ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open Winners and History

ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open Winners and History

ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open Winners and History

Currently co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA, the Women’s Australian Open’s history extends back to 1974 when it was a 54 hole event. The original incarnation of the tournament lasted only until 1978. It was revived in 1978, and was notable for two events: Annika Sorenstams first professional win and Karrie Webb’s professional debut.

Webb would later win the event five times.

The 1999 tournament was missed due to a scheduling change which moved the tournament from November to February. Th change was necessary to place it near the ANZ Ladies Masters so both could be part of the Ladies European Tour.

The Ladies European Tour began co-sanctioning the event in 2000. The tournament’s checkered history continued, however, has sponsorship difficulties resulted in the cancellation of the 2005 and 2006 editions. The LPGA co-sanctioned the event in 2012, which coincided with an increase in the purse to $1.3 million in 2013, and the prize fixed in US dollars.  Since 2011, the tournament’s the tournament’s name sponsor has been ISPS Handa.

The 2012 tournament was played at the Composite Course at Royal Melbourne, the championship course comprising 12 holes from the West course and six from the East course. The Composite Course is considered one of the top courses in the world, and was used for the Presidents Cup competitions in 1998 and 2011.

ISPS Handa is the International Sports Promotion Society, founded and funded by Japanese philanthropist Dr. Haruhisa Handa in 2006. Its goal is to support charitable causes throughout the sporting world and has fostered partnerships with golf governing bodies worldwide to help develop the game at every level and promote blind and disabled golf.

Dr. Handa is an interesting character. Born in 1951, he operates more than a dozen companies in Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom. He has degrees in economics, vocal music, creative arts and a literature. As you might expect, he is an author, who has written more than 220 books that have been translated into seven languages. Some of the best sellers include “Secrets for running a Small Business”, “Understanding Japan” and “Lucky Fortune” – of which more than a million copies have been sold.

A list of ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open Winners follows:

YearChampionCountryScore
2020Inbee ParkSouth Korea278 (-14)
2019Nellie KordaUnited States271 (-17)
2018Ko Jin-young South Korea274 (−14)
2017Jang Ha-na South Korea282 (−10)
2016Haru Nomura Japan272 (−16)
2015Lydia Ko New Zealand283 (−9)
2014Karrie Webb (5) Australia276 (−12)
2013Jiyai Shin South Korea274 (−18)
2012Jessica Korda United States289 (−3)PO
2011Yani Tseng (2) Taiwan276 (−16)
2010Yani Tseng (1) Taiwan283 (−9)
2009Laura Davies (2) England285 (−7)
2008Karrie Webb (4) Australia284 (−8)PO
2007Karrie Webb (3) Australia278 (−10)
2005–06: Not played
2004Laura Davies (1) England283 (−5)
2003Mhairi McKay Scotland277 (−11)
2002Karrie Webb (2) Australia278 (−10)PO
2001Sophie Gustafson Sweden276 (−12)
2000Karrie Webb (1) Australia270 (−22)
1999Tournament moved from November (1998) to February (2000)
1998Marnie McGuire New Zealand280 (−12)
1997Jane Crafter Australia279 (−13)
1996Catriona Matthew Scotland283 (−9)
1995Liselotte Neumann Sweden283 (−9)
1994Annika Sörenstam Sweden286 (−10)
1979–93: Not played
1978Debbie Austin United States213
1977Jan Stephenson Australia145
1976Donna Caponi Young United States206
1975JoAnne Carner United States228
1974Chako Higuchi Japan219

1 thought on “ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open Winners and History”

  1. A great field has been put together for this event in 2013. I saw that young American star Lexi Thompson, and Tiger Wood’s niece Cheyenne Woods is also here.

    A number of the world’s top ranked players add to the depth of the field.

    I hoping local star Karrie Webb can make it back to back victories after her win in the Australian Ladies Masters last week.

    Reply

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