Karrie Webb

The AIG Women’s Open has always been extra special for Karrie Webb, the three-time Champion who is returning to action at St Andrews this week.

The winner of seven majors in all, Webb secured victory in the AIG Women’s Open in 1995, 1997 and 2002. Nobody has triumphed in the Championship more often and only Sherri Steinhauer can match Webb’s haul of three titles.

Webb has also won a staggering 41 LPGA Tour titles and inspired countless players in a Hall of Fame career.

Ahead of her first appearance at the AIG Women’s Open since 2019, the much-loved Australian reflected on her special relationship with the Championship.

“It’s always meant a lot to me,” said Webb, whose first two victories came before the Championship attained major status in 2001.

“Even winning it the first couple of times as a non-major, I always came into the Women’s Open thinking of it as a major,” she added.

“Because the men’s Open has had such a long history of great Australian winners, and growing up and getting up in the middle of the night to watch it, for me playing in a Women’s Open was always as important as any of the majors that we played.

“It becoming a major in 2001 was long overdue, I think, and it has grown a lot since then.”

Having previously teed it up at St Andrews in 2007 and 2013, Webb had not anticipated a return to the home of golf.

“It’s very special to be back here,” she said. “I was looking for my yardage book from 2013 – I missed the cut then and I thought ‘the next time it’s here I won’t even be playing’, so I threw it out and I couldn’t find it. I wouldn’t have thought 11 years ago I’d be teeing off here again … so I’m just looking forward to having a good time.

“I think what I love about [links golf] is it takes me out of my technical mind and gets me being more creative and hitting shots you don’t normally hit.”

Webb describes the phenomenal success she has achieved as “the dream of all dreams”, adding: “I don’t think my dreams ever went as far as my career has ended up, so I feel very fortunate for that.”

She was just 20 when she emerged victorious at the AIG Women’s Open for the first time in 1995, coming home six shots clear of Annika Sörenstam and Jill McGill.

An eagle on the 18th in her third round set Webb up perfectly for the final day at Woburn, which she began with four birdies in the opening 10 holes to establish an unassailable advantage.

“The first one at Woburn was probably very unexpected – that was my first year on tour, as a member of the LET,” she explained.

“In the last group on Sunday I was paired with Val Skinner, who was a very intimidating person – but she got off to a bad start and I got off to a great start and not long after that she was my cheerleader for the rest of the day.

“For me, my biggest memory is standing on 18 with a five-shot lead and I had to back off three times, because my sight line off the tee was the British Open logo and every time I looked up I was like, ‘I’m gonna win the British Open’. I couldn’t believe it.

"That one was really special and it changed my life. That made people know who I was and that I was going to be around for a while.”

Two years later, Webb’s winning margin was even more comprehensive as she took Sunningdale apart. She finished on 19-under-par after an aggregate score of 269, both of which are competition records, shared with 2004 Champion Karen Stupples, to finish eight shots clear.

“At Sunningdale in '97, I mean what a great golf course. I don’t have specific memories – I just know I won by a lot. I played well every single day and I just love the golf course, I think it really suited me. So that was really special winning there.”

When the AIG Women’s Open became an LPGA major in 2001, Webb knew she needed to win the Championship again to re-complete her career Grand Slam.

She did not need long to do so, mounting a memorable final-day comeback in 2002. Beginning three shots behind clubhouse leader Paula Marti, Webb’s prayers for wet weather were answered at Turnberry.

Webb mastered the tricky conditions to turn the tables and had a three-shot advantage of her own halfway down the back nine. She ultimately came home two strokes clear.

“I just fell in love with Turnberry,” she said. “It’s one of my favourite links.

“I had an up-and-down week. I started quite a few shots back on Sunday, but the weather was pretty iffy at the beginning of the day and I just knew if I got off to a good start that I could be close to the lead by the turn, and that’s what happened. I just played a really great final round.

“I think I was a couple of groups ahead of the leaders, but when I holed out on the last I had won, I didn’t have to wait for the leaders to get in, so just a really great final round of a major.

“All three times [I’ve won] have been amazingly special to me and I think winning at Turnberry as a major made it that little bit more special, just because of the venue and the importance of the event being recognised.”

For this week, Webb will turn her focus to conquering the most famous links of all, the Old Course at St Andrews.

“I've not figured the golf course out,” she added. “I could play it a hundred times and still not think I have the keys to how to get around here really well.

“But I just think when you make the loop at the back end of the course and you head back into the town ... I think the town of St Andrews is just so cool.

“And the backdrop of the town all the way into the 18th is just a wonderful setting. And I think part of it is just the history of the game here at the Old Course that it just makes it feel different.”