Women's Australian Open

Women's Australian Open
Tournament information
Location  Australia
Established 1974
Course(s) Royal Melbourne GC
Par 73
Length 5,499 m (6,014 yd)
Tour(s) LPGA Tour, ALPG Tour, LET
Format Stroke play, 4 rounds
Prize fund US$1.1 million
Month played February
Defunct No
Tournament record score
Aggregate 270 Karrie Webb (2000)
To par -22 Karrie Webb (2000)
Current champion
Yani Tseng

The Women's Australian Open is a golf tournament played in Australia which is sanctioned by the ALPG Tour and the Ladies European Tour (LET). In 2008, it was the second-richest women's golf tournament on the ALPG Tour, with a prize fund of A$500,000. It is known for sponsorship purposes as the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open.

The Australian Ladies Open was originally 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 four times. Starting in 2000, the Ladies European Tour began co-sanctioning the tournament.[1] Following the 2004 event, sponsorship difficulties caused the tournament to stop once again, but after a two-year hiatus the tournament returned in 2007.[2] 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.[3]

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 12–15 November 1998 during the 1998/1999 ALPG season, it was therefore not played during the 1999 calendar year.[1][4]

Tournament names through the years:

Winners

Year Champion Country Score Venue Purse (A$) Winner's Share
2011 Yani Tseng  Taiwan 276 (-16) The Commonwealth Golf Club $600,000 $90,000
2010 Yani Tseng  Taiwan 283 (-9) The Commonwealth Golf Club $600,000 $90,000
2009 Laura Davies  England 285 Metropolitan Golf Club $500,000 $75,000
2008 Karrie Webb  Australia 284 Kingston Heath Golf Club $500,000 $75,000
2007 Karrie Webb  Australia 278 Royal Sydney Golf Club $500,000 $75,000
2005-06: Not played
2004 Laura Davies  England 283 Concord Golf Club $550,000 $82,500
2003 Mhairi McKay  Scotland 277 Terrey Hills Golf & Country Club $500,000 $75,000
2002 Karrie Webb  Australia 278 Yarra Yarra Golf Club $500,000 $75,000
2001 Sophie Gustafson  Sweden 276 Yarra Yarra Golf Club $400,000 $60,000
2000 Karrie Webb  Australia 270 Yarra Yarra Golf Club $350,000 $52,500
1998 Marnie McGuire  New Zealand 280 Yarra Yarra Golf Club $350,000 $52,500
1997 Jane Crafter  Australia 279 Yarra Yarra Golf Club $350,000 $52,500
1996 Catriona Matthew  Scotland 283 Yarra Yarra Golf Club $300,000 $45,000
1995 Liselotte Neumann  Sweden 283 Yarra Yarra Golf Club $250,000 $37,500
1994 Annika Sörenstam  Sweden 286 Royal Adelaide Golf Club $200,000 $30,000
1979-93: Not played
1978 Debbie Austin  United States 213 Manly Golf Club $15,000
1977 Jan Stephenson  Australia 145[5] 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

Notes and references

External links