words by James Burn
Self-confessed ‘Friend of the show’
—
While the men’s game flounders in the tiresome impasse between the PGA Tour and LIV, the women’s game is stealing the spotlight with an electrifying year in 2024. Iconic venues, superstars, a thriving amateur game, and matchplay golf at its finest—it’s worth paying tribute to a stellar year.
Nelly Korda
When it comes to golf, Tiger Woods has set an impossible level of expectation for all future world number ones, across both the men’s and women’s game. Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda have given it an incredible go to reach those levels in 2024. Nelly started the year by winning five events consecutively and six in seven starts, culminating in the Mizuho Americas Open. She now joins an elite group, with only Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez having achieved that feat. This run also included the first major of the year at the Chevron Championship. Many were disappointed she wasn’t able to clinch a second major at the AIG Women’s Open at the Home of Golf, but despite that, it’s been an incredible year for the world number one, capped off with a great performance at the Solheim Cup.
In the Friday fourballs, Nelly was at her best. Her own ball was 8 under through 14 holes in a 6&4 thrashing of Georgia Hall and Leona Maguire. It took an inspired Charlie Hull on the final day to keep her record to three wins and one solitary loss.
Iconic world number ones have the ability to elevate their sport to another level. Nelly has the platform to do just that. With arguably the best swing in the game and an ever-expanding trophy case, it’s hard not to root for the 26-year-old as her career continues to reach new heights, inspiring a new generation of young girls to take up the sport.
The Amateur Game
The women’s game has been going from strength to strength in recent years. A fresh wave of emerging talent from the amateur ranks is paving the way for a thrilling future. There are budding rivalries among the top US, GB&I, and European talent, as well as the strength in depth we’ve come to expect from the likes of South Korea.
The Women’s Amateur Championship in June returned to Ireland for the first time since 1931, with the testing links of Portmarnock playing host on both occasions. The swashbuckling collegiate Melanie Green took victory in her debut appearance, defeating Lorna McClymont. Many past winners of this prestigious championship have gone on to enjoy huge success in the professional ranks, including recent Solheim Cup stars Leona Maguire, Celine Boutier, Emily Pedersen, Anna Nordqvist, and Carlota Ciganda. It’s worth noting that world amateur number one Lottie Woad scored an extremely impressive nine under par in the two-round stroke play phase, five clear of second place. She would go on to lose in the third round of the match play—a reminder of just how punishing this game can be and why Bobby Jones once remarked that The Amateur Championship was the hardest to win in golf.
The host of the men’s 2022 PGA Championship, Southern Hills, would be the venue for the US Women’s Amateur in 2024. An incredible but typically amateur-friendly rivalry played out in the final between two roommates, Asterisk Talley (USA) and eventual winner Rianne Malixi (Philippines). Several months earlier, the 15-year-old Californian, Asterisk (Greek for ‘little star’), won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley by five shots, with Malixi finishing second. Malixi would come out on top in the Women’s Amateur, defeating Asterisk 3 & 2. Both Malixi and Talley are among the most promising young talents in the game and are well worth keeping an eye on.
Much of the talent from both events would come to a wonderful climax for the year at Sunningdale Golf Club for the Curtis Cup.
The Curtis Cup
Some would argue that match play golf is the purest form of the game. The Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, Walker Cup, and the Curtis Cup certainly provide crescendos to the golfing calendar whenever it is their turn to take centre stage.
The first official Curtis Cup was played in 1932, just down the road from Sunningdale, at Wentworth. The US won 5.5 to 3.5 under the stewardship of Marion Hollins and Joyce Wethered. Hollins—one of, if not the first, female golf course developers who hired Alister MacKenzie to design Cypress Point—also won the 1921 US Women’s Amateur. Wethered, a world-renowned amateur who won the British Ladies Amateur four times, was the playing captain that year, winning her singles 6&4, alongside Diana Fishwick of Sunningdale, who also contributed a point.
The idea for the Curtis Cup began in 1924, although it was only in 1927 that the trophy was donated by the Curtis sisters (Harriet and Margaret). Despite this, nothing materialised until 1930, when an informal game was played at Sunningdale, with 14 players from America taking on a team from Britain. This mirrored the evolution of the Walker Cup, where a forerunner event was held at Royal Liverpool in 1921. Although unofficial, it’s important to note that Britain won that year. The USGA and LGU finally sponsored the event in 1932 at Wentworth, so the Surrey/Berkshire sand belt certainly feels like a spiritual home for the Curtis Cup, and 2024 was no exception, with a thrilling encounter played out in front of a record crowd of over 17,000 spectators.
In a pulsating final day, GB&I managed to edge out the US 10.5 to 9.5, thanks to a dramatic par save by Mimi Rhodes on the 17th against Melanie Green and Lorna McClymont sealing her point with a classy lag putt on the 16th against Megan Schofill. The roar on the 17th green following Mimi Rhodes’ long par save perfectly encapsulated the fever pitch of the final day.
GB&I had a lot to thank in Sara Byrne (Ireland), who remained undefeated and contributed 3.5 points. The grittiness of the Rhodes sisters was also key, as they rallied after taking a 6&4 pasting in the opening match, following up two more losses with a victory in Mimi’s next foursomes match, and Mimi holing the key putt on the final day. Patience, her sister from Burnham & Berrow, produced an emphatic 6&4 victory over Zoe Campos in her singles encounter.
Lottie Woad was quite frankly exhausted after her exploits throughout the year, including a recent top-10 finish at the AIG Women’s Open. She can be forgiven for running out of steam against a rampant 15-year-old, Asterisk Talley, who was 4 under by the time the match concluded on the 16th green, pausing only briefly for a quick sausage sandwich at the hut. Her teammates also delivered strong performances, particularly Rachel Kuehn, who must have been sick of the sight of Sara Byrne and Lottie Woad after spending the first two days battling them in tied matches alongside different partners over 36 holes.
The Curtis Cup has an incredible list of upcoming venues. The USGA announces their venues early, so Bel Air (2026), National Golf Links (2030), and Pine Valley (2034) promise a mouth-watering line-up. Next up on these shores, the competition heads to a true test of Scottish links golf at Royal Dornoch in 2028.
The AIG Women’s Open
The Old Course, St Andrew’s—the most iconic venue in the game, accessible to millions of golfers worldwide who descend on its rumpled fairways next to West Sands beach year after year. It doesn’t feel long ago that the 150th Open was won by Cam Smith, over home favourite Rory McIlroy, with an incredible final round display. However, it’s the Women’s Open that feels far more relatable and arguably a more interesting spectacle for the discerning golf fan.
The Old Course can be overpowered in the men’s game (no rollback commentary here…), whereas the women’s game is awe-inspiring in how they navigate the course, negotiate extremely testing conditions, and shape their shots around the links. The distance might be somewhat more relatable to the bigger-hitting club golfer, but the control and shot-shaping they display is certainly not. Yet, it’s the way we dream of playing our perfect round at the home of golf—playing the links as it was designed, clinging to the hope that one day it will all come together for our “perfect round.”
Lydia Ko was a worthy champion. She continued her form from the Olympics and produced a fabulous display, with highlights including a driver off the deck and a bunted 3-wood under the wind into the Road Hole green. Following the action all week on the ground, she seemed so relaxed. It was an interesting juxtaposition seeing her having fun with family and friends around the 1st tee putting green, while Nelly Korda and Charley Hull grinded away after round three. That tension saw Charley fritter away shots and Nelly damage her chances with some cheap bogeys coming down the stretch.
Royal Porthcawl will be a wonderful host in 2025. As a viewing experience, the Women’s Open cannot be recommended highly enough. The atmosphere at St Andrew’s was fantastic, with friendly and knowledgeable crowds, and far better access to great viewing spots. Not to mention, the nature of the women’s game makes for an enthralling watch.
The Solheim Cup
It threatened to be a runaway victory for the US team before a closely contested final day in the singles at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. The US team finally delivered the performance that their calibre of players is capable of, winning the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017 at Des Moines Golf and Country Club. This followed losses at Gleneagles (2019) and Inverness (2021), and a tie at Finca Cortesin in Spain last year, where Europe retained the trophy. The 2024 edition was played a year early to avoid clashing with the Ryder Cup in 2025, a scheduling adjustment made after COVID delayed the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. The new timeline works well with the bi-annual nature of both tournaments.
Despite the final day tension, including some “out of this world” golf from Charley Hull, who defeated Nelly Korda 6&4 with her ball 7 under through 14, it was a perfectly executed plan by US captain Stacey Lewis, where everything came together. Nelly Korda led from the front, Rose Zhang went 4 from 4 with consistently wonderful golf, and debutants had impressive performances. Sarah Schmelzel delivered 2 points from 4, and local player Lauren Coughlin remained undefeated with a tie and 3 wins.
On the European side, hotly tipped Linn Grant was the only player to not deliver a point, Solheim Cup stalwart Carlota Ciganda could only manage a single point, and matchplay maestro Leona Maguire played just one session, where she was on the receiving end of Korda’s 8 under through 14 holes. Maguire has since been vocal in her criticism of captain Suzann Pettersen.
In reality, the US were comfortable and deserving victors. The event provided another engaging spectacle of matchplay golf, played in great spirits between the teams. Bernardus Golf Club in the Netherlands will host the next edition in 2026. The course has hosted the Dutch Open three times in recent years, and the Kyle Phillips design will undoubtedly offer another great showcase for women’s golf. The Netherlands is a must-visit destination for any golf tourist, with highlights including Royal Hague, Kennemer, Eindhoven, Noordwijkse, and Utrecht de Pan.
In Conclusion
This homage to the women’s game in 2024 may have gone on too long, but it’s a testament to the depth of talent, entertainment, and iconic venues on show. The golf is far more relatable than the men’s, filled with more likeable characters and, by many accounts, fewer divas and prima donnas. The women’s game is on the rise, and it’s worth sitting up and taking notice.
2024 will be hard to top, and the women’s game will be competing with the Walker Cup at Cypress Point and the Ryder Cup at Bethpage for attention. However, there are some great venues providing ample viewing next year, including the US Women’s Open at Erin Hills, the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl, the Women’s Amateur at Nairn in the north of Scotland, and the US Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes. Until next year…
