Karrie Webb among seven Aussies at St Andrews for the women’s British Open

More than two decades after she won her last British Open, an Aussie icon is back in the field at St Andrews this week for one major reason.

Karrie Webb is teeing it up in the British Open this week. AAP Image/David Mariuz)

Australian legend Karrie Webb couldn’t miss out on her “last opportunity to compete at St Andrews” and will tee it up in the final major of the year knowing her legacy is strong in the crack field of young Aussies now among the leading chances to win the Women’s British Open this week.

World No.5 Hannah Green and her Olympic teammate Minjee Lee, both major champions themselves, have long hailed the influence of Webb, the Olympic golf team captain who has won more majors than any other Australian, as a mentor to the current generation of stars on the world circuit.

There are six Australians, all aged under 30, and all with professional wins, in the field with Webb, vying for their share of the massive $13m prize pool as well as their chance to join a star-studded list of Aussies, women and men, to claim the British Open.

Karrie Webb with Aussie Olympians Jason Day and Min Woo Lee, and their caddies, in Paris. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Webb, now 49 and only a sporadic player on tour, won the event twice in 1995 and 1997 before it was elevated to major status and then again in 2001 when it was officially a major, one of her seven official major championship victories.

With the event back at St Andrews, Webb said that while another victory may be a stretch, she couldn’t not play.

“I think this will be my last opportunity to compete at St Andrews, so even if it’s on the road before I’m 60, these girls are too good for me to be trying to tee it up when I’m 56, 57,” she said.

“So it’s very special to be back here. I was looking for my yardage book from 2013. I missed the cut and I was, like, next time it’s here I won’t be playing golf again, I won’t be playing again, so I threw it out, so I couldn’t find it.

“I didn’t think I would be playing professional golf at 49. I’m just looking forward to having a good time out there as much as you can with the weather forecast, but just see what happens.”

Karrie Webb holding the trophy after winning the Women's British Open tournament in 2002.

Webb said the evolution of The Open was linked to the growth of the women’s tour, which she dominated, winning 41 times in a career that ensured her elevation to the Hall of Fame.

“It’s always meant a lot to me, actually. Even winning it the first couple of times, as a non-major, I always came into the Women’s Open thinking of it as a major,” she said.

“In 2001, it becoming a major, I think was long overdue. And the tournament’s only grown a lot since then. We started playing the Old Course and Carnoustie and Troon, places where women’s golf had never been played before.

Minjee Lee warmed up for the British Open at the Scottish Open last week. Picture: Paul Devlin/Getty Images

“And I think as far as the players go, I just think every generation evolves into a better version of the last. And I think it’s exciting to watch how good the girls are. And I think it’s probably just deeper, the field, than when I played in ’95. There’s so many girls that you could say they’re favourites for this week and none of them be up there, and five or six names that no one’s ever heard of except for a few out on tour and you know how good they are.”

AUSSIES AT THE OPEN (world ranking)

Hannah Green (5)

Minjee Lee (14)

Steph Kyriacou (49)

Gabi Ruffels (46)

Grace Kim (73)

Hira Naveed (111)

Karrie Webb (1003)

Originally published as Karrie Webb among seven Aussies at St Andrews for the women’s British Open