The 2020 Women's British Open (colloquially referred as The 2020 Open Championship, as there was no men's equivalent) was played from 20 to 23 August in Scotland at

Royal Troon Golf Club Royal Troon Golf Club is a links golf course in Scotland, located in Troon, South Ayrshire. The club was established in 1878, and originally only consisted of five holes whereas today, it has increased to a total of 45 holes. Its Old Course i ...

. It was the 44th

Women's British Open The Women's Open (originally known as the Women's British Open, and still widely referred to by that name outside the UK) is a major championship in women's professional golf. It is recognised by both the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tou ...

, the 20th as a major championship on the

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...

, and the first at Royal Troon Golf Club. The tournament was played

behind closed doors Behind Closed Doors may refer to: Film, television and radio Film * ''Behind Closed Doors'' (1929 film), an early talkie starring Virginia Valli * Behind Closed Doors (1961 film), ''Behind Closed Doors'' (1961 film), an Italian comedy film by Dino ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...

. It was the first championship held under a renewed sponsorship agreement with

AIG American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an American multinational finance and insurance corporation with operations in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. As of 2023, AIG employed 25,200 people. The company operates through three core ...

; the deal involved the rebranding of the championship, removing the word "British", with the event titled as the 2020 AIG Women's Open. The championship was won by world number 304

Sophia Popov Sophia Popov (born 2 October 1992) is a German professional golfer who competes on the LPGA Tour. Personal life Popov holds dual United States-German citizenship, having been born in the United States, and moved to Germany with her family when s ...

, by two strokes from Thidapa Suwannapura. It was her first major tournament victory. Popov, a professional since 2014 and member of the second-tier

Symetra Tour The Epson Tour, previously known as the LPGA Futures Tour, and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed Futures Tour and between 2012 and 2021 as the Symetra Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour ...

since 2016, had never previously won on any of the major

tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

, winning her first events on a mini-tour in Arizona earlier in 2020. She qualified for the Women's Open by means of a high finish at the

Marathon Classic The Greater Toledo Classic is a women's professional golf tournament on the Legends of the LPGA and Epson Tours. It was founded in 1984 and has been played yearly, except in 1986 and 2011, in Sylvania, Ohio, a suburb northwest of Toledo. His ...

at the start of August.

Course layout

Overall, this was the 10th Open Championship to be held at Royal Troon, but the first for women. Length of course for previous Open Championships: *

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

: , par 71 *

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

: , par 71 *

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

: , par 71 *

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

: , par 72 *

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

: , par 72 *

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

: , par 72 *

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

: , par 72 *

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

: , par 70 *

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

: Open Championships from 1962 through 1989 played the 11th hole as a par-5.

Field

The field is 144 players. Most players earn exemptions based on past performance on the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA Tour, previous major championships, or with a high ranking in the

Women's World Golf Rankings The Women's World Golf Rankings, also known for sponsorship reasons as the Rolex Rankings, were introduced in February 2006. They are sanctioned by 12 women's golf tours and the organisations behind them: Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPG ...

, with the rest of the field normally gaining entry by successfully competing in qualifying tournaments open to any female golfer, professional or amateur, with a low handicap. In 2020 there were no such tournaments due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Qualification criteria for the 2020 Women's British Open were as follows: 1. Winners of the Women's British Open, aged 60 or younger at the scheduled end of the championship, provided they are still active members of a recognised tour. 2. The top 10 finishers and ties from the

2019 Women's British Open The 2019 AIG Women's British Open was played from 1–4 August in England at Woburn Golf Club in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, northwest of London. It was the 43rd Women's British Open, the nineteenthth as a major championship on the LPGA ...

. 3. The top 15 on the final 2019 LET Order of Merit. 4. The top 5 on the 2020 LET Order of Merit not already exempt as of 29 June. 5. The top 30 on the final 2019 LPGA Money List. 6. The top 35 on the 2020 LPGA Prioity List not already exempt under criteria 5. as of 29 June. 7. The top 5 on the 2020 LPGA Money List not already exempt as of 29 June. 8. The top 30 in the

as of 16 March. 9. Winners of the 2019 JLPGA Money List. 10. The top 5 on the final 2019 JLPGA Money List not already exempt. 11. Winners of the 2019 KLPGA Money List. 10. The top 5 on the 2020 KLPGA Money List not already exempt as of 29 June. 12. Winners of any recognised LET or LPGA Tour events in the 2020 calendar year. 13. Winners of the last five editions of the

U.S. Women's Open The U.S. Women's Open is one of 15 national golf championships conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, which includes the Chevron Championship, Women's PGA Championship, ...

14. Winners of the last five editions of the

ANA Inspiration The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Sinc ...

15. Winners of the last five editions of the

Women's PGA Championship The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...

16. Winners of the last five editions of

The Evian Championship The Evian Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as The Amundi Evian Championship, is a women's professional golf tournament in France, played at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains. It was originally held in June, mov ...

17. The leading five (not otherwise exempt) in the 2020

18. The leading three (not otherwise exempt) in the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open 19. The 2020 Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific champion, 2020 Womens Amateur Championship champion, 2019

U.S. Women's Amateur The U.S. Women's Amateur, also known as the United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship, is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf ch ...

champion, 2020

European Ladies Amateur Championship The European Ladies Amateur Championship is an annual amateur golf tournament. It is organized by the European Golf Association and is one of the "elite" tournaments recognized by the World Amateur Golf Ranking The World Amateur Golf Ranking for ...

champion, the 2019 Mark H. McCormack Medal winner, and the highest ranked women in the

World Amateur Golf Ranking The World Amateur Golf Ranking for men was introduced by The R&A, the governing body of the sport of golf outside the United States and Mexico, on 23 January 2007. It is based on the results of over 2,600 amateur tournaments per year (and amateurs ...

from Great Britain and Ireland as of week 25, and provided they are still amateurs at the time of the Championship. 20. Any player who did not compete in the previous year's Women's British Open due to maternity, who subsequently received an extension of membership for the maternity from the player's home tour in the previous year, provided she was otherwise qualified to compete in the previous year's Women's British Open. 21. Remaining places filled by players not already exempt from: :a) the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open ::i) in finishing order for those making the cut, with ties determined by order of Rolex Ranking prior to the start of the tournament, then card playoff. ::ii) in order of Rolex Ranking prior to the start of the tournament for those not making the cut. :b) the Rolex Rankings as of 16 March.

Round summaries

First round

''Thursday, 20 August 2020'' American

Amy Olson Amy Olson née Anderson (born July 10, 1992) is an American former professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour from 2013 to 2023. She turned professional in 2013 after her collegiate career at North Dakota State University where she won an N ...

held a three stroke lead at the end of the first round after recording a 4 under

par Par may refer to: Finance * Par value, stated value or face value in finance and accounting * Par yield or par rate, in finance Games * Par (score), the number of strokes a proficient golfer should require to complete a hole, round or tournament ...

round of 67. In tough scoring conditions due to strong winds, Marina Alex and

were the only other two other players to finish under par. Ten players returned even par rounds to lie a stroke further back, including

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

champion

Catriona Matthew Catriona Isobel Matthew (née Lambert; born 25 August 1969) is a Scottish professional golfer who plays mainly on the US-based LPGA Tour and is also a member of the Ladies European Tour. Amateur career Catriona Lambert was born in Edinburgh, a ...

and two-time LPGA major winner

Anna Nordqvist --> , death_place = , height = , weight = , nationality = , residence = Orlando, Florida, U.S. , spouse = , partner = , children = , college = Arizona State University (2.5 years) , yearpro = ...

Second round

''Friday, 21 August 2020'' Windy conditions continued throughout the second round which made for difficult scoring again.

Daniela Holmqvist Daniela Yvonne Holmqvist (born 3 May 1988) is a Swedish professional golfer. She was in contention at the 2020 Women's British Open, holding the lead as the only player to finish under-par after 36 holes. Personal life Holmqvist was born in Swi ...

took a one stroke lead at the halfway stage following a one under par round of 70; by the end of the day she was the only player in the field under par. In joint second, at even par, were

Austin Ernst Austin Ernst (born January 31, 1992) is an American professional golfer on the LPGA Tour. Amateur career Ernst was born in Greenville, South Carolina. She played two years for the LSU Tigers, where she won three events including the individual ...

and

after rounds of 70 and 72 respectively. The best rounds of the day (69, two under par) came from

Minjee Lee Minjee Lee (born 27 May 1996) is an Australian professional golfer from Perth. She became the number one ranked amateur golfer in February 2014 after winning the Oates Victorian Open, remaining number one until turning professional in Septembe ...

, who climbed into a tie for fourth at one over par, and

Inbee Park Inbee Park (, or ; born 12 July 1988) is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour. She has been the number one ranked player in the Women's World Golf Rankings for four separate runs: April 201 ...

, who finished in a tie for 17th place at four over par. First round leader

was one of many who struggled, returning a ten over par round of 81 to fall back into a tie for 33rd place. The cut came at nine over par. Among those to miss the cut were the defending champion from

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Hinako Shibuno is a Japanese professional golfer who won the 2019 Women's British Open. Early years Shibuno was born in Okayama, Japan on 15 November 1998. Her father was a discus thrower and her mother was a javelin thrower. She is the middle child of the ...

;

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

champion

In-Kyung Kim Kim In-Kyung, also called In-Kyung Kim and I. K. Kim (born 13 June 1988), is a South Korean professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour. Amateur career Kim was a member of the Korean National Team in 2003 and 2004 and won three tou ...

;

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

champion

Stacy Lewis Stacy Lewis (born February 16, 1985) is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She has won two major championships: the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2011 and the Women's British Open in 2013. She was ranked number one in ...

, who had won the Ladies Scottish Open the previous week; and

Rose Ladies Series The Rose Ladies Series is a ladies Professional golf tours, professional golf tour founded in 2020 and organised by Justin Rose and his wife, Kate Rose. The tour was announced following the reintroduction of golf in the United Kingdom after the COV ...

champion

Charley Hull Charley Esmee Hull (born 20 March 1996) is an English professional golfer who has won tournaments on both the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the LPGA Tour. Aged 9, Hull won the Ladies Golf Union Championship, playing against adults. She went o ...

Third round

''Saturday, 22 August 2020''

moved into a three stroke lead at four under par after returning the joint best score of the day, a four under par round of 67. Also with 67 was

Katherine Kirk Katherine Kirk (born 26 February 1982) is a professional golfer from Australia, currently playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the ALPG Tour. She played under her maiden name, Katherine Hull, until her marriage to Tom Kirk on 2 August 2012 a ...

, who climbed into a tie for tenth place, seven strokes behind Popov. Tied for second at one under par were

and Thidapa Suwannapura, both recording two under par rounds of 69 on Saturday. Further back, three players were tied at one over par, and three more at two over par.

, who had held the lead at the halfway stage dropped down the leaderboard into a tie for 21st place after a six over par round of 77.

Final round

''Sunday, 23 August 2020'' After a bogey on the opening hole, overnight leader

bounced back with three birdies in the next five holes to retain the lead going into the final nine holes. Her nearest challenger was Thidapa Suwannapura, who birdied four holes in a row from the fourth to get within one stroke, with

a further two strokes behind. Bogeys by Suwannapura on the 11th and 13th holes extended Popov's lead to three strokes, and when Popov birdied both the 15th and 16th holes she led by four with just two holes to play. Popov bogeyed the last to finish two strokes ahead of Suwannapura and four clear of Lee. 2015 champion

returned the joint lowest round of the day, and the championship, with a five under par round of 66 to climb up to fourth place at one under par. Also with a round of 66 was Ally McDonald, who finished tied for 22nd place at six over par.

Lindsey Weaver Lindsey Kathryn Weaver-Wright (born September 16, 1993) is an American professional golfer and LPGA Tour member. She shot a 59 during the 2012 Ping Junior Interclub match to become the second female golfer in history to do so, first being Annika ...

, who had been in a tie for fourth place after each of the opening three rounds and had chosen to play without a

caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...

as a result of COVID-19 related restrictions, fell away on Sunday with a four over par round of 75 to finish tied for 19th place.

Scorecard

''Final round'' ''Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par'' : Source:

References

External links

*
Coverage on the LPGA Tour siteCoverage on the Ladies European Tour
{{Golf on NBC Women's British Open Golf tournaments in Scotland

British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...