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The 2024 AIG Women's Open is set to take place from August 22 to 25 on one of golf's most challenging courses, the Old Course at St. Andrews. The LPGA Tour's best players will compete for a slice of the whopping $9 million prize purse and 650 Race to CME Globe points.
Here's a look into the top five players to watch out for in the 144-player field this week at the AIG Women's Open:
#5 Stacy Lewis
Stacy Lewis won the AIG Women's Open in 2013 with a total score of eight under par. This year, the LPGA Tour star has had a rocky season so far. She missed the cut in three of her last four starts, including last week's ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open.
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In 16 appearances this season, the Solheim Cup captain missed the cut in twelve events. Lewis remains a dark horse pick for this week's event after a stellar showing at the Dana Open in June where she tied for seventh place.
#4 Hannah Green
Hannah Green has been shining on the LPGA Tour this season. As she heads into the AIG Women's Open, the 27-year-old ranks 5th in the world with five career victories since making her debut in 2018.
Green has made 13 appearances and only missed the cut in two events early on in the season. She interrupted Nelly Korda's winning streak by securing two titles this year - the HSBC Women's World Championship in February and the JM Eagle LA Championship in April.
#3 Lauren Coughlin
Despite a mediocre start to the season, Lauren Coughlin has recently been playing some incredible golf. She heads into this week's AIG Women's Open with two victories earned in her last three starts.
Coughlin has made 19 starts this season and has missed the cut four times. The 31-year-old has recorded five top-10 finishes in her last ten starts on the LPGA Tour. She ranks third in the field with a scoring average of 70.31 and second in most rounds carded in under par with 42 rounds.
#2 Ayaka Furue
Ayaka Furue has only been playing on the LPGA Tour for two years and has already made her mark. Ranked seventh in the world, she has played in 18 events this year and has recorded ten top-10 finishes along with a victory at the Amundi Evian Championship last month.
Furue will be heading into the AIG Women's Open with great odds to win following a tied for third place finish at last week's ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open. The 24-year-old displays great consistency on the course as she leads the field in five key stats - scoring average (69.88), most rounds under par (47), most birdies (252), most rounds in the 60's (31), and most sub par holes (256).
#1 Lilia Vu
Lilia Vu is set to defend her title at the AIG Women's Open this week. The world number two golfer took home the victory last year with scores of 72, 68, 67, and 67, which totaled to 14 under par.
The two-time Major Championship winner has 12 starts this season and made the cut in all but two events where she withdrew. Vu took home the Meijer LPGA Classic victory in June and followed it up with a tied for second place finish the next week at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
