Ninety-two players played for just 12 places in the AIG Women's Open Final Qualifying at Crail Golf Society

Twelve players secured their place in the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews through Final Qualifying on Monday.

A field of 92 players competed over 18 holes of the Craighead Links at Crail Golfing Society and it was Weiwei Zhang of China who led the qualifiers after posting a five-under-par 67 that included four birdies and an eagle at the par-5 8th hole.

“I played great today and holed some important putts. It was very windy and so it was hard out there. The pin positions were tough to reach. However, the practice I had helped me and I got to know the course beforehand.

“I’m very excited to be playing at St Andrews as this will be my first major championship and obviously the first time playing in the AIG Women’s Open. I have prepared for this for some time and I can’t wait to play this week.”

The 27-year-old finished one shot ahead of Casandra Alexander, Annabell Fuller, Kristen Gillman and Emma Grechi, who all carded a four-under-par 68 to finish in a tie for second place.

Fuller, who turned professional at the beginning of this year, will be competing in her first AIG Women's Open as a professional:

“I played solid and putted really well, didn’t make any mistakes, only hit one ball into the rough, and was mainly hitting fairways and greens. Rolled some putts in so all good. The last hole is quite tricky and downwind, so if I took two putts then three under was fine, but obviously I gave it a good go and the putt went in for birdie.

“I’m so excited to be playing at St Andrews. I grew up playing ‘wee wonders’ here at the junior golf course so it’s nice to be going back. I played St Rule Trophy years ago but it’s been a while since I last was on the Old Course. It’s great to be back there.”

Two shots further back in a tie for sixth place on two-under-par 70 were Lauren Hartlage, Noora Komulainen, Lee-Anne Pace and Patricia Schmidt.

A sudden death play-off was contested by 12 players to determine the recipients of the remaining three qualifying places.

Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Stephanie Meadow and Ursula Wikstrom prevailed to book their place in the field at the home of golf.

The 2024 AIG Women’s Open takes place at the world-renowned Old Course in St Andrews from 21-25 August with a field of 144 players competing for the coveted title.  

View the full AIG Women's Open Final Qualifying leaderboard here.