We will never forget Lydia Ko stealing the show at an amazing AIG Women’s Open
Lydia Ko emerged from a world-class leaderboard to win the Women’s Open at St Andrews. NCG’s Matt Chivers pays tribute to the legend of New Zealand plus the star cast that created an amazing Sunday on the Old Course
First of all, some Thank You’s are in order. Thank you to Lydia Ko.
The clutch birdie on the 18th hole of the Old Course, the driver off the deck on 14, the pin-point approach to the Road Hole and the up-and-down on 10. She is a worthy AIG Women’s Open champion, now a three-time major winner, and has joined Lorena Ochoa and Stacy Lewis as winners of this great championship at this great arena.
Thank you to Nelly Korda.
She might have double-bogeyed the 14th hole when leading by two shots at St Andrews, but Korda’s quartet of birdies in the final round was scintillating. The ups and downs on Sunday were symptomatic of a year where the superstar from the States won six times in a seven-event stretch, becoming the dominant force in the women’s game, yet also missed three cuts in a row after that historic run.
Thank you to Lilia Vu.
The defending champion was close to becoming the first back-to-back Women’s Open winner since Yani Tseng and she was as steady as a rock in the run-in, making 10 pars in 14 holes and lingering until the end. We’ll forgive the bogey on the 72nd hole after the crucial birdie putt fell short. Vu didn’t play on the LPGA Tour in April and May while injured and has still almost bagged two wins.
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Thank you to Jiyai Shin.
A legend already and as hungry as ever to win the AIG Women’s Open for a third time. The 36-year-old held a narrow one-shot lead after 54 holes, 16 years after winning this tournament for the first time at Sunningdale. Only the second time she’s played the AIG Women’s Open since 2017, crucial bogeys on 15 and 17 meant she couldn’t keep up with Ko.
Thank you to Ruoning Yin.
China’s second-ever major champion entered the final round in Scotland four shots behind Shin on three-under and played an almighty round. In the windiest wind and the wettest rain, Yin played her final 16 holes in three-under-par and finished two shots behind Ko in a tie for second with Korda, Vu and Shin.
At one stage, Jeeno Thitikul was part of a group of six players at the top of the leaderboard that was either World No.1 or had been World No.1. The top five players on the final leaderboard had 10 majors between them and over 50 LPGA Tour trophies.
When the final group of Vu and Shin had four holes left, this pair were part of a four-way tie for the lead on six-under with Ko and Korda, before Ko separated herself with a clutch three in front of the compelled crowd braving the conditions at golf’s most famous venue.
Oh, and thank you Lottie Woad.
The 20-year-old won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April and she proved again why she is the world’s best amateur by becoming this year’s Smyth Salver winner as the highest-performing amateur. Better yet, in a tie for 10th, she was England’s closest challenger and Europe’s too, along with Linn Grant and Nanna Koerstz Madsen.
Thank you for the Old Course as well.
Allow us to forget the pace of play issues that often dominate conversation during tournament weeks at this venue. It might’ve taken the final group two hours to play the first five holes of a course famous for double greens and crisscrossing fairways, but R&A HQ presented a superb challenge that combined the elements to identify a world-class winner that emerged from a world-class pack.
I can think of no better end to the major season of 2024 than to watch a multi-major winning Hall of Famer win The Open at St Andrews against the best of her contemporaries. The quality was untouchable and the tension was palpable.
“It’s been a crazy past few weeks,” Ko said, fresh from winning the Olympic Gold Medal in Paris. “Something that was too good to be true happened, and I honestly didn’t think it could be any better and here I am as the AIG Women’s Open Champion this week Obviously being here at the Old Course at St Andrews, it makes it so much more special.
“I just loved being out there this week. I had a lot of family members here with me. I played here when I was 16 in 2013, I think I was 16. I was 16. I don’t think I got to really enjoy and realise what an amazing place this is, and now that I’m a little older and hopefully a little wiser, I just got to realise what a historic and special place this golf course is, and it’s honestly been such a fairy tale.”
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spoken to the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Henrik Stenson, to name just a few.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
