9 Big Names Missing From The 2023 AIG Women's Open

There are plenty of big names teeing it up at Walton Heath looking to win the 2023 AIG Women's Open, but there are also some golfing stars who are missing out this year.

Defending champion Ashleigh Buhai will return looking to retain her crown, along with other recent winners Anna Nordqvist, Hinako Shibuno and Georgia Hall and all of the world's top 10.

Which big names won't be there, though?

Inbee Park

One huge name missing from the field is LPGA Tour Hall of Famer Inbee Park, with the seven-time Major champion giving birth to her first child in April.

The 2015 Women's Open champion, who has 21 tournament wins on the LPGA Tour, last played in the 2022 AIG Women's Open at Muirfield, where she finished T22, but will miss this year's event as she focuses on her baby daughter. 

Amy Olson

American Amy Olson teed it up in the US Women's Open while seven months pregnant, but will not push it to even further extremes so will miss Walton Heath as she closes in her due date.

Olson said she was determined to "waddle down the fairways" of Pebble Beach and did just that - unsurprisingly missing the cut but still getting through 36 holes on the iconic links before putting her clubs away until after her baby is born.

Jessica Korda

Jessica Korda remains "out indefinitely" due to the back injury that forced her out of action back in May.

The six-time LPGA winner was fifth in the AIG Women's Open in 2014 but will miss the chance to try and go even better at Walton Heath with a return date still unknown.

Michelle Wie West

Michelle Wie West has not played in the AIG Women's Open for five years and she'll apparently now never return after retiring following the US Women's Open at Pebble Beach, where she was seemingly very happy to put her clubs away, for a while at least.

The 2014 US Open winner had finishes of T3 in the tournament in both 2005 and 2017, but was never quite able to get over the line for a second career Major win.

Anne van Dam

Five-time LET winner Anne van Dam went through Final Qualifying in an effort to reach the AIG Women's Open, but she fell a shot shy of reaching a playoff and four off Chloe Williams at the top of the leaderboard as 12 others earned their places via that route. 

The Dutch player's best finish in the AIG Women's Open was a tie for 39th seven years ago. She'll need to wait another year, at least, before attempting to better that performance.

Bronte Law

Law will be disappointed to miss out on a Major in her homeland, although she has endured a difficult season, with two T43s her best finishes so far. 

Law's best performance in the tournament came so far in 2012 with a tie for 33rd, but it's barely over a year since her best finish in a Major, a T6 in the 2022 US Women's Open. 

That suggests she still has plenty to offer in the showpiece events, and she'll be hoping that 2024 brings a return of her best form. 

Sung Hyun Park

Sung Hyun Park is a two-time Major winner. However, the most recent of those, the Women's PGA Championship, came some time ago, in 2018. 

While the South Korean finished eighth in the 2018 AIG Women's Open, that is as good as it has got for some time for the 29-year-old, who is currently ranked 239th. 

As a result, there's no place for Park in this year's AIG Women's Open - the only Major she will miss this year.

Min Ji Park

Min Ji Park is a regular on the KLPGA Tour, where she has enjoyed huge success, including two wins among five top 10 finishes in 2023. 

She has also played in two Majors this year, the US Women's Open at Pebble Beach, where she finished T13, and the Amundi Evian Championship, where she finished T20. 

Park won't be appearing at Walton Heath though, and, at World No.27, that makes her the highest-ranked player to miss out as a maiden AIG Women's Open appearance eludes her. 

Sophia Popov

German Sophia Popov hadn’t had any great success in Majors before the 2020 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon, where she was a surprise winner by two shots over Thai Thidapa Suwannapura.

She was back for the 2021 and 2022 tournaments but missed the cut in each. Following last year's event at Muirfield, she only played two more times before picking up a shoulder injury in September that sidelined her for the rest of the year.

Off the course, 2023 has been a memorable year for the 30-year-old, who gave birth to her daughter in June. For that reason, though, she won’t be appearing in the 2023 tournament.