Woad The Focus As Women's Open Heads To Wales

The AIG Women's Open originates astatine Royal Porthcawl connected Thursday pinch overmuch of nan pre-tournament attraction connected Lottie Woad.

New Zealand's Lydia Ko is nan defending champion heading into nan last play awesome of nan year.

But nan build-up has been dominated by talk of Woad, who has emerged arsenic British golf's astir breathtaking prospect.

Remarkably, nan 21-year-old is nan bookmakers' favourite to declare her first awesome triumph - contempt nan truth this is conscionable nan 2nd arena of her master career.

But if she is to triumph, England's Woad must spot disconnected nan finest players successful nan women's game.

The 49th Women's Open, which runs until Sunday, 3 August, is nan first men's aliases women's awesome staged successful Wales.

It has been billed arsenic nan biggest women's sporting arena staged successful nan state - acknowledgment to a operation of nan tournament's status, its scope and nan value of nan field.

There will beryllium unrecorded BBC power commentary and matter sum of each 4 days of nan tournament, arsenic good arsenic guidance and study connected nan BBC Sport website and mobile app.

Woad's position arsenic favourite is nan consequence of a spectacular tally of shape which began pinch a resounding triumph successful nan Irish Open - erstwhile she was still an amateur - successful early July.

She past vanished conscionable a changeable extracurricular nan play-off astatine nan Evian Championship, missing retired connected £400,000 successful prize money astatine nan 4th women's awesome of nan twelvemonth because of her amateur status, earlier turning master and winning connected debut astatine past week's Scottish Open.

Should Woad, from Surrey, declare triumph erstwhile much this weekend, she would beryllium nan first British female since Georgia Hall successful 2018 to triumph a awesome and only nan 2nd since Catriona Matthew 16 years ago.

Charley Hull, different of nan location contenders this week, describes Woad's caller advancement arsenic "absolutely unbelievable".

"I played pinch her successful nan believe rounds successful Ireland and I played pinch her successful nan first 2 rounds past week, and astatine nan infinitesimal I consciousness for illustration she's playing pinch specified assurance she can't miss a shot," Hull said.

"I deliberation it's awesome to see. She's a activity of caller aerial for nan game."

Hull, who astatine 20th is nan highest-placed Briton successful golf's world rankings, has agelong been regarded arsenic England's champion dream of awesome success.

Hull's preparations for nan 60th awesome of her profession person been acold from ideal, pinch nan 29-year-old forced to withdraw from nan Evian Championship aft collapsing connected nan course.

Hull said she mislaid 4 kilograms successful nan past 3 weeks because of unwellness - and that she has besides been hampered by a backmost injury.

While she is now emotion better, Hull says nan ailments person had an effect connected her swing.

"I'm not hitting it nan champion coming into this week, which is very frustrating because it's an arena I've been looking guardant to playing each year," she said.

"I've conscionable sewage to spell retired location pinch what I've got. I'm not going to fto it hit maine up excessively much."

There are 2 Welsh players successful nan field, pinch Porthcawl personnel Darcey Harry playing successful her first Women's Open - pinch fellow and master golfer Jacob Skov Olesen arsenic her caddie - having made a promising commencement to life connected nan Ladies European Tour this year.

Lydia Hall, a erstwhile Porthcawl nine champion, is nan 2nd section successful nan 144-player section having come done last qualifying earlier this week.

Aside from Woad, world number 1 Nelly Korda is among nan fancied players contempt nan truth that she is yet to triumph successful 2025.

The two-time awesome victor vanished successful a necktie for 2nd down Ko astatine St Andrews past twelvemonth - but has brushed disconnected nan conception that it mightiness beryllium important to her to adhd a Women's Open triumph to her database of world successes.

"I consciousness for illustration I don't really person thing much to beryllium to group ever," nan 27-year-old American said.

"For maine it's conscionable I'm passionate astir nan game. I emotion playing successful these benignant of conditions, testing my game, and getting to play against nan champion players successful nan world."

Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul, nan world number 2 who is successful awesome form, is different of nan favourites this week on pinch Australia's Minjee Lee, victor of nan Women's PGA Championship - nan 3rd awesome occurrence of her profession - past month.

This year's different awesome winners, Mao Saigo of Japan, Sweden's Maja Stark and Grace Kim from Australia, are besides competing connected nan southbound Wales coastline.

Celtic Manor hosted nan Ryder Cup successful 2010, but this will beryllium nan grandest individual play tourney played successful Wales.

Royal Porthcawl has hosted nan Amateur Championship 7 times, nan Curtis Cup successful 1964 and nan Walker Cup successful 1995, erstwhile a United States squad including Tiger Woods were beaten by Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Welsh links was besides nan shape for nan Senior Open successful 2014, 2017 and astir precocious successful 2023, erstwhile Alex Cejka hit Padraig Harrington successful a play-off aft some players had vanished astatine five-over-par successful a tourney played in, astatine times, sadistic upwind conditions.

The forecast looks overmuch amended for this week, though location should beryllium capable upwind to make it a facet connected nan only people successful Wales wherever location is simply a oversea position from each hole.

"The views from nan play people are perfectly breathtaking," Korda said.

"But you tin decidedly show that erstwhile nan upwind benignant of picks up here, it's going to beryllium a really, really difficult test."

Like galore others successful nan field, Ko has spent nan early portion of nan week trying to familiarise herself pinch a people that fewer cognize well.

There is moreover a alteration for nan members watching on, arsenic nan regular 18th spread is being played arsenic nan first - pinch nan accustomed first becoming nan second, and truthful connected - owed to nan logistics and infrastructure progressive successful hosting a major.

"There's not galore group successful nan section that person played present before, truthful it's for illustration a cleanable slate and cipher really has an advantage," Ko said.

"Regardless of whether you're nan defending champion aliases you qualified done nan qualifier, I deliberation it's going to beryllium a really reliable week."