By Tony Webeck

For the first time in 29 years, Australians can potentially complete the rare Open Championship double, albeit at a venue where we have endured only heartbreak in the past.

This week’s AIG Women’s Open represents the final golf major of 2022 where five Australians will be aiming to equal Cameron Smith’s feat of last month in tasting glory on the Scottish links.

Twin victories in the same year is an accomplishment Australia has only achieved once in the past, and they did so in style.

Greg Norman’s 1993 Open victory at Royal St George’s is revered for his Sunday 64 while Karen Lunn was a dominant eight-stroke winner of the then Women’s British Open at the Duke’s Course at Woburn Golf Club.

“I remember 1993 like it was yesterday,” Lunn reflected.

“It’s such a wonderful memory to have and I know that anyone who’s ever had that experience will feel exactly the same.

“The feeling is just incredible and it’s something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.”

The Women’s Open was not recognised as an LPGA major championship in 1993 but a year after it was bestowed major status in 2001, Australian golfers came within a whisker of completing the double once again.

Fifteen years after Rodger Davis finished second behind Nick Faldo at Muirfield for the 1987 Open Championship, Stuart Appleby and Steve Elkington finished 72 holes tied with Thomas Levet and Ernie Els at the top of the leaderboard.

In a move that bemuses Appleby to this day, the first four-man playoff in men’s major championship history was played in two groups of two, Els and Levet finishing level in the four-hole aggregate playoff before the South African triumphed at the first extra hole.

A month later – and at a venue where Australia had tasted success previously – Karrie Webb won the third of her three Women’s Open championships at Turnberry.

Twenty years on, Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Stephanie Kyriacou, Whitney Hillier and Su Oh can join Smith in adding a new chapter to Australia’s history on the British links.

“Australian golf is so strong at the moment with Cam Smith having just won the 150th Open and Minjee Lee the Women’s US Open in June,” said Webb, who has hosted Lee, Green and Hillier as former winners of the Karrie Webb Scholarship.

“I am hoping Australian golf fans will have more to cheer about at the AIG Women’s Open.

“The women players are all so incredibly talented that I look forward to seeing how they take on the famed links of Muirfield.”

Lee claimed her first ever major top-10 finish in 2015 at the AIG Women’s Open, and now has nine to her name including victories at the 2021 Evian Championship and 2022 US Women’s Open.

Currently leading the Rolex Annika Major Award that acknowledges the best performer across the year’s five LPGA majors, Lee arrives at Muirfield on the back of a top-20 at the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open and having finished top five in each of her past two Women’s Open appearances.

“I love the challenges presented by links golf and I am really looking forward to playing at Muirfield,” said Lee.

“It’s been a great few weeks for Australian golf with Cam’s win at the 150th Open and Karrie’s at the Senior LPGA Championship last week, so I will, of course, be trying my best to keep the winning streak running.”

Starting at 8pm on Thursday night there will be more than 26 hours of live tournament coverage on Fox Sports 503, hopefully concluding with another Aussie victory in the early hours of Monday morning.

AIG Women’s Open

• Muirfield Golf Club, Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland

• Defending champion: Anna Nordqvist

• Past Aussie winners: Corinne Dibnah (1988), Karen Lunn (1993), Karrie Webb (1995, 1997, 2002)

Live TV coverage

• Thursday

  • 8pm-3am on Fox Sports 503

• Friday

  • 8pm-3am on Fox Sports 503

• Saturday

  • 11.15pm-5am on Fox Sports 503

• Sunday

  • 10pm-5am on Fox Sports 503

Aussies in the field

Minjee Lee

• World ranking: 2

• Age: 26

• Major wins: 2 (2021 Evian Championship; 2022 US Women’s Open)

• LET wins: 2

• Best finish at AIG Women’s Open: 3rd in 2020

• Best finish in 2022: Won Cognizant Founders Cup; Won US Women’s Open

Hannah Green

• World ranking: 17

• Age: 25

• Major wins: 1 (2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship)

• LET wins: 0

• Best finish at AIG Women’s Open: T16 in 2019

• Best finish in 2022: Won Vic Open; Won TPS Murray River

Stephanie Kyriacou

• World ranking: 106

• Age: 21

• Major wins: 0

• LET wins: 2

• Best finish at AIG Women’s Open: T13 in 2021

• Best finish in 2022: T6 at Saudi Ladies International

Whitney Hillier

• World ranking: 192

• Age: 31

• Major wins: 0

• LET wins: 0

• Best finish at AIG Women’s Open: MC in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021

• Best finish in 2022: 2nd at Jabra Ladies Open

Su Oh

• World ranking: 127

• Age: 26

• Major wins: 0

• LET wins: 1

• Best finish at AIG Women's Open: T15 in 2018

• Best finish in 2022: Won Australian WPGA Championship

Media

Championship site: www.aigwomensopen.com

Social Media

• Twitter: @aigwomensopen

• Instagram: @aigwomensopen

• Hashtag: #AIGWO