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AIG Women's Open
History
The 2024 AIG Women's Open, staged at St Andrews and won by Lydia Ko, marked the 24th playing of the event as a major on the women's circuit, and the 48th playing overall.
However, those statistics do not tell the whole story of one of the most cherished events in the world of golf.
First played at Fulford in York in 1976, after morphing from the Ladies Amateur Stroke Play Championship to include professional players, the event has quickly grown to become the most international major in women's golf and one of the most prestigious.
The list of AIG Women's Open Champions is a who's who of great golfers in modern times, with their victories collected on an array of well-known courses that are much loved around the world.
Since 1979, the Smyth Salver has been awarded to the lowest scoring amateur player returning a score for 72 holes. Like the list of champions, the Smyth Salver has a high profile list of winners, including Michelle Wie West, Anna Nordqvist, Georgia Hall and the 2024 AIG Women's Open champion Ko.
Explore the history of the AIG Women's Open below.
Champions
AIG Women's Open Champions
*Brackets () indicate number of times won or hosted
| Year | Champion | Nationality | Venue | Score |
| 2024 | Lydia Ko | New Zealand | St Andrews (3) | 281 |
| 2023 | Lilia Vu | United States | Walton Heath | 274 |
| 2022 | Ashleigh Buhai | South Africa | Muirfield | 274 |
| 2021 | Anna Nordqvist | Sweden | Carnoustie (2) | 276 |
| 2020 | Sophia Popov | Germany | Royal Troon | 277 |
| 2019 | Hinako Shibuno | Japan | Woburn, Marquess Course (2) | 270 |
| 2018 | Georgia Hall | England | Royal Lytham & St Annes (5) | 271 |
| 2017 | In-Kyung Kim | South Korea | Kingsbarns | 270 |
| 2016 | Ariya Jutanugarn | Thailand | Woburn, Marquess Course | 272 |
| 2015 | Inbee Park | South Korea | Turnberry Ailsa (2) | 276 |
| 2014 | Mo Martin | United States | Royal Birkdale (6) | 287 |
| 2013 | Stacy Lewis | United States | St Andrews (2) | 280 |
| 2012 | Jiyai Shin (2) | South Korea | Royal Liverpool | 279 |
| 2011 | Yani Tseng (2) | Chinese Taipei | Carnoustie | 272 |
| 2010 | Yani Tseng | Chinese Taipei | Royal Birkdale (5) | 277 |
| 2009 | Catriona Matthew | Scotland | Royal Lytham & St Annes (4) | 285 |
| 2008 | Jiyai Shin | South Korea | Sunningdale (4) | 270 |
| 2007 | Lorena Ochoa | Mexico | St Andrews | 287 |
| 2006 | Sherri Steinhauer (3) | United States | Royal Lytham & St Annes (3) | 281 |
| 2005 | Jeong Jang | South Korea | Royal Birkdale (4) | 272 |
| 2004 | Karen Stupples | England | Sunningdale (3) | 269 |
| 2003 | Annika Sörenstam | Sweden | Royal Lytham & St Annes (2) | 278 |
| 2002 | Karrie Webb (3) | Australia | Turnberry Ailsa | 273 |
| 2001 | Se Ri Pak | South Korea | Sunningdale (2) | 277 |
| 2000 | Sophie Gustafson | Sweden | Royal Birkdale (3) | 282 |
| 1999 | Sherri Steinhauer (2) | United States | Woburn, Duke's Course (9) | 283 |
| 1998 | Sherri Steinhauer | United States | Royal Lytham & St Annes | 292 |
| 1997 | Karrie Webb (2) | Australia | Sunningdale | 269 |
| 1996 | Emilee Klein | United States | Woburn, Duke's Course (8) | 277 |
| 1995 | Karrie Webb | Australia | Woburn, Duke's Course (7) | 278 |
| 1994 | Liselotte Neumann | Sweden | Woburn, Duke's Course (6) | 280 |
| 1993 | Karen Lunn | Australia | Woburn, Duke's Course (5) | 275 |
| 1992 | Patty Sheehan | United States | Woburn, Duke's Course (4) | 207 |
| 1991 | Penny Grice-Whittaker | England | Woburn, Duke's Course (3) | 284 |
| 1990 | Helen Alfredsson | Sweden | Woburn, Duke's Course (2) | 288 |
| 1989 | Jane Geddes | United States | Ferndown | 274 |
| 1988 | Corinne Dibnah | Australia | Lindrick (2) | 295 |
| 1987 | Alison Nicholas | England | St Mellion | 296 |
| 1986 | Laura Davies | England | Royal Birkdale (2) | 283 |
| 1985 | Betsy King | United States | Moor Park | 300 |
| 1984 | Ayako Okamoto | Japan | Woburn, Duke's Course | 289 |
| 1983 | No Tournament | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1982 | Marta Figueras-Dotti (a) | Spain | Royal Birkdale | 296 |
| 1981 | Debbie Massey (2) | United States | Northumberland | 295 |
| 1980 | Debbie Massey | United States | Wentworth | 294 |
| 1979 | Alison Sheard | South Africa | Southport & Ainsdale | 301 |
| 1978 | Janet Melville (a) | England | Foxhills | 310 |
| 1977 | Vivien Saunders | England | Lindrick | 306 |
| 1976 | Jenny Lee Smith (a) | England | Fulford | 299 |
Debuts
Greatest Debuts / Five of the best debuts in the history of the AIG Women's Open.
Karrie Webb (above) and Sherri Steinhauer share the record for most AIG Women's Open titles
Most Victories
3: Karrie Webb, 1995, 1997, 2002 / Sherri Steinhauer, 1998, 1999, 2006
2: Debbie Massey, 1980, 1981 / Yani Tseng, 2010, 2011 / Jiyai Shin, 2008, 2012
Most Successive Victories
2: Debbie Massey, 1980, 1981 / Sherri Steinhauer, 1998, 1999 / Yani Tseng, 2010, 2011
Largest Margin Of Victory
11 strokes: Ayako Okamoto, 1984
9 strokes: Jiyai Shin, 2012
8 strokes: Karen Lunn, 1993 / Karrie Webb, 1997
Champions Who Won on Debut (1976 & since 1995)
Jenny Lee Smith, Fulford, 1976 / Karrie Webb, Woburn-Dukes, 1995 / Hinako Shibuno, Woburn-Marquess, 2019
Most Runner-Up or Joint Runner-Up Finishes
3: Marta Figueras-Dotti, 1980, 1985, 1986 / Annika Sorenstam, 1994, 1995, 1999 / Sophie Gustafson, 1998, 2005, 2006
Champions Who Have Led Outright After Every Round (since 1995)
Karrie Webb, 1997 / Jeong Jang, 2005 / Lorena Ochoa, 2007
Champions Who Have Led After Every Round But Were Tied For The Lead In At Least One Round (since 1995)
Emilee Klein, 1996 / Yani Tseng, 2010
Smyth Salver Winners
| Year | Winner | Strokes |
| 1979 | Sue Hedges | 309 |
| 1980 | Belle Robertson & Marta Figueras-Dotti | 295 |
| 1981 | Belle Robertson | 299 |
| 1982 | Marta Figueras-Dotti | 296 |
| 1984 | Mary McKenna | 302 |
| 1985 | Jill Thornhill | 308 |
| 1986 | Vicki Thomas | 289 |
| 1987 | Joanne Furby | 305 |
| 1988 | Kathryn Imrie | 301 |
| 1989 | Joanne Morley | 294 |
| 1990 | Sarah Bennett | 302 |
| 1991 | Akiko Fukushima | 296 |
| 1993 | Patricia Meunier & Joanne Morley | 297 |
| 1994 | Tina Fischer | 299 |
| 1995 | Lisa Dermott | 301 |
| 1996 | Barbara Heckett | 296 |
| 1997 | Silvia Cavalleri | 290 |
| 1999 | Giulia Sergas | 291 |
| 2001 | Rebecca Hudson | 287 |
| Year | Winner | Strokes |
| 2003 | Elisa Serramia | 294 |
| 2004 | Louise Stahle | 290 |
| 2005 | Michelle Wie | 278 |
| 2006 | Amy Yang | 301 |
| 2007 | Melissa Reid | 296 |
| 2008 | Anna Nordqvist | 285 |
| 2010 | Caroline Hedwall | 291 |
| 2011 | Danielle Kang | 290 |
| 2012 | Lydia Ko | 297 |
| 2013 | Georgia Hall & Lydia Ko | 294 |
| 2014 | Emma Talley | 294 |
| 2015 | Luna Sobron | 287 |
| 2016 | Leona Maguire | 284 |
| 2017 | Sophie Lamb | 282 |
| 2018 | Atthaya Thitikul | 300 |
| 2019 | Atthaya Thitikul | 284 |
| 2021 | Louise Duncan | 281 |
| 2022 | Rose Zhang | 285 |
| 2023 | Charlotte Heath | 295 |
| 2024 | Lottie Woad | 287 |
Nationality of Champions
USA (9 Champions, 12 victories)
Sherri Steinhauer - 1998 Royal Lytham & St Annes, 1999 Woburn-Dukes, 2006 Royal Lytham & St Annes
Debbie Massey - 1980 Wentworth, 1981 Northumberland
Betsy King - 1985 Moor Park
Jane Geddes - 1989 Ferndown
Patty Sheehan - 1992 Woburn-Dukes
Emilee Klein - 1996 Woburn-Dukes
Stacy Lewis - 2013 St Andrews
Mo Martin - 2014 Royal Birkdale
Lilia Vu - 2023 Walton Heath
England (8 Champions, 8 victories)
Jenny Lee Smith - 1976 Fulford
Vivien Saunders - 1977 Lindrick
Janet Melville - 1978 Foxhills
Laura Davies - 1986 Royal Birkdale
Alison Nicholas - 1987 St Mellion
Penny Grice-Whittaker - 1991 Woburn-Dukes
Karen Stupples - 2004 Sunningdale
Georgia Hall - 2018 Royal Lytham & St Annes
South Korea (5 Champions, 6 victories)
Jiyai Shin - 2008 Sunningdale, 2012 Royal Liverpool
Se Ri Pak - 2001 Sunningdale
Jeong Jang - 2005 Royal Birkdale
Inbee Park - 2015 Turnberry
In-Kyung Kim - 2017 Kingsbarns
Sweden (5 Champions, 5 victories)
Helen Alfredsson - 1990 Woburn-Dukes
Liselotte Neumann - 1994 Woburn-Dukes
Sophie Gustafson - 2000 Royal Birkdale
Annika Sorenstam - 2003 Royal Lytham & St Annes
Anna Nordqvist - 2021 Carnoustie
Australia (3 Champions, 5 victories)
Karrie Webb - 1995 Woburn-Dukes, 1997 Sunningdale, 2002 Turnberry
Corinne Dibnah - 1988 Lindrick
Karen Lunn - 1993 Woburn-Dukes
Japan (2 Champions, 2 victories)
Ayako Okamoto - 1984 Woburn-Dukes
Hinako Shibuno - 2019 Woburn-Marquess
South Africa (2 Champions, 2 victories)
Alison Sheard 1979 - Southport & Ainsdale
Ashleigh Buhai 2022 - Muirfield
Chinese Taipei (1 Champion, 2 victories)
Yani Tseng - 2010 Royal Birkdale, 2011 Carnoustie
Germany (1 Champion, 1 victory)
Sophia Popov - 2020 Royal Troon
Mexico (1 Champion, 1 victory)
Lorena Ochoa - 2007 St Andrews
New Zealand (1 Champion, 1 victory)
Lydia Ko - 2024 St Andrews
Scotland (1 Champion, 1 victory)
Catriona Matthew 2009 - Royal Lytham & St Annes
Spain (1 Champion, 1 victory)
Marta Figueras-Dotti - 1982 Royal Birkdale
Thailand (1 Champion, 1 victory)
Ariya Jutanugarn - 2016 Woburn-Marquess