As well as the AIG Women’s Open crowning the champion golfer for 2023, there is also a prize for the low female amateur. The Smyth Salver is an equally coveted trophy in the amateur ranks and the list of former winners is as illustrious as the AIG Women’s Open champions itself, with many going on to become successful professionals in the game. Here are a selection of them.
Lydia Ko – 2012 & 2013
Lydia Ko was just a teenager when she won the Smyth Salver in 2012. Due to her young age (just 15) she remained an amateur for one more year, and shared the title with Georgia Hall in 2013 before turning professional. It turned out to be the right decision and she was able to springboard into the professional game with ease. She made an instant impression on tour with and by the age of 17 the New Zealand professional golfer became the youngest player in history of professional golf (male or female) to reach number one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings. She was 17 years, 9 months and 9 days of age.
Ko has won two Major championships (the Evian Championship in 2015 & the Chevron Championship in 2016) and 26 tour titles made up of 19 LPGA titles, 7 LET titles, 5 ALPG Tour titles and once on the LPGA of Korea Tour, making her one of the most successful female golfers of all time.
Lydia Ko won the Smyth Salver twice
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Michelle Wie – 2006
American Michelle Wie was another child prodigy. At the wee (excuse the pun) age of 10 she became the youngest player in history to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie also became the youngest winner of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the youngest to qualify for an LPGA Tour event. She blew the field away in 2006 to win the Smyth Salver aged 16 with the lowest winning score ever of just 278 and turned professional shortly after. Her Tour debut was followed by a trail of media frenzy, with huge sponsorship deals – everyone wanted a piece of her. She won her first and only major at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. In 2019 Wie married and is now known as Michelle Wie-West.
Melissa Reid – 2007
English golfer Mel Reid from Derby had a stellar amateur career. She won the 2004 and 2006 English Girls’ Championship, the 2006 and 2007 Helen Holm Trophy, the 2007 St Rule Trophy and played on the Great Britain and Ireland team in the 2006 Curtis Cup. In 2007 she became Ladies British Open Amateur Stroke Play champion and it was this title that gave her the spot in the 2007 Women’s British Open…
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