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The AIG Women’s Open, final major of the LPGA season, took place August 19-22 in Carnoustie, Scotland. The 72-hole event was played at Carnoustie Golf Links, which is a par 71 layout of 6649 yards. Last year, Sophia Popov came out of nowhere to post four great rounds at Royal Troon to win the event by two shots of Jasmine Suwannapura. The purse is an eye-popping $5.8 million with 625 points toward the CME Race to the Globe for the winner.

First Round

On a day when scoring was excellent, Sei Young Kim recorded six birdies over a nine-hole stretch and finished with a 67. She was tied with Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden and top ranked player in the world, Nelly Korda. The trio held a one-shot lead over a group of four led by Scotland amateur Louise Duncan, along with Andrea Lee, Yuka Saso, and Georgia Hall. Four birdies in five holes on the back nine put Lexi Thompson in a group of three at three-under par. A large group of 11 including Nasa Hataoka, Gaby Lopez, Yealimi Noh, and Inbee Park were three back. A logjam of 19 at one-under par included Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, AtthayaThitikul, Patty Tavatanakit, and Wichanee Meechai.

Those at even par includedPajareeAnannarukarn, Ally Ewing, Lydia Ko, Moriya Jutanugarn, Jeongeun Lee6, and Sophia Popov. Notables that shot over par and were well off the pace included Stacy Lewis and Jessica Korda at one-over, Mel Reid and Amy Yang at three-over, and Daneille Kang, who went triple-bogey/double-bogey on the 14th and 15th, and finished at four-over.

Second Round

Mina Harigae bolted up the leaderboards after a five-under par round to get into a tied for the lead with Georgia Hall at seven-under par. Quietly positioning herself into a tie for second with Sei Young Kim was Lizette Salas after her second consecutive round of 69. Moriya Jutanugarn and Leona Maguire both posted rounds of 67 and were in a six-way tie at five-under along with Lexi Thompson and Yuka Saso.

Among those at four-under par included Nelly Korda, whose seesaw round included three bogeys and two birdies. Also three shots off the pace were Brooke Henderson, Madelene Sagstrom, and Minjee Lee. Matilda Castrin lurked at three-under par after a solid round of 68 that included six birdies. Still in the mix at two-under par were big names such as Marina Alex, Anna Nordqvist, Ariya Jutanugarn, and Nasa Hataoka. Still under par but needing low rounds on Saturday to get into contention were Lydia Ko, Patty Tavatanakit, Hannah Green, and Gaby Lopez.

Notables that made the cut but don’t figure to be a factor on the weekend were Laura Davies, Stacy Lewis Jeongeun Lee6, Jessica Korda, Inbee Park and AtthayaThitikul, all at even par. Those whose week was cut short after missing the cut were Austin Ernst, Rose Zhang, Ally Ewing, Ryann O’Toole, In Gee Chun, Danielle Kang, and So Yeon Ryu, who shot a 78 and finished at ten-over.

Third Round

The round of the day was shot by Anna Nordqvist, who posted a 65 without a blemish on the scorecard. At nine-under par, she was tied at the top with Nanna Koerstz Madsen, who hard three birdies, an eagle, and a bogey. Lizette Salas was just a shot back, while Sanna Nuutinen of Finland, Louise Duncan, Madelene Sagstrom, and Lexi Thompson were bunched at seven-under par. Ariya Jutanugarn led a group at six-under par after a round of 68 which included a five-birdie stretch from the 11th through the 17th. Ariya’s sister Moriya, along with Nelly Korda, and Brooke Henderson, were also three-shots back.

Ayaka Furue of Japan got in the conversation after a stellar round of 67. She was tied at five-under par along with Su Oh and Leona Maguire. Thailand continued to make a strong showing in this tournament, as Patty Tavatanakit, AtthayaThitikul, PajareeAnannarukarn, and Wichaneed Meechai were at four-under par.

Notables that need a great final round and others to fall back include Nasa Hataoka (three-under), Jeongeun Lee6, Hannah Green, Gaby Lopez (two-under), Stacy Lewis, and Lydia Ko (one-under). Inbee Park ballooned to a 77 and was at six-over.

Final Round

Minjee Lee came roaring from behind to post the lead in the clubhouse at 10-under par following a round of 66 that could have been lower if not for a bogey on the 18th. Leonie Harm and Patty Tavatanakit each posted rounds of 67 and were tied for seventh at nine-under par. Fueled by two eagles, Georgia Hall put herself in position for the title with a round of 67. She finished tied for second at 11-under with Lizette Salas and Madelene Sagstrom, whose bogey at 18 cost her a chance at the championship.

Playing In the in the final group with Anna Nordqvist was Nanna Koerstz Madsen, but she had an up and down round, which included five birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey. The double bogey on the 18th cost her a chance at the title and dropped her into a tie for 5th at 10-under par.

It was Anna Nordqvist who stood on top at the end of the day. Her four birdies, a bogey, and five straight pars down the stretch were enough to secure her third major championship and 12th professional win.

Moriya Jutanugarn finished in sole possession of 9th place at eight-under, while Ariya Jutanugarn was in three-place tie for 10th with Marissa Stein and Louise Duncan. Brooke Henderson, Nelly Korda, and Sei Young Kim were among those at six-under, while Lexi Thompson faltered for a 74 and was tied for 20th at five-under.

Notables that finished well back were Lydia Ko and Stacy Lewis (two-under), Yuka Saso (even), Jeongeun Lee6 and AtthayaThitikul (two-over), Inbee Park (three-over), and Jessica Korda (six-over).

Coming Up

The 17th Solheim Cup takes place at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio from September 4-6. The three-day event is held on a par 71 layout of 6434 yards. Team Europe won the 2019 event at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland by the score of 14 ½ to 13 ½. Suzann Pettersen drained a seven-foot putt for birdie on the last hole to seal the victory. Despite the win, the United States leads the overall event, 10 to 6.