By Carey Van Lue

AIG Women’s Open

Walton Heath Golf Club | Surrey, England | August 10-13, 2023

First-Round Notes

August 10, 2023

Course Setup: 35-37–72; 6,706 yards

Scoring Average: R1: 73.541

Weather: Dry sunny morning with prolonged sunshine continuing through the afternoon and temperatures in

the 70s; variable S to SE winds of 03-06 mph, increasing to 08-11 mph with 13-16 mph gusts by late morning

and into the afternoon

Race to CME Globe Points: 650 points (winner)

Purse: $9 million ($1,350,000 winner’s check)

TV/Streaming Times: How to Watch

A LOOK AT THE LEADER

Rolex Rankings No. 39 Ally Ewing

• Ewing hit 11 of 15 fairways and 11 of 18 greens with 28 putts
  • She made five birdies during her round, on holes 3, 8, 10, 12, and 15
  • She was one of 13 players to eagle the par-5 16th hole  
  • She is tied for first in the field in birdies or better (6) with Perrine Delacour, Nasa Hataoka and Amy Yang
  • She had three bogeys on the card, which she shot on No. 5, 13 and 14
  • Ewing was the only player in the field to be under par for both the front nine and the back nine in the first round
• This is the second time Ewing has held an 18-hole lead or co-lead in her LPGA career
  • The last time she held a first-round lead was also at a major championship, The 2019 Chevron Championship
• This is her fifth start in an LPGA Tour major this season
  • Her opening 68 is her second-best first-round score in a 2023 major after an opening 67 at the Amundi Evian Championship, where she missed the cut
  • Her best major finish this season is a solo 11 result at the U.S. Women’s Open
  • She finished T23 at The Chevron Championship and missed the cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
• This is Ewing’s seventh appearance at the AIG Women’s Open
  • Her best finish in the event is a T16 result, which she earned in her AIG Women’s Open debut in 2017
  • She has missed the cut just once (2021) in her six previous playings
  • She has four top-28 appearances at the event
  • She finished T51 in 2022
• Ewing’s best finish in any LPGA major is a T6 result at The 2019 Chevron Championship
  • She has three career top-10s in 35 starts in major championships
• This is Ewing’s eighth season on the LPGA Tour
  • She has made the cut in nine of her 13 starts this season
  • She has earned three top-10 finishes this year with a season-best result of T5 at the LPGA Drive On Championship
• Ewing played in both the 2019 and 2021 Solheim Cup, representing the U.S. Team

THINGS TO KNOW

• Five players are in a tie for second at 69 after the first round
  • Amy Yang had five birdies on Thursday with one eagle, two bogeys and a double bogey
    • Yang is a four-time LPGA Tour winner, a three-time LET winner and a two-time KLPGA winner
    • She has made the cut in all her major appearances this season, with a best finish of T4 at The Chevron Championship
    • This is her 16^th appearance in the AIG Women’s Open
  • LPGA Tour Rookie Jaravee Boonchant finished -3 with one bogey and four birdies, all made on the back nine
    • This is her first appearance in the AIG Women’s Open
    • She has held an 18-hole lead or co-lead in two tournaments this season, the Honda LPGA Thailand and the Dana Open
    • She is seventh in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings
    • She has missed the cuts in her three major starts this season
  • Perrine Delacour made six birdies, including five in her last seven holes, and three bogeys
    • This is her fourth appearance in the AIG Women’s Open
    • She has made the cut on two of four major appearances this season
    • Her best finish at a 2023 LPGA Tour major is a T11 result at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
    • She has won twice on the Epson Tour
  • Emily Kristine Pedersen had one bogey, two birdies and an eagle on the par-4 No. 10 on Thursday
    • Pedersen is a five-time winner on the Ladie’s European Tour
    • She has missed the cut in two of her three major appearances this season
    • This is her eighth appearance in the AIG Women’s Open; her best ever major finish (T11) came at the event in 2020
  • Jeongeun Lee6 made par for 10 straight holes before making four birdies and one bogey on the back nine
    • Lee6 is a major champion; she won the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open, her only win on the LPGA Tour
    • She is a six-time winner on the KLPGA
    • She has three previous starts at the AIG Women’s Open, with one top-10 finish in 2019
• There are 12 players at -2 and T7 after the first-round including 2022 and 2023 U.S. Women’s Open champions In Gee Chun and Allisen Corpuz
• The par-4 No. 2 played the hardest during round one, with a 4.43 scoring average
  • Only five birdies were made on that hole on Thursday
  • There were 80 pars and 58 bogeys-or-worse made there during the first round
• This week’s Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole, the par-5 16th, played the easiest with a 4.31 scoring average
  • Thirteen eagles were made there on Thursday and 77 birdies
• No player went bogey-free during the first round
• There are ten former champions in the field this week but none of them broke par in the first-round
  • Stacy Lewis and Anna Nordquvist both shot level par on Thursday, the best of the past champions
• Laura Davies withdrew from the AIG Women’s Open field during the first round, citing a wrist injury
• Celine Borge withdrew from the event before the first round and first alternate Maddie Szeryk was added to the field

QUOTABLE
“I was just trying to focus on every shot because obviously I did not do that well on the first three majors and I think my mind was like caught up in major-wise too much and I didn’t play my own game. So this week, I was just trying to just hit a drive, hit a shot and try to make putts, and just try to focus on the — like in the present more than like the results.” – Jaravee Boonchant on her goals heading into the final major of the year

“Well, I try to say it’s not on my mind, but it’s always back there. But I try and tell myself that if I just concentrate on doing a good job every day and putting in the work that it will sort itself out. I mean, obviously it’s no secret that I want to be there. I know I can win points, but I’m trying to just focus one day at a time.” – Emily Kristine Pedersen on wanting to earn a spot on Team Europe at the 2023 Solheim Cup

“Tomorrow it’s a new day. I’ve been working with my team on trying to not replicate (my performance), both days. Tomorrow is going to come and I’m going to have a new feeling. I’m going to try to listen to my body and see from there” – Perrine Delacour on what she hopes to replicate during the second round

NOTABLE

First-round highlights – AIG Women’s Open

LPGA Now | 2023 AIG Women’s Open Round 1

Delacour’s Late Push Propels Her To Opening 69

Megan Khang Continues Consistent Major Play At AIG Women’s Open

Stay Focused on the First-Timers at Walton Heath

The R&A and AIG Extend AIG Women’s Open Partnership Through 2030

TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS (since becoming a major in 2001)

18 holes – 62, Minea Blomqvist, third round, 2004; Mirim Lee, first round, 2016

36 holes – 133, Caroline Masson, 2011; Mirim Lee, 2016; In-Kyung Kim, 2017

54 holes – 199, In-Kyung Kim, 2017; Ashleigh Buhai, 2022

72 holes – 269, Karen Stupples, 2004

COURTESY LPGA TOUR COMMUNICATIONS