Hinako Shibuno enjoyed a fairytale start at the AIG Women’s British Open, shooting a 65 at historic Muirfield.
Hinako Shibuno, a player known as the Smiling Cinderella, enjoyed a fairytale start at the 2022 AIG Women’s British Open. The Japanese superstar birdied the first three holes en route to a 6-under 65 at historic Muirfield, where the best female professionals are competing for the first time.
Shibuno told media after the round that her goal for the week was to be friends with the wind. The 2019 Women’s Open champion won her major at Woburn, a parkland course in England, in her first time competing outside of her native Japan. The next year Shibuno got her first taste of Scottish links golf in back-to-back weeks.
“Two years ago, when we were playing at the Royal Troon,” she said, “the wind completely overtook my shots. I wasn’t thinking about how to use this to my advantage. However, this tournament I could adapt my style to the elements. I imagined my swing, if the wind was coming from the right, I could play by feel how far from the pin I needed to aim for.”
Shibuno, 23, holds a one-shot lead over American Jessica Korda, who has borrowed clothes all week thanks to lost luggage. Korda, one of the best players on tour without a major title, finished a career-best runner-up to Jennifer Kupcho earlier this year at the Chevron Championship.
Even Shibuno said she was slightly “frightened” by how well she played in the opening round, give her recent form. She has three missed cuts and a withdrawal in her last four starts on the LPGA. Shibuno credited Thursday’s fine performance to her caddie, who suggested a slight adjustment in her balance on the greens.
Catriona Matthew, Louise Duncan and Sophia Schubert interact on the 18th green following their round during Day One of the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield on August 04, 2022 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Louise Duncan, the 22-year-old Scot who finished 10th last year at Carnoustie and made her professional debut last week at the Trust Golf Scottish Open, carded a 67 to share third with Mexico’s Gaby Lopez.
“Sounds weird but I breathed quite well today,” said Duncan, who has learned new techniques from her caddie and coach Dean Robertson, a former DP World Tour winner.
“Just try to keep it relaxed. I get a bit uptight. Because I want to hold it so badly.”
Duncan teed off in the first group with fellow Scot Catriona Matthew, who hit the historic first tee shot at 6:30 a.m.
Muirfield has played hosted to 16 men’s British Opens, and a young Matthew picked up trash and worked as a walking scorer at several of the championships near her North Berwick home growing up.
Unfortunately, double-bogeys on Nos. 1 and 10 kept the local legend from getting in the mix after an opening 76.
“It was out there I think for the taking this morning,” said Matthew. “Even though it was wet for our first few, the wind is certainly less than it’s been the last two days.”
The top three players in the world were grouped together and had mixed results: Jin Young Ko (76), Minjee Lee (68) and Nelly Korda (70).
Canada’s Brooke Henderson, winner of the recent Amundi Evian Championship, bogeyed the last hole to shoot 70. Earlier in the week she called Muirfield her favorite links course yet.
“I was so soaked after my warmup,” said Henderson, “but was really happy when the sun came out and definitely made a difference in the temperature, too. Very windy and the scores are showing that it’s tough.”
It was just three years ago that Muirfield invited its first female members in the club’s 275-year history.
Whoever wins the 2022 AIG Women’s British Open will forever hold a special place in women’s golf history.
Three years ago, Muirfield, host of 16 men’s British Opens, invited its first female members in the The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers’ 275-year history.
Muirfield was actually removed from the R&A’s rota of British Open host venues after a 2016 membership vote failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to change the rule to admit women.
The membership voted again in 2017 and pushed it through. Needless to say, the final major of 2022 carries great significance.
The first four LPGA major winners this season were Jennifer Kupcho, Chevron Championship; Minjee Lee, U.S. Women’s Open; In Gee Chun, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship; and Brooke Henderson, Amundi Evian Championship.
Take a look at some photos from the start of an historic week:
Lost luggage continues to be a problem for players across the pond.
Jessica Korda has given up on seeing her suitcase this week in Scotland. On Monday, she wore Megan Khang’s pants (the significantly shorter Khang rolls up her pants, Korda said.) On Tuesday, she wore her sister Nelly’s pants. On Wednesday, she borrowed Alison Lee’s.
“If anyone knows anyone at the Zurich airport that would like to put my suitcase on the one flight a day that they have coming into Edinburgh,” said Korda, “I’d deeply appreciate it.”
A six-time winner on the LPGA, Korda opened the AIG Women’s British Open with a 5-under 66 at iconic Muirfield that included a 20-foot eagle putt on the 17th. She wore FootJoy pants on a rainy, windy and sunny Thursday morning after receiving an emergency shipment before the first round.
Korda has an AirTag on her bag so she knows where it sits, but she can’t get her hands on it, a common refrain for many travelers to the U.K. and Europe this summer. Given the chilly temps in Scotland, Korda has especially missed her accessories.
“Wearing a Muirfield hat right now,” she said. “I have some great partners and it’s just tough, when you play well and you’re obviously in the hunt, and you can’t kind of wear that. A lot of my warm stuff. My hand warmers … my hands get really cold, so I wear gloves all the time. That, and I’ve got a lot of heat patches for my lower back and my vitamins, don’t have that.”
Jessica Korda plays their third shot on the second hole during Day One of the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield on August 4, 2022, in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Korda posted her best finish of the year in a major last spring with a runner-up showing to Jennifer Kupcho at the Chevron Championship. She has one top-10 finish at the AIG, a tie for fifth, back in 2014. The 29-year-old American trails 2019 AIG winner Hinako Shibuno by one shot.
“It’s really fun,” said Korda of playing Muirfield for the first time. “Really stressful. Definitely would like to not have to put a score together, but it’s fun to be able to hit different shots.
“I’m aiming so far left or so far right of like my actual finishing line, which is not something I do obviously on a weekly basis, so there’s a lot of trust in my golf game. Almost like being willing to fail on every single shot, it’s pretty tough, but fun to be able to see the ball do things that you normally don’t see it do.”
Korda’s younger sister, Nelly, teed off in the afternoon.
Who’s going to capture the final women’s major of the year?
Whoever wins this week’s AIG Women’s British Open will forever hold a special place in women’s golf history. Three years ago, Muirfield, host of 16 men’s British Opens, invited its first female members in the club’s 275-year history.
The club was actually removed from the R&A’s rota of British Open host venues after a 2016 membership vote failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to change the rule to admit women.
The membership voted again in 2017 and pushed it through. Needless to say, the final major of 2022 carries great significance.
Jennifer Kupcho, winner of the first female event ever hosted at Augusta National, won the final Chevron Championship at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course to kick off major season. Minjee Lee’s dominant performance at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles followed.
Then, In Gee Chun nabbed her third different major at the KPMG Women’s PGA, and two weeks ago, the Amundi Evian saw Brooke Henderson snap a six-year drought between her first and second major titles.
Here’s a look at 10 players to keep an eye on at Muirfield:
This history this week at Muirfield won’t be limited to the course.
This history this week at Muirfield won’t be limited to the course. The R&A and AIG have announced an increase to the purse at the AIG Women’s British Open by 26 percent, to a new championship record $7.3 million. The first woman to win a professional title at historic Muirfield will receive $1,095,000.
The player who finishes second will earn $720,028.
The total purse for this event has increased 125 percent since AIG came on board as title sponsor.
“We are proud to be the title sponsor of the AIG Women’s Open and to serve as allies to women in golf, business and the communities where we live and work,” said Peter Zaffino, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of AIG.
“Thanks to our great partnership with The R&A, we continue to make progress on pay equity while raising the profile of women’s golf and showcasing the tremendous talent of the elite women athletes competing in this iconic championship.”
Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, reiterated that the progress in prize funds needs to be commercially sustainable.
“We are delighted that many of our Open patrons now also support the AIG Women’s Open,” said Slumbers, “but we need to unlock new supporters to make sure women’s golf is financially viable.
“This week is the show piece of the R&A’s commitment to women’s golf, but it goes much further than just this one week. It’s woven into all we do. We need to increase the number of women and girls, not only playing golf, but we also need to create opportunities for women in leadership.”
During his time with the press on Wednesday, Slumbers was asked to reflect on the progress that has been made since 2016, when the membership at Muirfield failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to change the rule to admit women.
The club was actually removed from the R&A’s rotation of British Open host venues after that vote. The membership voted again in 2017 and pushed it through.
“I think 2016, it was an important time for this sport and for the R&A,” said Slumbers. “I had only been in the organization a few months. We had been working very hard on a strategy for the R&A that had inclusivity very much as a part of it. We were in the beginning stages of merging with the Ladies Golf Union, and frankly, that merger transformed the R&A into where we are today.
“I think that when you think back over that six-year period since then, women’s golf has really exploded, and it’s got a long way to go yet. But I do think that that time will be viewed as pivotal in that change.”
Earlier this year, the best female golfers in the world played for a record $10 million purse at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, where the top two finishers earned seven-figure checks. The KPMG Women’s PGA increased its purse to $9 million this year.
AIG Women’s Open purse on the rise:
2022 – $7.3 million
2021 – $5.8 million
2020 – $4.5 million
2019 – $4.5 million (beginning of The R&A and AIG partnership)
Catriona Matthew has a monumental tee shot to hit Thursday.
Catriona Matthew will hit the first tee shot at the 2022 AIG Women’s British Open at Muirfield at 6:30 a.m. local time Thursday. The historic moment fully belongs to Matthew, who grew up on the Wee Course at nearby North Berwick Golf Club, where she still lives with her husband and their two girls, Katie and Sophie.
Matthew understands better than most what it means for the best women in the world to finally compete at Muirfield, site of 16 men’s British Opens. She volunteered at several of those championships growing up, picking up trash the first time.
“I think probably one of the first times I remember I was a litter picker for one of The Opens here,” she said, “and then I was actually a scorer a couple of times.”
Matthew, of course, grew up to win the 2009 Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, 11 weeks after giving birth to her second daughter. Her most recent claim to fame: Becoming the first captain to lead Europe to back-to-back Solheim Cup victories.
She’s a legend in East Lothian, with North Berwick recently reopening a clubhouse lounge in her name.
“For me personally, obviously living along the road and growing up along road,” she said, “I never would have imagined them ever playing a major so close to home.”
Matthew, 52, is a four-time winner on the LPGA but hasn’t played a full schedule on that tour in several years. While she joked about the challenge of getting her kids up early enough to make it to the first tee on Thursday, the meaning of the moment will be front and center for the woman many call “super mum.”
A general view of the 18th hole at The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers Muirfield the venue for the 2013 Open Championship on August 30, in Gullane, Lothian, Scotland. (Photo by David Cannon/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
It was only three years ago that the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers invited its first female members in 275 years. Matthew said she has couple of female friends who are members.
The club was actually removed from the R&A’s rota of British Open host venues after a 2016 membership vote failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to change the rule to admit women.
They voted again in 2017 and pushed it through.
This year’s AIG champion will join a list of 16 men who have won an Open at Muirfield, including the likes of Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.
“I think you just have to look forward rather than look backward,” said Matthew.
“Golf, starting in Scotland, we had a lot more traditions perhaps; that we’re just gradually moving with the times.”
Team Europe captain Catriona Matthew is hoisted onto her players shoulders to celebrate her teams win during the final day singles matches of the Solheim Cup at Gleneagles on September 15, 2019 in Auchterarder, Scotland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
As for the golf, Matthew said stronger winds than are forecasted would play to her advantage. Players will need to take advantage of scoring on the front nine, she said, and then hang on coming in. The par 3s, she noted, are particularly tough with no bail-out areas.
“It’s very fair, actually,” she said. “It’s not one of these ones where if you hit a shot down the middle of the fairway, you’re still watching it thinking, ‘Oh, is it going to kick into a bunker.’
“I think here, if you hit a good shot you’re going to stay on the fairway and you’re going to stay on the green. I think in that respect, it’s probably quite fair.”
“I just love the way it feels and the way it looks.”
Brooke Henderson won her second major title, and first in six years, two weeks ago at the Amundi Evian Championship, and then promptly pulled out of the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open to recharge.
She took the unplanned off-week to tour a couple of castles in Scotland and practice at Carnoustie, site of last year’s AIG Women’s British Open.
This year’s British Open will be contested at iconic Muirfield for the first time. Muirfield has hosted 16 men’s British Opens, dating to 1892. It was only three years ago that the club invited its first female members in 275 years. This year’s champion will join a list of 16 men who have won an Open at Muirfield, including the likes of Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.
Henderson, the winningest Canadian golfer of all-time – male or female – played nine holes at Muirfield on Sunday night and 18 on Monday and said it might be her favorite links course yet.
“I just love the way it feels and the way it looks,” said Henderson. “I mentioned some of the spectacular views of the water, which is really cool. You can see it from a lot of different holes, actually, which is pretty neat.”
Brooke M. Henderson of Canada lift the trophy after winning the The Amundi Evian Championship during day four of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 24, 2022 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
With no top-10 finishes to her credit yet at the British, Henderson isn’t as high on the list of favorites as one might think, despite her recent triumph. She’ll rely heavily on older sister Brittany, who has more of an analytical mind, to help her manage her way around a course originally designed by Old Tom Morris.
“I’m very much just a feel player,” said Henderson, “so coming in, I like to see the golf course and kind of feel my way around. I feel like we make a really good team that way. The two methods kind of fit really well together.”
“I’ve had a lot of special memories playing the British Open over the years starting in 2007.”
At the end of a 10-week stretch on the road last summer, Anna Nordqvist met Max, the family’s new English Cream Retriever. Fluffy Max got to drink out of the shiny hardware mom brought home from the AIG Women’s British Open at Carnoustie, her third major title.
This week, Nordqvist returned the trophy, which she jokingly called Max’s “water bowl,” on Instagram, at historic Muirfield, where the women will compete for a major title for the first time. There have been 16 British Opens staged at Muirfield, dating back to 1892.
“I’ve been looking forward to this week for a long time,” said Nordqvist. “It’s one of my favorite weeks out of the year. I’ve had a lot of special memories playing the British Open over the years starting in 2007 when I qualified, Monday-qualified as an amateur into St. Andrews.”
This was the championship the Swede grew up wanting most, and after marrying Kevin McAlpine, a Scot from Dundee, winning at nearby Carnoustie made it all the more special. Nordqvist says she’s still pinching herself that her biggest childhood dream came true.
Soon after this year’s British, Nordqvist will have a long-awaited wedding celebration that was postponed for two years due to COVID-19.
Nordqvist, 35, recently returned to Carnoustie to tee it up and played 15 holes.
“It was a two-ball wait on 16,” she said, “and it was already 9:30 at night and we kind of gave up.”
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Nordqvist is one of only two players who have won the British Girls’ (2005), British Amateur (2008) and British Open (2021), joining England’s Georgia Hall. Her Amateur victory came at nearby North Berwick, and earlier this week, she was reunited with all three trophies. Both Hall and Nordqvist also earned low-amateur honors at the Open.
A nine-time winner on the LPGA, Nordqvist has won three different majors dating back to her breakthrough title at the 2009 KPMG Women’s PGA as a rookie. She has four top-10 finishes at the British, including last year’s victory.
Last month, Nordqvist won the Big Green Egg Open on the Ladies European Tour.
“I don’t feel like I have any pressure on me this week,” she said. “I’m not trying to prove anything. I’m just trying to enjoy myself.”
Also among the favorites this week is Australia’s Minjee Lee, who hasn’t finished outside the top 11 in her last four appearances at the British Open. She said she loves links-style golf, particularly having grown up in windy Perth.
Earlier this year, Lee won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles for her second title in four major starts. She tied for second at the Women’s PGA and took a share of 43rd at the Evian.
“I just really love like the hard conditions that we get and just how much creativity we have to sort of think about around these types of courses,” said Lee. “It could be really cool, and it would be a great honor to be able to win the British.”
Top American Nelly Korda, who was distracted early on in her Tuesday news conference by an unwelcome spider, said she also appreciates the creativity links golf demands. She felt the par 3s at Muirfield seemed particularly tough.
“I think the greens are a bit more undulated for British-style golf courses I’ve played,” said Korda. “If it gets windy, the greens are going to be really tricky. The par 3s are long. There’s definitely a lot of fall-offs on the front of the greens.
“Overall, I think the entire golf course, you have to strike it well. The fairways are not really too wide, either. Sometimes you just have to be aggressive and just take the shot in the fescue to be closer to the green. But yeah, I think the golf course is going to be a great test depending on the weather, too.”
“Now I’m just fingers crossed hoping I won’t have to do the British Monday,” said Schubert.
Sophia Schubert wrapped up the week of her life by taking a dip in Lake Geneva with her caddie followed by a celebration meal of pizza.
Schubert didn’t win the Amundi Evian Championship, coming up one shot short of Brooke Henderson. But it was still a life-changing week for the former U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, who gained scores of fans and vaulted 253 spots in the Rolex Rankings to No. 53. Her second-place check of $586,262 dwarfed her year-to-date earnings of $82,796.
“It’s just like this big weight has been lifted off of me,” Schubert told Golfweek on Monday afternoon, “and I could just play free.”
Schubert’s phone blew up Sunday night with congratulatory texts and “see you at the Scottish” notes from fellow players. Only Schubert didn’t get into this week’s Trust Scottish Open field. She’s not yet in the AIG Women’s British Open at Muirfield the next week either.
Instead, Schubert flew back the U.S. to do a sponsor outing at the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage event. She then plans to fly back to Scotland to compete in the Monday qualifier at North Berwick, where a minimum of three spots will be available for the final major of the year.
Schubert said AIG organizers told her agent that there might be a spot available. She hoped to find out by end of day Monday.
“Now I’m just fingers crossed hoping I won’t have to do the British Monday,” said Schubert, who has yet to play in a Women’s British. Last week’s Evian was her second major as a professional.
The two holding spots for top-10 finishes are for one Standard Eligibility Tournament into the next Standard Eligibility Tournament. Because the Evian is a major and not standard, Schubert’s second-place showing does not get her into anything except for Evian in 2023.
And because the Scottish Open is co-sanctioned with the LET, it’s not considered a Standard event. The top 65 players on the CME points list as of July 13 qualified. Schubert jumped up to No. 38 on the list after the Evian, but it was past the deadline.
Schubert’s rise up the CME points list should, however, get her into limited-field events in the fall as well as the CME Group Tour Championship.
Henderson was set to make her debut in the Scottish Open but has since withdrawn. No reason was given.
Get to know more about the three-time major champion and her unique new gear.
Both personally and professionally, 2021 has been a fantastic year for nine-time LPGA winner Anna Nordqvist.
The 34-year-old native of Eskilstuna, Sweden, got married to caddie Kevin McAlpine, won the AIG Women’s British Open for her first major in four years and then was a member of the winning European Solheim Cup team, where she compiled a 2-1-1 record and was the first player out in Sunday singles against Team USA’s Lexi Thompson. Now a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, Nordqvist recently talked with Golfweek about her major win at Carnoustie in August and how she teamed up with a new putter and accessories company, Swag.
David Dusek: So, 2021 has been quite a year for you. It’s pretty much all come together. Was more aquavit consumed during your wedding or after winning the Solheim Cup? Anna Nordqvist: Uhm, well, I’m actually not a big drinker, so I must say it was probably more champagne in the trophy. And I don’t actually like champagne, so it was consumed mostly by my team.
DD: Have you learned how much champagne can be held in the trophy? AN: No, I should probably ask my caddie. I think it’s quite a bit, so I’m gonna have to ask the boys to see how much it actually fills up.
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DD: Congratulations on winning your third major. I would imagine it was a pretty special thing. Carnoustie has seen its share of carnage on the men’s side. Over 15 minutes playing the final hole, it had to be one of the biggest swings of emotions you’ve probably ever had as an athlete. Outwardly you stayed calm, but inwardly you must have been going nuts. AN: Yeah, I mean, I’ve been pro for I don’t know how many years now and I live for the moments of pressure. I love coming down the stretch and even having a chance. I play better knowing that I have a chance than when I’m totally out of it and battling for 65th place.
Carnoustie is such a hard golf course and on the last four holes, you can’t really lose focus. Those holes, as we all know, will just eat you straight up. After hitting my lag putt on 18, and knowing I had like a 1-inch putt for the win, that’s when I finally kind of got a little bit over my emotions, but you’re so focused on what you’re doing. You’re staying in the moment.
Anna Nordqvist of Sweden poses with the trophy after winning the 2021 AIG Women’s British Open at Carnoustie. Photo by Ian Rutherford/PA Wire
DD: Every player wants to win a major championship, but winners at certain venues get a little nod. Almost like a bonus point for winning a U.S. Open at someplace like Pebble Beach, Oakmont or Winged Foot. I asked Paula Creamer about this a while ago because she won at Oakmont and she kind of acknowledged it. Carnoustie is known as being one of the hardest of the British Open venues. Do you sense your peers give you a little bit of a bonus because you won at Carnoustie? AN: Yeah, I think I’ve learned over the years to not really listen too much to what everyone else thinks of me and thinks of my accomplishments and thinks of my game up. I appreciate all the support that I get, but for me personally, that’s all I could have asked for.
If I had to pick between St. Andrews and Carnoustie, I will play Carnoustie every day because I think Carnoustie is such a tougher golf course. And for me, it couldn’t have happened at any better place. So that is something I’m going to be extremely proud of for the rest of my life—knowing that I won the British Open at Carnoustie. If my peers think it’s better that I won there than any other … I’ve just learned that I can’t live my life depending on what everyone else thinks of me and my comments and stuff like that. But for me personally, there’s no golf tournament at a better venue that I could win, and that is something I’ll be forever proud of.
DD: On the equipment side, you play a Swag putter. It’s a relatively small and new brand. It started in 2017. How did you come to learn about the brand? AN: So, I met the owner, Nick Venson, and the tour rep out here in Arizona. He had a few putters around. Over the years, I’ve putted with a lot of different brands. I used to switch every two or three months because I never really liked the feel of a putter. So, when I came out, he had a few putters laying around that I like, kind of the normal like Anser style.
DD A heel-toe weighted blade? AN: Yeah, Swag calls it the Handsome Too, the model that I’m using. I got into a few mallets over the years, but I always tend to come back and I’ve seen seemed to have won the most victories with that style (heel-toe weighted blade). I used to always kind of change every two or three months and it used to drive my old caddies crazy. They were like, “Why are you changing putters again,” but it used to always come down to me not liking the feel or the way it comes off. I’m very much a feel player and I like to feel the ball come off the face. A lot of them, I refer to as it’s almost being like a marshmallow-like, it comes off so soft with all these inserts that companies have started to add over the years. Or it just comes out too firm or you can’t feel the ball. It’s like a delayed hit.
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So, I think when I when I asked (Nick) if I could try a putter, I think it was 34 inches and I’m at the 36 now. So, it was more just getting a feel for it. It was almost like love at first sight because I could finally feel the ball come off the putter. I mean, Nick has so much experience. He used to work for Scotty Cameron, used to work for Bettinardi, so he knows what he’s doing.
What’s cool about Swag is they can basically build you anything you want. Any style, any color, any shaft. So they ended up making me a black one, so that’s what I have in my putter now. So then they made me (another) black one in January and I put it in play at the Australian Open and I think I had my first top 10 in a long time, at the beginning of last year. (Since then) I have not changed putters. We have messed around a little bit with the lofts and lies, but I have not changed putter since 2019. That’s huge for me because that’s over a year and a half.
Obviously now, being on board with the team, it’s been such an amazing opportunity for me, but I don’t know if you’ve seen my golf bags this year….
DD: Oh, you can’t miss them. AN: It was actually good! I played in a charity event yesterday, and you know how they take your bag at backdrop and yours goes among the 50 bags. So, I was just sneaking out and like, “OK, there’s my bag.” I could see it.
Anna Nordqvist’s neon-yellow Swag golf bag at the 2021 Women’s British Open. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
DD: That the putter headcover that you’ve you’ve got that that Queen had covered did they. Did you request that or did they bring that to you? AN: So, they actually made it for me as a surprise. Swag does all these custom headcovers, like shoe drops, very once in a while and these headcovers sell out in minutes, sometimes seconds. So, after my win at the British, they literally, I think the Monday, showed me a picture of his head cover they were making. They call it a Swedish Queen and if you look closely at it actually has my trophy in it.
