The 2023 Women’s British Open takes place on Thursday from the Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England. Here are the top five headlines heading into the final major of the year in golf.
5) Four first time major winners.
There have been four first time major winners in women’s golf in 2023. They have been Lilia Vu of the United States (the first ever Chevron Championship in Texas), Ruoning Yin of China (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship), Allisen Corpuz of the United States (United States Women’s Open), and Celine Boutier of France (2023 Evian Championship).
4) Nelly Korda is the world number one.
Despite not winning a major this year (or any LPGA tournament for that matter), Nelly Korda of the United States is ranked first in the world. With 7.61 points, she has 0.22 more points than Jin Young Ko of South Korea. Korda’s lone major title came at the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship.
3) Host of the 1981 Ryder Cup and 2011 Senior British Open.
The Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey has hosted two significant golf tournaments in the past. They were the 1981 Ryder Cup, which was won handily by the United States 18 1/2 to 9 1/2, and the 2011 British Senior Open, which was won by American Russ Cochran.
2) Ashleigh Buhai is the defending champion.
Ashleigh Buhai of Johannesburg, South Africa is the defending champion of the Women’s British Open. A year ago she became the first women’s golfer ever from South Africa to win a major championship. Buhai had a score of -10 and beat In-gee Chun of South Korea in a playoff. Seven South Africans have won a major title in men’s golf. They have been Gary Player (nine times), Bobby Locke (four times), Ernie Els (four times), Retief Goosen (twice), Trevor Immelman (once), Louis Oosthuizen (once), and Charl Schwartzel (once).
1) Celine Boutier is red hot.
Boutier is the winner of the two LPGA events in Europe. At the 2023 Evian Championship in Evian-les-Bains, France in late July, Boutier dominated the field. She posted a four-round score of -14 and beat her nearest competitor, Brooke Henderson of Canada by six strokes. Then Boutier won the FreeD Group Women’s Scottish Open this past Sunday in North Ayrshire. She posted a score of -15 and beat Hyo-joo Kim of South Korea by two strokes. It was the second straight year that Boutier had a great performance in Scotland. At the 2022 Women’s Scottish Open, Boutier finished in second place to Ayaka Furue of Japan.
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