Twelve Prominent Figures and Distinguished Personalities Absent at the AIG Women's Open Tournament
The 2025 AIG Women's Open is set to take place at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, with a host of top-ranked golfers vying for the coveted title. However, several notable names will be missing from the weekend rounds.
Youmin Hwang, who impressed with a T19 finish at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, will not be in the field for the AIG Women's Open despite being in the world's top 50. Alison Lee, who has appeared in the AIG Women's Open for the last five years, will also be absent due to giving birth to her first child. Lexi Thompson, a seven-year Major participant, will miss the AIG Women's Open for the first time, while Anne van Dam, who placed T17 at the 2017 tournament at the Old Course, St Andrews, will not participate this year due to missing out at final qualifying.
Ye Won Lee, who has already racked up nine LPGA of Korea Tour wins, and Ryann O'Toole, who has appeared in the AIG Women's Open 10 times, will also be missing from the tournament. Their absences are primarily due to challenging seasons and low world rankings.
Despite these notable absences, the AIG Women's Open will still feature several high-profile golfers. Defending champion Lydia Ko, World No.1 Nelly Korda, Mao Saigo, Minjee Lee, Maja Stark, and Grace Kim are among the players participating. Lilia Vu, Ashleigh Buhai, and Anna Nordqvist are former AIG Women's Open champions who will be looking to add another major title to their resumes.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff, who finished runner-up in 2017 and has played in the last nine editions of the AIG Women's Open, will not make it 10 appearances in a row after failing to make it through qualifying. On the other hand, Danielle Kang, a USA Solheim Cup star, will miss the AIG Women's Open due to finishing three back of the qualification spots at Final Qualifying. Nicole Broch Estrup, a top 15 LET player, had qualified for the AIG Women's Open but will not be appearing due to giving birth to her son in June.
Interestingly, Ally Ewing, who had top five placements in several major tournaments, retired from the game at the end of 2024. Xiyu Lin, last year's Olympic bronze medallist, will miss her first AIG Women's Open since 2021 due to slipping out of the top 50 in the world rankings.
Emily Pedersen, who has played for Team Europe four times in the Solheim Cup, has five LET titles, and achieved her joint best Major finish at the 2020 event, will not be participating in the AIG Women's Open due to her world ranking being too low.
Lottie Woad is the favorite in the AIG Women's Open betting odds, having won the Irish and Scottish Opens this month.
With several top-ranked golfers participating and some exciting betting odds, the 2025 AIG Women's Open promises to be an exciting event.
Sports enthusiasts looking forward to watching golf at the 2025 AIG Women's Open may be disappointed to learn that Ye Won Lee and Ryann O'Toole, with their impressive records on the LPGA of Korea Tour and AIG Women's Open appearance history, respectively, will not be among the competitors. Their absences are attributed mainly to challenging seasons and lower world rankings.
