Australian Women’s Open Preview & Media Schedule

By Elizabeth Bethel | Feb 18, 2015

With less than 24 hours remaining before Hall of Famer Karrie Webb defends her ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open title in 72 holes of stroke play at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, speculation about the outcome of an anticipated epic battle between Webb and the young Lydia Ko is reaching a fevered peak.

It’d really be a feather in my cap. I’ve won at a lot of great golf courses and to add Royal Melbourne to that list would be an honor and really special . . . – Karrie Webb

Will Karrie Webb, who’s won the Open five times but never on the legendary Royal Melbourne track – ranked the 9th greatest golf course in the world by

— prevail, or will Lydia Ko, the youngest golfer to ever achieve the world’s top ranking, outplay the determined veteran champion and take possession of the

Patricia Bridges Bowl

?

To be sure, Ko’s coming in strong, arriving in Australia on the heels of back-to-back top-10 finishes to open the season. She opened her season by finishing in a tie for second at the Coates Golf Championship to open the season after letting a win slip through her grasp down the stretch, and followed that with a T7th finish at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. But we expect those kinds of finishes from the world’s top-ranked golfer.

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4 Teen Challengers

There’s no question that Lydia Ko has earned her spot at the top of the rankings, and that her rise through the rankings has been nothing less than meteoric. Six times a player under the age of 18 has won an LPGA Tour event in history. Ko is responsible for five of those. Forty-three times Lydia Ko has entered an LPGA Tour event without missing a cut – the longest active streak on Tour.

Lydia Ko.

But is Lydia Ko invincible? Certainly not. Her costly 17th hole stumble during the final round at the Coates revealed a weak side But there’s no doubt that Lydia Ko has her eye on the top of the board going into the Australian Open. Last year she finished two shots back of Webb in a tie for third after a disappointing 1-over-par 73 in the final round.

. . . it definitely makes you feel old when your rookie year was before they were born. – Karrie Webb

Karrie Webb will be facing a quartet of teenager challengers this week. In addition to Lydia Ko, two of Webb’s proteges,

Minjee Lee

and

Su Oh

, are also in the Australian Open field and they’re both strong young golfers who will be playing on home ground. They’ve been trained and nurtured by Webb and as a result they also know both the strengths and weaknesses in Webb’s game. I look for both of them to play near the top of the board this week.

And the 4th teen, Charley Hull, the LPGA rookie who’s not a rookie at all, is on the hunt for a win. Hull was playing some serious golf last week at the Ladies Masters, which Su Oh won. Ko and Webb will both need to watch out for Charley Hull.

Wildcards

With neither Inbee Park nor Stacy Lewis in the field, the Australian Open will take on a slightly different flavor. I’m keeping my eye on the young LET player, Holly Clyburn, who played a strong game last week, and on the LPGA rookie Kelly Shon, who’s has a strong start to her season. Shanshan Feng, who’s making her 2015 season debut at the Open, can be depended on to deliver a strong performance and challenge the top of the board.

But when the last putt has dropped, I’m looking for this to be Karrie Webb’s tournament. Webb wants to lead the Australian team to the Rio Olympics. That’s a strong incentive for her to deliver the goods this week at the Royal Melbourne.

Media Coverage

Golf Channel will provide television coverage of all 4 rounds of the Australian Women’s Open. For US viewers, that’s going to involve either some sleep adjustment or setting the record button. Rounds will be broadcast Wednesday, February 18 – Saturday February 21, beginning at 11pm, ET. Check your local listings.

ProGolfNow will also provide ongoing commentary and coverage of the Open, and live streaming through the Ladies European Tour YouTube web site may be available in some areas.

Next: Karrie Webb Defends Women's Australian Open Title