This week, the best women in golf are set to compete at England’s famed Walton Heath Golf Club for the 2023 AIG Women’s Open. 49 ANNIKA alumnae are represented in the field for the final major of the year.
Of the 49 former and current ANNIKA players, three are amateurs. Our 2022 Women’s Amateur Latin America champion Valentina Rossi will compete this week after earning an exemption in Argentina. Joining her is Florida State University’s Charlotte Heath who’s ranked ninth in the WAGR and has four top-5 finishes this year. Lastly, 2022 Women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion, Ting-Hsuan Huang will play in her second major of the season. It will be an incredible week for all three of these amateurs to test their skills on a difficult course.
Joining two-time ANNIKA Award winner Rose Zhang (2022 & 2023) in the field are Alison Lee (2014), Maria Fassi (2018 & 2019) and Leona Maguire (2015 & 2017). Maguire is ranked No. 13 in the Rolex Rankings and won her second LPGA tournament at the Meijer LPGA Classic in June. 12 past ANNIKA Champions will join the mix this week including Lily May Humphreys (2019 ANNIKA Invitational Europe), Grace Kim (2018 ANNIKA Invitational Australasia), Patty Tavatanakit (2018 ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M), Javaree Boonchant (2016 Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex), Yan Liu (2015 ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills), Angel Yin (2015 HGV ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex), Ana Pelaez Trivino (2015 ANNIKA Invitational Europe), Linnea Strom (2012 ANNIKA Invitational Europe).
Some professional alumnae to watch this week include World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who recently claimed the individual title at the Aramco Team Series in London. Nelly has notched eight top-10 finishes, including one victory. Former ANNIKA Invitational winner Celine Boutier looks to keep the momentum going after winning the Women’s Scottish Open last week to back up her victory at the Amundi Evian Championship for her first major title. Ruoning Yin, ranked No. 4, earned the title of being the second women’s major championship winner from China after hoisting the trophy at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. No. 6 ranked Lilia Vu has had an impressive season with two wins at the Honda LPGA Thailand and The Chevron Championship, her first major victory. Lastly, No. 8 ranked Allisen Corpuz gained her first LPGA and major win at the U.S. Women’s Open. We are excited to see if our alumnae will have a major sweep this year and claim all five titles.
Other ANNIKA alumnae who will be competing this week in Scotland are Olivia Cowan, Gemma Dryburgh, Esther Henseleit, Alice Hewson, Cheyenne Knight, Stephanie Kyriacou, Andrea Lee, Gaby Lopez, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Stephanie Meadow, Morgane Metraux, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Madelene Sagstrom, Yuka Saso, Sarah Schmelzel, Maja Stark, Albane Valenzuela, Lindsey Wright, Nicole Broch Estrup, Ayaka Furue, Linn Grant, Nuria Iturrioz, Danielle Kang, Megan Khang, Yu Liu, Lisa Pettersson, Pauline Bouchard, Bailey Tardy, and Aditi Ashok.