Will The AIG Women's Open Get The Spotlight It Deserves?
As players tee up for the final Major of the year, the AIG Women's Open presents a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge and showcase women's golf
In the past week, the Lionesses have continued their triumphant journey in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, while England’s Vitality Roses created history by securing a spot in the Netball World Cup final. Simultaneously, double-header men’s and women’s matches in The Hundred cricket tournament have been unfolding, so the momentum driving women’s sports in the UK is palpable.
As anticipation builds for the start of the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath Golf Club, a question emerges: Will the tournament gather similar media attention and public recognition as the aforementioned events?
In all probability it should, considering that the final women’s Major of the year is anticipated to be the best one yet.
Notable players teeing up at Walton Heath include World No 1 Nelly Korda, former AIG Women’s Open champion Georgia Hall, defending champion Ashleigh Buhai, young American sensation Rose Zhang, Charley Hull will be hoping to go one better than her runner-up finish at the US Open, and the player of the moment Celine Boutier will be hoping to make it a hat-trick of back-to-back titles.
An inventive festival-style village designed to appeal to the whole family and a live performance on Saturday evening by chart-topping artist Ellie Goulding, with support from Freya Risings, will add to the excitement of four days of exceptional golf.
However, it's widely acknowledged that women's golf has been working to bridge the gap with other women's sports due to several factors. Golf's historical links with exclusivity and elitism, paired with gender disparities of the past, have posed hurdles to accessibility.
Also, sports such as football and tennis benefited from earlier and more consistent investments in media coverage, sponsorships, and infrastructure, which bolstered their growth and appeal, enabling them to attract public attention and cultivate fan bases more effortlessly.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
The crux lies in visibility, and unlike the Women’s World Cup and Netball World Cup, exclusive live viewing of the AIG Women’s Open is limited to Sky Sports.
This naturally denies women’s golf the advantage of terrestrial television exposure, other than a one-hour BBC highlights programme, and this is a key factor in garnering public interest. While there has been a notable increase in women’s golf coverage on TV compared to the past, discovering it still remains somewhat of a quest, particularly for those unfamiliar with the sport.
It's evidently crucial for The R&A to promote women’s golf beyond Sky's broadcast coverage to engage a broader and more diverse audience.
According to female sports fans, they want to see greater visibility of all women’s sports. Research released to mark the launch of a partnership between the Women’s Sport Trust and The R&A ahead of this year’s AIG Women’s Open, found that women’s sports fans in the UK feel underserved by the content available to them despite record-breaking women’s sport TV viewing figures in the first five months of 2023.
Research showed that over two-thirds of committed women’s sports fans (there are currently 6 million committed fans* of at least one women’s sport in the UK) would like to see greater innovation in broadcast coverage, and while they recognise the importance of women’s sport being shown on free to air TV, a large number would like to see a dedicated women’s sports channel and many would be prepared to pay a subscription fee to access this.
Naturally, it's often simpler to rally behind a team, as in football or netball, and subsequently root for individual players within that team, but golf’s distinction lies in its individualistic nature. This does mean that it’s even more important to expose relatable role models across all media platforms to help spark greater interest and involvement in women’s golf.
What sets golf apart is its uniqueness in being an individual sport, and at a tournament such as the AIG Women’s Open, it’s inspiring for anyone to observe up close how the best female players in the world essentially challenge themselves and demonstrate the resilience required to thrive under immense pressure.
The global visibility of women's golf has significantly grown in recent years. While there is progress to be made, the AIG Women’s Open is poised to generate the kind of sporting headlines that have become synonymous with women’s sports, further advancing the game in the right direction.
* Committed women’s sports fans score 5 out of 5 on claimed passion for one or more women’s sports and watch 1 hour or more of live women’s sport content per week.
Alison Root has over 25 years experience working in media and events, predominantly dedicated to golf, in particular the women’s game. Until 2020, for over a decade Alison edited Women & Golf magazine and website, and is now the full-time Women's Editor for Golf Monthly. Alison is a respected and leading voice in the women's game, overseeing content that communicates to active golfers from grassroots through to the professional scene, and developing collaborative relationships to widen Golf Monthly's female audience across all platforms to elevate women's golf to a new level. She is a 16-handicap golfer (should be better) and despite having had the fantastic opportunity to play some of the best golf courses around the world, Kingsbarns in Scotland is her favourite.
-
NCAA Division I College Golf Conferences
NCAA Division I is divided into a number of conferences comprising over 300 universities across the US – here are the details
By Mike Hall Published
-
Zozo Championship Prize Money Payout 2024
Some of the world's best players compete for an eye-catching prize money payout in the limited-field, no-cut event in Japan
By Mike Hall Published
-
7 Reasons Why You Can’t Fake It Till You Make It In Golf
If you're completely new to golf, it's impossible to blag your way around a course. Here's why ...
By Emma Booth Published
-
Cop A Feel! How LIV Golf, The LPGA And Golfing Communities Are Saving Lives
Golf, more than most other sports, has the incredible ability to raise awareness of breast cancer and save lives... here's how
By Katie Dawkins Published
-
I Left So Many Shots Out There, But Then I Tried These 5 Strategy Tips And Have Never Played Better
If you're losing shots due to silly mistakes, consider these strategy tips from single figure golfer Jess Ratcliffe to improve your score
By Jess Ratcliffe Published
-
‘To Assume Makes An Ass Out Of You And Me’… Do Golf Club Pros Deserve Your Loyalty?
PGA Professional Emma Booth shares why the relationship between a golf club pro and members has to be a two-way street
By Emma Booth Published
-
'It’s Important That We Stop Confusing Distance With Ability' - Is This Model The Answer To A Fairer Golf Experience?
Meet the women who are on a mission to bring to life their vision that will create a better golf experience for everyone
By Katie Dawkins Published
-
'Even Though It Is Kind Of Sexualised, I’m Getting A Lot Of People To Come Into The Game' - Golf Influencer Grace Charis Bares All
Did Grace Charis manage to convince our women's editor Alison Root that baring bodies is good for the game?
By Alison Root Published
-
The Best Female Golfers Of All Time
Our list of the greatest female golfers to have graced the fairways
By Michael Weston Published
-
Why Passing A Rules Test Should Be Compulsory For Competition Golf
Carly Cummins believes everyone should pass a basic Rules of Golf test to become eligible to play competition golf. Here’s why…
By Carly Cummins Published