Click here for the field at the RICOH Women's British Open.
A Major Test For The World’s Best
The RICOH Women’s British Open is known for it’s challenging venue as much as the unpredictable weather that can kick up on a dime. This week, Woburn Golf Club will test the world’s best players including 17 of the top-20 in the Rolex Rankings. World No.1 Lydia Ko, No.2 Brooke Henderson and No.4 Lexi Thompson are the top-ranked players in the field. World No.3 Inbee Park, the defending champion, will not defend her title, announcing last week she would not compete due to the ongoing injury she’s been rehabbing in her left thumb. Park achieved the Career Grand Slam with her victory at the 2015 RICOH Women’s British Open at Turnberry. No.5 Sei Young Kim and No.6 Ariya Jutanugarn are also in the field in search of their first major victory.
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Six former champions of the RICOH Women’s British Open are in the field once again this year, including two-time winners Jiyai Shin and Yani Tseng, Catriona Matthew, Stacy Lewis and Mo Martin. There are 10 more major champions in the field who have won over the past four years including 2012 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner Shanshan Feng, 2012 U.S. Women’s Open Champion Na Yeon Choi, In Gee Chun who won the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open, and Brittany Lincicome who won the 2015 ANA Inspiration.
Make It A Double
The first three major champions of 2016 arrive at the RICOH Women’s British Open looking to pick up their second major victory of the year. Ko won the 2016 ANA Inspiration for her second major victory and nearly picked up her third in June at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship where she lost in a playoff to Brooke Henderson. Ko has made four starts in this championship, her best finish coming in a share of third in 2015 at Turnberry. Henderson won her first major title at Sahalee Golf Club by defeating the world No.1 with a birdie on the first playoff hole. She has just one start in the RICOH Women's British Open where she finished T-61 last year at Turnberry. Brittany Lang survived a playoff of her own to capture the season’s third major, the U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle. Lang went four years on tour without a win and her victory at CordeValle marked her second win on Tour. Lang has played in the RICOH Women's British Open since 2006 and had mixed results, missing the cut in six of 10 starts. Her best finish came in a runner-up finish in 2011 at Carnoustie.
Dame Laura Davies
It wouldn’t be a RICOH Women’s British Open without four-time major champion Laura Davies who received a special exemption to compete in this year’s event at Woburn Golf Club, where she finished T-38 when the event last hosted this championship in 1999. Since this championship became recognized as a major in 2001 on the LPGA Tour, Davies' best finish is T-8 at Sunningdale Golf Club in 2004 when Karen Stupples won at a record 19-under par.
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