WITH A WIN

Charley Hull

• Hull would earn her third LPGA Tour victory and first major championship win
  • She has two LPGA Tour victories at the 2022 The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America and the 2016 CME Group Tour Championship
• She would become the 13th player since the event was designated as a major to make the championship her first major title, joining the likes of Georgia Hall (2018), Lorena Ochoa (2007) and Karen Stupples (2004), among others
  • She would be the eighth player in the last 10 years to become a first-time major champion at the AIG Women’s Open 
• She would be the third Englishwoman to win the AIG Women’s Open since it became as major in 2001, joining Hall (2018) and Stupples (2002)
• She would win the Rolex Annika Major Award if Allisen Corpuz finishes sixth or worse and Celine Boutier, Lilia Vu and Ruoning Yin finish third or worse
• She would be the second player in a row to make the AIG Women’s Open their first major championship, following Ashleigh Buhai
• She would make 2023 her second consecutive season with a win on Tour
• She would surpass the $8 million mark in career earnings ($8,051,276)
• With the $1,350,000 winner’s check, she would have $2,620,202 in Official Money, her highest single-season earning in her LPGA Tour career
  • The most she has earned in a single season on tour is $1,114,360 in 2016

Lilia Vu

• Vu would earn her third LPGA Tour victory and second major championship this season and in her career
  • She became a Rolex First Time Winner at the 2023 Honda LPGA Thailand and a first-time major champion at the 2023 The Chevron Championship
• She would be the fourth American to win the AIG Women’s Open since it became as major in 2001, joining Mo Martin (2014), Stacy Lewis (2013) and Sherri Steinhauer (2006)
• She would clinch the Rolex Annika Major Award
• Vu could also win the award with a third-place finish or better, depending on the finishes of other key players in the running
• She is projected to move to No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf rankings if Nelly Korda finishes solo fifth or worse and Jin Young Ko finishes solo third or worse
  • Note – There may be additional possibilities with tie scenarios and separate projection scenarios would need to be run to check
• She would become the second player to earn at least three victories on Tour this season, joining Celine Boutier (LPGA Drive on Championship, The Amundi Evian Championship, FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open presented by Trust Golf)
• She would surpass the $3 million mark in career earnings ($3,442,155)
  • With the $1,350,000 winner’s check, she would have $2,519,386 in Official Money this season (73.2% of her Career earnings)

Angel Yin

• Yin would earn her first victory on the LPGA Tour and first major championship win
• She would be the fourth American to win the AIG Women’s Open since it became as major in 2001, joining Mo Martin (2014), Stacy Lewis (2013) and Sherri Steinhauer (2006)
• She would be the eighth Rolex First Time Winner of the 2023 season, joining Lilia Vu (Honda LPGA Thailand, The Chevron Championship), Ruoning Yin (DIO Implant LA Open, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship), Grace Kim (LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei), Rose Zhang (Mizuho Americas Open), Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women’s Open), Linn Grant (Dana Open) and Elizabeth Szokol (Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational)
• She would win the Rolex Annika Major Award if Allisen Corpuz finishes sixth or worse and Celine Boutier finishes third or worse
• She would earn her first win in her 147th start on Tour
• She would surpass $1 million on the Official Money list for the first time in her LPGA Tour career
  • The most she has earned in a single season on tour is $755,784 in 2019
• She would surpass the $5 million mark in Career Money with the $1,350,000 winner’s check ($5,126,868 total earned)

Hyo Joo Kim

• Kim would earn her sixth LPGA Tour victory and second major championship win
  • She won the Amundi Evian Championship in 2014 as a non-member
  • She has also won the 2022 LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, 2021 HSBC Women’s World Championship, 2016 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, 2015 Cognizant Founders Cup
• She would be the sixth Korean to win the AIG Women’s Open since it became as major in 2001, joining In-Kyung Kim (2017), Inbee Park (2015), Jiyai Shin (2008, 2012), Jeong Jang (2005) and Se Ri Pak (2001)
• She is projected to move to No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf rankings if Nelly Korda finishes solo 10th or worse, Jin Young Ko finishes solo fourth or worse and Celine Boutier and Ruoning finish third or worse
  • Note – There may be additional possibilities with tie scenarios and separate projection scenarios would need to be run to check
• She would make 2023 her third consecutive season with a win on Tour
• She would surpass the $9 million mark in career earnings ($9,242,359)
• With the $1,350,000 winner’s check, she would have $2,639,460 in Official Money, her highest single-season earning in her LPGA Tour career
  • The most she has earned in a single season on tour is $1,533,497 in 2022

Ally Ewing

• Ewing will earn her fourth LPGA Tour victory and first major championship win
  • She has three LPGA Tour victories including the 2022 Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, the 2021 Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards and the 2020 LPGA Drive On Championship at Reynolds Lake Oconee
• She would become the 13th player since the event was designated as a major to make the championship her first major title, joining the likes of Georgia Hall (2018), Lorena Ochoa (2007) and Karen Stupples (2004), among others
  • She would be the eighth player in the last 10 years to become a first-time major champion at the AIG Women’s Open  
• She would be the fourth American to win the AIG Women’s Open since it became as major in 2001, joining Mo Martin (2014), Stacy Lewis (2013) and Sherri Steinhauer (2006)
• She would be the second player in a row to make the AIG Women’s Open their first major championship, following Ashleigh Buhai
• She would make 2023 her fourth consecutive season with a win on Tour
• She would be the sixth American to win on Tour this season, joining Lilia Vu (Honda LPGA Thailand, The Chevron Championship), Rose Zhang (Mizuho Americas Open), Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women’s Open), Cheyenne Knight (Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational) and Elizabeth Szokol (Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational)
  • She would also be the third American to win a major championship this year, joining Vu and Corpuz
• She would surpass $1 million on the Official Money list for the first time in her LPGA Tour career
  • The most she has earned in a single season on tour is $663,150 in 2021
• She would surpass the $5 million mark in Career Money with the $1,350,000 winner’s check ($5,058,840 total earned)

A LOOK AT THE LEADERS

Rolex Rankings No. 6 Lilia Vu

• Ewing hit 12 of 15 fairways and 14 of 18 greens with 30 putts during the third round
  • Her 5-under 67 tied the lowest round of the day, also shot by Angel Yin and Amy Yang
  • She made seven birdies during the second round, including three in a row on holes 5-7
    • Her other birdies came on Nos. 10, 11, 16 and 18
  • She has the least amount of bogeys in the field with just four
• This is the second time Vu has held an 54-hole lead or co-lead in her LPGA career
  • She last held a third-round lead at the 2022 Portland Classic, where she finished T3
• In her two wins this season, Vu came from behind to achieve victory
  • At the 2023 Honda LPGA Thailand, Vu had a 6-stroke deficit heading into the final round and won
  • At the 2023 The Chevron Championship, Vu had a 4-stoke deficit after 54-holes and won in a playoff
• This is her fifth start in an LPGA Tour major this season
  • Her third-round 67 is her lowest 18-hole score in a 2023 LPGA Tour major
  • She won the first major of the year, The Chevron Championship
  • She missed the cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and U.S. Women’s Open and finished T42 at The Amundi Evian Championship
• This is Vu’s second appearance at the AIG Women’s Open
  • In 2022, she finished T41
• This is her third season on the LPGA Tour
  • She became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Honda LPGA Thailand and earned her second win at The Chevron Championship
  • She lost priority status on the LPGA Tour after her rookie season in 2019
    • She played on the Epson Tour in 2020 and 2021, where she earned three wins

Rolex Rankings No. 16 Charley Hull

• Hull hit 9 of 15 fairways and 14 of 18 greens with 29 putts during the third round
  • She made six birdies and two bogeys during the second round
    • Her birdies came on Nos. 1, 8, 11, 15, 16 and 17
  • She has the second least number of bogeys in the field with five (4 bogeys, 1 double-bogey)
    • She was one of just four players to go bogey free in the second-round along with Alison Lee, Jin Young Ko and Ryann O’Toole
    • No player went bogey free during the first or third rounds
  • Hailing from nearby Woburn, England, Hull is familiar with Walton Heath and has played the course before
• This is the sixth time Hull has held an 54-hole lead or co-lead in her LPGA career
  • She last held a third-round lead at the 2022 The Ascendant LPGAbenefiting Volunteers of America, which she won
  • She also won the 2016 CME Group Tour Championship after holding a 36-hole lead
• This is her fifth start in an LPGA Tour major this season
  • Her best major finish this season is a T2 result at the U.S. Women’s Open
  • She missed the cut at The Chevron Championship, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and the Amundi Evian Championship
• This is Hull’s 12th appearance at the AIG Women’s Open
  • She has played in the event every year since 2012
  • Her best finish in the event is a T12 result, which she earned in 2014
• This is her ninth season on the LPGA Tour
  • She has two wins on Tour at the 2022 The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America and the 2016 CME Group Tour Championship

THINGS TO KNOW

• Two players are in a tie for third at 208 after the second round
  • American Angel Yin shot a third-round 67 on Saturday
    • This is her eighth appearance at the AIG Women’s Open
      • Her best finish is a T11 result in 2017
    • Yin finished runner up at the 2023 The Chevron Championship after losing in a playoff to Lilia Vu
    • She had just one bogey or worse on the card on Saturday, tied for least in the field with Gemma Dryburgh
  • Hyo Joo Kim shot 4-under 68 with six birdies and two bogeys
    • She has played in all five majors this season
    • Her best 2023 major finish is a T6 result at the U.S. Women’s Open
    • She is a five-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion
      • She has also won 14 times on the KLPGA and once on the JLPGA
    • This is her seventh appearance at the AIG Women’s Open
      • Her best finish was a T7 result in 2017
• First- and second-round leader Ally Ewing sits at solo fifth with a 2-stroke deficit
  • She had a five-stroke lead heading into the third round
    • Ewing’s lead of five strokes after 36-holes tied the largest lead after 36 holes in AIG Women’s Open history (records held since 1995), previously achieved by Emilee Klein at Woburn-Dukes in 1996 and Jiyai Shin at Royal Liverpool in 2012
    • Both of those players went on to win in those years and no-one has ever failed to win after building a lead of more than three strokes after two rounds
    • The last woman to lead any major by 5+ shots through 36 holes and not win was Patty Sheehan at the 1990 U.S. Women’s Open (led by 6)
  • She leads the field in bridies with 15 total
  • She has the low-round of the tournament, a 6-under 66 during round twO
• Seventy-three players made the cut at +2 after 36-holes
  • There are 17 major champions that made the cut on Friday
  • Of the ten past AIG Women’s Open champions in the field, only three made the cut
    • Jiyai Shin is the best positioned of the past champions, sitting at -5 and T7 heading into Championship Sunday
    • Anna Nordqvist is -1 while Englishwoman Georgia Hall is +4
    • Defending champion Ashleigh Buhai missed the cut
  • Two amateurs, Julia Lopez Ramirez and England’s Charlotte Heath, made the cut and have a chance to earn the Smyth Salver award given to the low amateur
    • Currently Heath is +3 and Ramirez is +5
• The par-4 No. 2 played as the hardest during round three, with a 4.396 scoring average
  • Not a single player made birdie on the hole on Saturday
  • There were 31 bogeys or worse on No. 2 during the third round
• This week’s Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole, the par-5 16th, played the easiest with a 4.306 scoring average
  • Four eagles and 47 birdies were made there on Saturday
  • Five eagles were made there on Friday and 90 birdies
  • Thirteen eagles were made there on Thursday and 77 birdies

QUOTABLE
“I mean, to be quite honest, with how difficult this course played today, and who knows how it’s going to be tomorrow, I think my best bet going into tomorrow is just playing against the golf course. You know, if you hit a bad shot, you kind of hit it into the heather. You can get really unlucky weird bounce or a bad lie; or you can get the opposite, have a good lie and get really lucky. So yeah, just keeping that in mind and trying not to look at the leaderboard too much because I mean, so much has changed today, and so much can change again tomorrow.” – Alison Lee on playing against the course tomorrow and not her fellow competitors

“To me, now my mentality has changed so much with golf. It’s so much more enjoyable, like back when I was six or seven years old when I picked up golf and why I picked up golf, it’s just playing the game. And you know, sometimes like you get a bad strategy, like my bogey today was trying to play smart but then it backfired and it’s just, you played it wrong, and it’s just a game. I think that’s what so amazing about golf. I don’t think I’m really playing against anyone or anything. I think it’s just play my game and then enjoying it out there.” – Angel Yin on her mentality heading into the final round

“I think today was really big for me just in terms of confidence. It’s been a while since I played — I say awhile. It’s been since Chevron that I actually felt pretty decent about my game and where it’s at. So I’m just going to do the same thing I did today, just focusing on tee shots and giving myself a good opportunity for birdies, and just do that tomorrow, not think too much about the win. Because every time that happens, it just slips away from me.” – Lilia Vu on chasing her second major championship victory of the season

“Yeah, I just feel comfortable obviously. I’ve played it a few more times and now I just feel excited and comfortable and just really enjoying it. Golf is a game. It’s a sport and you play it because it’s fun, and I just enjoy it, I’d like to enjoy it more on these golf courses, and good or bad, I love it.” – Charley Hull on feeling comfortable and familiar with Walton Heath

NOTABLE

Third Round Highlights | 2023 AIG Women’s Open

LPGA Now | 2023 AIG Women’s Open Round 3

Linn Grant Gets Comfortable At Walton Heath, Gallops Up Leaderboard

Angel Yin Aims To Play Aggressive On Sunday After Stellar Moving Day

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