[tonyj5]

On 7/29/2025 at 2:20 PM, DuenPhen said:

I can answer at least one of the questions. Jeeno has a win this year at the Mizuho. 

Sorry about that error. I have corrected it. The worse part about that is I was at the Mizuho the entire tournament.

Edited July 31 by tonyj5

[tonyj5]

1 hour ago, ChronicSlicer said:

Well first off she won 7 times last year. Secondly, I honestly don’t think she had to face the best of the best every week when it came down to those in contention last year. Sure, a few weeks she faced off with consistent players and multiple winners but she had a lot of lesser known, less experienced competition.

I believe the broadcast was referring to the fact she had 6 wins at this point last year and her scoring average is lower at the same point this year.

 

[GolfMoose]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Definitely helps the scoring average, but unfortunately she ran into a hotter player each week. Four of those were classic birdiefests, so a great week can easily be outshined

Great point. The number is relative and needs context...how is it compared to what others shot, not to mention variations for weather, the tournaments and courses played etc. 

 

Another variable is the sequencing. Six good rounds followed by two bad ones is different than two runs of 3 good and 1 bad....the first might lead to a win and a 30th, the second perhaps two 10th place finishes, but the same average. 

[TiScape]

2 hours ago, ChronicSlicer said:

My first thought was she went shopping with MC Hammer. Second thought *are those rain paints?*

Was my first thought!

[18majors]

56 minutes ago, GolfMoose said:

Another variable is the sequencing. Six good rounds followed by two bad ones is different than two runs of 3 good and 1 bad....the first might lead to a win and a 30th, the second perhaps two 10th place finishes, but the same average. 

 

Nelly's biggest problem this year has been her play during the weekends:

 

Round 1 Scoring Avg

69.82

7

Round 2 Scoring Avg

67.91

1

Round 3 Scoring Avg

69.91

15

Round 4 Scoring Avg

70.90

46

 

 

Her scoring average is

#7         on Round 1

#1         on Round 2

#15       on Round 3 

#46      on Round 4 

Essentially, she's been giving away the tournament all year.

 

My reading is her 7 wins in 2024 and 71 consecutive weeks as World No. 1 have been eating her alive mentally.  She needs a change of mindset.  The rise of Lotti Woad and Jeeno Thitikul should be good for her eventually.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30 by 18majors

[JungleJimbo]

 

Grace Kim, Lottie Woad, Mimi Rhodes ( <== @PhilWhitUK has infiltrated the R&A!) and Darcy Harry = the faces of this R&A photo-shoot to promote The AIG Women's Open

 

... Also: Brooke Henderson auditioning a new caddie.

 

 

 

Edited July 30 by JungleJimbo

[JungleJimbo]

On 7/28/2025 at 6:14 PM, Argonne69 said:

Lottie was ranked #62 in the Rolex coming into the tournament. 'Will be curious to see how many spots she moved up. Top 25?

 

 

👆🔮🧙‍♂️ @Argonne69 if you were a fortune teller ... what would be your stage-name?

 

 

 

Lottie Woad's new Rolex world ranking = #24

 

 

 

Edited July 30 by JungleJimbo

[StoutKing]

I always enjoyed the Weetabix Women's British Open.

 

 

[GolfMoose]

I had a small dive into the Nelly numbers (very lazily...looking at the 8 tournaments of the same name she played to this point both years). In short, she improved quite a bit on some of her worst performances of 2024 while shooting slightly worse in defense of championships where the winning score required this year actually went a little bit lower (Ford, Mizuho).  Remember last year she had those missed cuts at the USO and KPMG that included rounds of 80 and 81, those skew things and this year she also knocked 16 shots off her Hilton score, jumping from 16th to 2nd.  Those big numbers counterbalance.

 

TL;DR....an average is an average with all its limitations of subtlety.

[bcjim]

Observation from afar with no data analysis..I'd guess Nelly is losing the spot rather the Jeeno doing much notable to move up. Not that she's played poorly but both are slacking and Nelly is slacking more.

Edited July 30 by bcjim

[bcjim]

Also, playing Wales likely precludes any really bad weather I presume.

[JungleJimbo]

 

Do any folks here know who Brian O'Driscoll is? (legendary Irish rugby union player)

 

Edited July 31 by JungleJimbo

[JungleJimbo]

The R&A's social media team = hard at work (supplemented with decent coffee?)

 

The Japanese players seem extra happy / cheerful with their answers

 

 Yuka Saso's caddie (Dylan Vallequette?) needs his coffee

(Question for @OnTheBag: Is there extra prep work involved, in the days leading up toa big tournament/ Major?)

 

FYI if interested: Link to this week's Player-Caddie Listing (via the LPGA Media page/ database)

 

 

Edited July 30 by JungleJimbo

[OnTheBag]

6 minutes ago, JungleJimbo said:

(Question for @OnTheBag: Is there extra prep work involved, in the days leading up toa big tournament/ Major?)

Honestly, it depends on the player and their probability of winning.  They all think they can win, but in reality there are only a handful each week with a REAL chance of it.  I'm joking a little.  But when your player is just lucky to be in the field, I was just hoping to help them have a top 20.  

 

The prep work is only greater if the looper doesn't know the course.  If you've been there before, or in my case many times before, then the prep work is the same.  At a new venue, it takes longer to map out.  In my glory days, we still did it with string and surveyor wheels, so you can imagine what Monday and Tuesday looked like.

 

Aside from that, it's just another event.  

[JungleJimbo]

 

"Sweet-spot bets" (IMHO) = in the 30s/ 40s/ 50s / +those who arrived last week & played well in the Scottish Open 

= Ruoning Yin, JYK, Lydia Ko, Mao Saigo;   Rio Takeda, Charley Hull, Leona Maguire, Megan Khang , etc 

 

• https://golfweek.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/lpga/2025/07/29/bookmakers-lottie-woad-betting-favorite-british-open/85426889007/ 
• AIG Womens Open Winner Betting Odds | Golf | Oddschecker 
• Interesting to see the quote that Lydia Ko's coach has sent Lydia a video of Lottie's swing (and Lydia is studying whether there are bits she'd like to copy/ emulate)
•  

 

 

 

Edited July 30 by JungleJimbo