Women's Australian Open

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Women's Australian Open
Womens Australian Open.png
Tournament information
Location Australia, varies
Seaton, South Australia
in 2020
Established1974, 48 years ago
Course(s)Royal Adelaide Golf Club
Par73
Length6,115 m (6,687 yd)[1]
Tour(s)ALPG Tour
LPGA Tour
FormatStroke play - 72 holes
Prize fundUS$1.3 million
Month playedFebruary
Tournament record score
Aggregate270 Karrie Webb (2000)
To par−22 Karrie Webb (2000)
Current champion
South Korea Inbee Park
Seaton is located in Australia
Seaton
Seaton
Location in Australia
Seaton is located in South Australia
Seaton
Seaton
Location in South Australia

The Women's Australian Open is a women's professional golf tournament played in Australia, operated by Golf Australia and the ALPG Tour, long co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET). Beginning with the 2012 event, it is also co-sanctioned by the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. In 2008, it was the second-richest women's golf tournament on the ALPG Tour, with a prize fund of A$500,000, and was raised to A$600,000 in 2010. With the co-sanctioning by the LPGA, the total purse was nearly doubled, and was also fixed in U.S. dollars. The purse was US$1.1 million in 2012, and increased again to its current level of US$1.2 million for 2013. Since 2011, the tournament's name has been the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open.

The Australian Ladies Open was founded in 1974 as a 54-hole event, but folded after 1978. It was resurrected in 1994 as the Women's Australian Open, this time as a 72-hole event. Annika Sörenstam won that year, which was her first professional win. It was also Karrie Webb's professional debut, and she would later win the event five times. Starting in 2000, the Ladies European Tour began co-sanctioning the tournament.[2] Following the 2004 event, sponsorship difficulties caused the tournament to stop once again, but after a two-year hiatus the tournament returned in 2007.[3] The Women's Australian Open usually moves between various courses around Australia, except from 1995 through 2002 when it was held at the Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne. The 2008 event was held at Kingston Heath Golf Club.[4]

For several years after its return in 1994, the Women's Australian Open was played early in the ALPG schedule, usually in November. Starting in 2000, it was changed to be played at the end of the schedule in February near the ANZ Ladies Masters, to allow both tournaments to be part of the Ladies European Tour. Since the Women's Australian Open was played from 12 to 15 November 1998 during the 1998/1999 ALPG season, it was therefore not played during the 1999 calendar year.[2][5]

The 2012 tournament was played at the Composite Course at Royal Melbourne, the championship course comprising 12 holes from the West course and six from the East course. The Composite Course is considered one of the top courses in the world, and was used for the Presidents Cup competitions in 1998 and 2011. Through 2011, a women's professional competition had never been held on it; the 2012 Women's Australian Open was the first.[6] The event was won by Jessica Korda after an historic six-player playoff, only the second in ALPG history.[7] Korda holed a 25-foot (8 m) birdie putt on the second playoff hole to claim her first LPGA Tour victory.[8][9]

In 2013, the tournament moved to Royal Canberra Golf Club, and in 2014 to the Victoria Golf Club near Melbourne. In 2016 the event moved to Adelaide and will continue to be played in the city until at least 2021.[10]

Tournament names[]

  • 1974: Wills Australian Ladies Open
  • 1975–1978: Wills Qantas Australian Ladies Open
  • 1994–1996: Holden Women's Australian Open
  • 1997: Toyota Women's Australian Open
  • 1998–2004: AAMI Women's Australian Open
  • 2007–20: MFS Women's Australian Open
  • 2009: Women's Australian Open
  • 2010: Handa Women's Australian Open
  • 2011–present: ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open

2020 course layout[]

Royal Adelaide Golf Club

Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Metres 340 465 265 361 355 371 148 344 488 3,137 334 345 152 365 380 455 161 425 366 2,983 6,115
Yards 372 508 290 395 388 406 162 376 534 3,341 365 377 166 387 416 498 176 465 400 3,250 6,681
Par 4 5 4 4 4 4 3 4 5 37 4 4 3 4 4 5 3 5 4 36 73

Source:[1]

Winners[]

Year Champion Country Score Venue Purse Winner's
share
2020 Inbee Park  South Korea 278 (−14) Royal Adelaide Golf Club US$1,300,000 US$195,000
2019 Nelly Korda  United States 271 (−17) Grange Golf Club 1,300,000 195,000
2018 Ko Jin-young  South Korea 274 (−14) Kooyonga Golf Club 1,300,000 195,000
2017 Jang Ha-na  South Korea 282 (−10) Royal Adelaide Golf Club 1,300,000 195,000
2016 Haru Nomura  Japan 272 (−16) Grange Golf Club 1,300,000 195,000
2015 Lydia Ko  New Zealand 283 (−9) Royal Melbourne Golf Club 1,200,000 180,000
2014 Karrie Webb (5)  Australia 276 (−12) Victoria Golf Club 1,200,000 180,000
2013 Jiyai Shin  South Korea 274 (−18) Royal Canberra Golf Club 1,200,000 180,000
2012 Jessica Korda  United States 289 (−3)PO Royal Melbourne Golf Club 1,100,000 165,000
2011 Yani Tseng (2)  Taiwan 276 (−16) Commonwealth Golf Club A$600,000 A$90,000
2010 Yani Tseng (1)  Taiwan 283 (−9) Commonwealth Golf Club 600,000 90,000
2009 Laura Davies (2)  England 285 (−7) Metropolitan Golf Club 500,000 75,000
2008 Karrie Webb (4)  Australia 284 (−8)PO Kingston Heath Golf Club 500,000 75,000
2007 Karrie Webb (3)  Australia 278 (−10) Royal Sydney Golf Club 500,000 75,000
2005–06: Not played
2004 Laura Davies (1)  England 283 (−5) Concord Golf Club 550,000 82,500
2003 Mhairi McKay  Scotland 277 (−11) Terrey Hills Golf & Country Club 500,000 75,000
2002 Karrie Webb (2)  Australia 278 (−10)PO Yarra Yarra Golf Club 500,000 75,000
2001 Sophie Gustafson  Sweden 276 (−12) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 400,000 60,000
2000 Karrie Webb (1)  Australia 270 (−22) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 350,000 52,500
1999 Tournament moved from November (1998) to February (2000)
1998 Marnie McGuire  New Zealand 280 (−12) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 350,000 52,500
1997 Jane Crafter  Australia 279 (−13) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 350,000 52,500
1996 Catriona Matthew  Scotland 283 (−9) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 300,000 45,000
1995 Liselotte Neumann  Sweden 283 (−9)PO Yarra Yarra Golf Club 250,000 37,500
1994 Annika Sörenstam  Sweden 286 (−10) Royal Adelaide Golf Club[11] 200,000 30,000
1979–93: Not played
1978 Debbie Austin  United States 213 Manly Golf Club 15,000
1977 Jan Stephenson  Australia 1451 Manly Golf Club 15,000
1976 Donna Caponi Young  United States 206 Victoria Golf Club 15,000
1975 JoAnne Carner  United States 228 The Australian Golf Club 15,000
1974 Chako Higuchi  Japan 219 Victoria Golf Club 10,000

1Tournament shortened to 36 holes due to rain
POWon after playoff

Course record[]

 Year  Course Player Score To par
2016 Grange Golf Club 63 −9

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "2017 ISPS Handa Australian Open Course Map" (PDF). Golf Australia. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Brief History of the Women's Australian Open".
  3. ^ Stone, Peter (31 May 2006). "Bridges built for women's Open". The Age Company. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
  4. ^ "Women's Australian Open for Melbourne". AAP. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
  5. ^ "Past Tournament Detail". Retrieved 9 June 2007.
  6. ^ "2012 Women's Australian Open - tournament preview". LPGA. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Korda claims title". Golf Australia. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  8. ^ "Final results: 2012 Australian Open" (PDF). Golf Australia. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  9. ^ "Jessica Korda wins Women's Australian Open". USA Today. Associated Press. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  10. ^ http://www.golf.org.au/wao-news-display/open-date-venues-locked-in-adelaide/100680
  11. ^ "Australian Open". Star-Banner. Ocala, Florida. 11 December 1994. p. 3C. Retrieved 12 February 2013.

External links[]

Coordinates: 34°53′46″S 138°30′36″E / 34.896°S 138.510°E / -34.896; 138.510

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