Women's Australian Open

Women's Australian Open
Tournament information
Location  Australia, varies
Established 1974, 42 years ago
Course(s) Grange Golf Club (2016)
Par 72
Length 6,600 m (7,200 yd)[1]
Tour(s) ALPG Tour
Ladies European Tour
LPGA Tour
Format Stroke play - 72 holes
Prize fund US$1.3 million
Month played February
Tournament record score
Aggregate 270 Karrie Webb (2000)
To par −22 Karrie Webb (2000)
Current champion
New Zealand Lydia Ko
Grange GC
Location in 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 official name has been 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 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 12–15 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.

Tournament names

Winners

Year Champion Country Score Venue Purse Winner's
share
2016 Grange Golf Club US$1,300,000 US$195,000
2015 Lydia Ko  New Zealand 283 (−9) Royal Melbourne Golf Club US$1,200,000 US$180,000
2014 Karrie Webb  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 Taiwan 276 (−16)Commonwealth Golf ClubA$600,000 A$90,000
2010 Yani Tseng Taiwan 283 (−9) Commonwealth Golf Club 600,000 90,000
2009 Laura Davies England 285 (−7)Metropolitan Golf Club500,000 75,000
2008 Karrie Webb Australia 284 (−8)POKingston Heath Golf Club500,000 75,000
2007Karrie Webb Australia278 (−10)Royal Sydney Golf Club500,00075,000
2005–06: Not played
2004Laura Davies England 283 (−5) Concord Golf Club 550,000 82,500
2003Mhairi McKay Scotland277 (−11)Terrey Hills Golf & Country Club 500,00075,000
2002Karrie Webb Australia 278 (−10)POYarra Yarra Golf Club 500,000 75,000
2001Sophie Gustafson Sweden276 (−12) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 400,000 60,000
2000Karrie Webb Australia270 (−22) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 350,000 52,500
1999Tournament moved from November (1998) to February (2000)
1998Marnie McGuire New Zealand280 (−12) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 350,000 52,500
1997Jane Crafter Australia279 (−13) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 350,000 52,500
1996Catriona Matthew Scotland283 (−9) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 300,000 45,000
1995Liselotte Neumann Sweden283 (−9) Yarra Yarra Golf Club 250,000 37,500
1994Annika Sörenstam Sweden286 (−10)Royal Adelaide Golf Club[10]200,00030,000
1979–93: Not played
1978Debbie Austin United States213Manly Golf Club15,000
1977Jan Stephenson Australia145[11]Manly Golf Club15,000
1976Donna Caponi Young United States206 Victoria Golf Club 15,000
1975JoAnne Carner United States228The Australian Golf Club15,000
1974Chako Higuchi Japan219 Victoria Golf Club 10,000

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "2015 ISPS Handa Australian Open Course Map" (PDF). Golf Australia. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Brief History Of The Women's Australian Open". Archived from the original on 6 April 2001.
  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. AP. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  10. ↑ "Australian Open". Star-Banner (Ocala, Florida). 11 December 1994. p. 3C. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  11. ↑ Shortened to 36 holes due to rain.

External links

Coordinates: 34°32′24″S 138°17′31″E / 34.540°S 138.292°E / -34.540; 138.292

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