2024 Women’s Open TV schedule, channel, live stream, purse, where to watch as event returns to St Andrews

Although professional golf is regularly held at the Old Course at St Andrews, it is rarely the same as a major championship. As we all know, there is a big difference between pro golf and major championship golf, and that will be on display this week at the Women’s Open at St Andrews, which will host the tournament for just the third time.

As the PGA Tour heads to Colorado for the second of three FedEx Cup Playoff events, attention in the golf world will be focused on its origins, the most famous golf course in Scotland and perhaps the entire world: the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Let us take a closer look at this incident.

Women’s Open Event

Dates: 22-25 August
Place: The Old Course – St Andrews, Scotland
But: 72 | Yardage: 6,784
purse: $9.5 million

Women’s Open Field, Hurdles

This is the last women’s major of the year, and the event features a number of big names as well as rising stars. Here’s a look at some of the favourites.

Nelly Korda (11-1): It’s been a strange year for Korda. After winning six of seven events at the start of the year, she has struggled recently, missing the cut in three of her last four starts (excluding the 2024 Paris Olympics), including two major championships. Still, given her talent and her performances, it’s impossible not to put the world No. 1 as a favorite.

Ayaka Furue (12-1): Furu has picked up the job Korda left off, winning her first major, the Evian Championship, and finishing third at the Scottish Open. She has finished in the top 10 six times in her last eight starts.

Jin Young Ko (20-1): Ko has finished in the top 10 at majors 11 times, including two top three finishes at this event, but hasn’t won one since 2019.

Lilia Wu (22-1): Wu is the defending champion of the event, having won the title a year ago at Walton Heath. In her last seven appearances, she has finished top two at the major three times.

Lauren Coughlin (22-1): Coughlin might be the best player in the world right now. She has won two of her last three events – including last week’s Scottish Open – and finished in the top nine in all four of those events. This has also been her best major year; she has finished in the top five in two of the four majors she has played.

Athaya Thitikul (22-1)

Lydia Ko (30-1): Ko has been on a roll since winning gold in Paris, but has struggled in majors recently. She hasn’t won since 2016 and hasn’t been ranked in the top 10 since 2022.

Rose Zhang (30-1)

Lexi Thompson (70-1): Thompson plans to retire at the end of this year, so this will be her last Women’s Open. Of her 11 starts at this tournament, she has finished in the top 10 only once.

History of the Women’s Open

Amazingly there have only been two Women’s Open championships on the Old Course.

In 2007, Lorena Ochoa defeated Maria Hjorth and Ji Young Lee by four shots. It was her first major championship, and she would go on to win her second consecutive (and only other) major the following year at the first major of the season, the Chevron Championship (formerly the Kraft Nabisco Championship).

Then in 2013, the last time the event was played at St Andrews, Lewis beat Na Yeon Choi and Hee Young Park by two points with a wonderful birdie on the Road Hole.

2024 Women’s Open Course

There are a couple of interesting stories involving the Old Course this week. The first is one that Geoff Shackleford went into a little more detail about in his recent newsletter: “We can see the Old’s strategy shining through because of its design’s proportionate distance setting.”

The Old Course was not designed to withstand the onslaught of modern technology that the men have used (Gordon Sargent was running the greens on the par 4s in the Walker Cup a year ago). Perhaps this week it will get a chance to star once again on the women’s side. Hopefully, anyway.

The other story is simply links golf. We see very little of it, and this is a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse of the sport at its most interesting and played at the best level.

“It definitely feels different,” said Wu, who won a year ago. “We’re at St. Andrews, which is a place where everybody wants to play. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. There’s a bit of pressure, but I think I know it’s going to be a battle for everybody, not just me. So I’m going to try my hardest, do my best here.”

Also, the weather looks interesting. Thursday’s forecast calls for temperatures around 60 degrees, rain and wind speeds between 10-40 mph. A reasonable open.

2024 Women’s Open golf schedule, TV coverage

Round 3 – Saturday

Round 3 begins: at 2 o’clock

Initial TV coverage: 7 AM-12 PM ET on USA Network, Fubo (try free)
Live TV coverage: 12pm-2am on NBC, Fubo (try it free)

Round 4 – Sunday

Fourth round begins: at 2 o’clock

Initial TV coverage: 7 AM-12 PM ET on USA Network, Fubo (try free)
Live TV coverage: 12pm-2am on NBC, Fubo (try it free)