18 Aug 2021 | Professional golf |
How to follow the 2021 AIG Women's Open
by Dane Heverin
The final major championship of the year is here as the best female golfers in the world descend on the links of Carnoustie.
Australian golf fans are feeling a touch greedy this week as they are excited by the prospect of back-to-back major titles for Australia after Minjee Lee’s Evian Championship triumph last month.
Lee and Olympic teammate Hannah Green are the leading Australians in the field, but despite recent good form - Lee’s major title and Green’s Olympic campaign - both missed the cut at last week’s Scottish Open and will be determined to turn around their fortunes.
Links golf presents many surprises and the lower ranked Australians in the field will be looking to defending champion Sophia Popov for inspiration.
The German was ranked No.304 in the world when she won at Royal Troon and the likes of Whitney Hillier - who was the best of the Australians at the Scottish Open but is ranked outside the top-400 in the world - will be hoping lightning strikes twice.
Steph Kyriacou enters the tournament off the back of a stellar Ladies European Tour season so far - she won the Big Green Egg Open and is currently second on the LET Order of Merit standings.
Meanwhile, LPGA regulars Sarah Kemp, Katherine Kirk and Su Oh will encounter a very different test to what they face week in and week out.
Many fans will be keeping a close eye on the final Australian to gain entry into the field, Kirsten Rudgeley.
This is Rudgeley’s major debut and it comes after the amateur’s glorious British summer that includes victories at the Helen Holm Women’s Scottish Open Championship and the English Amateur Championship.
Fans will need to tune into Foxtel and Kayo Sports to witness all the action.
Live coverage begins at 8:00pm AEST on Thursday night, and you can also catch replays throughout the day.
Check your local guide for more details, but the main live TV coverage (Australian Eastern Standard Time) is as follows:
Thursday, 8:00pm: Fox 505
Friday, 8:00pm: Fox 505
Saturday, 10:30pm: Fox 505
Sunday, 10:00pm: Fox 505
For those on the go or without a pay TV subscription, you can stay up-to-date with all the latest news and information at https://www.golf.org.au/, https://pga.org.au/ and https://www.aigwomensopen.com/ throughout the tournament.