Women’s British Open Winners and History
The Women Open — or The Women’s British Open — is relatively new in the world of golf majors. Established in 1976 by the Ladies Golf Union, the event was intended to be the equivalent of the Open Championship but it was initially difficult to gain acceptance.
The Ladies Golf Union is the governing body for women’s and girls’ amateur golf in Great Britain and Ireland.
Of the courses considered most prestigious in the Open Championship rota, Royal Birkdale was the only one to step forward. As a result, the first few years were played on less well known courses, such as Fulwood, Lindrick and Fox Hills.
Lack of support forced the tournament to skip the 1983 edition.
From 1976 to 1993, the tournament was sanctioned only by the Ladies European Tour, with the exception of the 1984 edition, which was co-sanctioned by the LPGA.
The LPA returned to sanction the tournament from 1994 to the present. This has helped to increase both interest in the Women’s Open and the quality of the field.
Four years later after the LPA signed on, the event was held at Royal Lytham and St. Annes. It has since been held at Carnoustie, Royal Liverpool and St. Andrews—all courses which have hosted the Open Championship. The organizers of the Women’s British Open, however, have opted not to follow the lead of the Open Championship and limit the tournament to just the classic links courses.
In 2001, the LPGA granted the British Women’s Open Major status, replacing the du Maurier Classic.
In 2022, the Women’s Open is sponsored by AIG, with a total purse of $6.8 million. That’s up $1 million from 2021.
A list of past Women’s British Open Winners follows:
| Year | Champion | Score | To Par | Margin | Venue |
| 2024 | Lydia Ko | 281 | -7 | 2 strokes | St. Andrews |
| 2023 | Lilia Vu | 274 | -14 | 6 shots | Walton Heath |
| 2022 | Ashleigh Buhai | 274 | -10 | Playoff | Muirfield |
| 2021 | Anna Nordqvist | 276 | -12 | 1 stroke | Carnoustie |
| 2020 | Royal Troon | 277 | -7 | 2 strokes | Sophia Popov |
| 2019 | Hinako Shibuno | 270 | -18 | 1 stroke | Woburn |
| 2018 | Georgia Hall | 271 | -17 | 2 strokes | Royal Lytham & St. Annes |
| 2017 | In-Kyung Kim | 270 | -18 | 2 strokes | Kingsbarns |
| 2016 | Arya Jutanugarn | 272 | -16 | 3 strokes | England Woburn Golf and Country Club |
| 2015 | Inbee Park | 276 | -12 | 3 strokes | Scotland Trump Turnberry – Ailsa Course |
| 2014 | Mo Martin | 287 | -1 | 1 stroke | England Royal Birkdale Golf Club |
| 2013 | Stacy Lewis | 280 | -8 | 2 strokes | Scotland Old Course at St Andrews |
| 2012 | Jiyai Shin | 279 | -9 | 9 strokes | England Royal Liverpool Golf Club |
| 2011 | Yani Tseng | 272 | -16 | 4 strokes | Scotland Carnoustie Golf Links |
| 2010 | Yani Tseng | 277 | -11 | 1 stroke | England Royal Birkdale Golf Club |
| 2009 | Catriona Matthew | 285 | -3 | 3 strokes | England Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club |
| 2008 | Jiyai Shin | 270 | -18 | 3 strokes | England Sunningdale Golf Club |
| 2007 | Lorena Ochoa | 287 | -5 | 4 strokes | Scotland Old Course at St Andrews |
| 2006 | Sherri Steinhauer | 281 | -7 | 3 strokes | England Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club |
| 2005 | Jeong Jang | 272 | -16 | 4 strokes | England Royal Birkdale Golf Club |
| 2004 | Karen Stupples | 269 | -19 | 5 strokes | England Sunningdale Golf Club |
| 2003 | Annika Sörenstam | 278 | -10 | 1 stroke | England Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club |
| 2002 | Karrie Webb | 273 | -15 | 2 strokes | Scotland Turnberry – Ailsa Course |
| 2001 | Se Ri Pak | 277 | -11 | 2 strokes | England Sunningdale Golf Club |
| 2000 | Sophie Gustafson | 282 | -6 | 2 strokes | England Royal Birkdale Golf Club |
| 1999 | Sherri Steinhauer | 283 | -5 | 1 stroke | England Woburn Golf and Country Club |
| 1998 | Sherri Steinhauer | 292 | 4 | 1 stroke | England Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club |
| 1997 | Karrie Webb | 269 | -19 | 8 strokes | England Sunningdale Golf Club |
| 1996 | Emilee Klein | 277 | -11 | 7 strokes | England Woburn Golf and Country Club |
| 1995 | Karrie Webb | 278 | -10 | 6 strokes | England Woburn Golf and Country Club |
| 1994 | Liselotte Neumann | 280 | -8 | 3 strokes | England Woburn Golf and Country Club |
| 1993 | Karen Lunn | 275 | | 8 strokes | Woburn Golf and Country Club |
| 1992 | Patty Sheehan | 207* | | 3 strokes | Woburn Golf and Country Club |
| 1991 | Penny Grice-Whittaker | 284 | | 3 strokes | Woburn Golf and Country Club |
| 1990 | Helen Alfredsson | 288 | | playoff | Woburn Golf and Country Club |
| 1989 | Jane Geddes | 274 | | 2 strokes | Ferndown Golf Club |
| 1988 | Corinne Dibnah | 295 | | playoff | Lindrick Golf Club |
| 1987 | Alison Nicholas | 296 | | 1 stroke | St Mellion Golf and Country Club |
| 1986 | Laura Davies | 283 | | 4 strokes | Royal Birkdale Golf Club |
| 1985 | Betsy King | 300 | | 2 strokes | Moor Park Golf Club |
| 1984 | Ayako Okamoto | 289 | | 11 strokes | Woburn Golf and Country Club |
| 1983 | | | | | No tournament |
| 1982 | Marta Figueras-Dotti (a) | 296 | | 1 stroke | Royal Birkdale Golf Club |
| 1981 | Debbie Massey | 295 | | 4 strokes | Northumberland Golf Club |
| 1980 | Debbie Massey | 294 | | 1 stroke | Wentworth Club |
| 1979 | Alison Sheard | 301 | | 3 strokes | Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club |
| 1978 | Janet Melville (a) | 310 | | 2 strokes | Foxhills Golf & Country Club |
| 1977 | Vivien Saunders | 306 | | tied, but won due to better final round | Lindrick Golf Club |
| 1976 | Jenny Lee Smith (a) | 299 | | 2 strokes | Fulford Golf Club |
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