The last women’s golf major of the season is set to take place from August 22–25 at St. Andrews, and the fans couldn’t be more excited. And why wouldn’t they be? The AIG Women’s Open has the ultimate player field, with well-known names on the list, like Nelly Korda, Megan Khang, and Charley Hull. But, a few big names such as Danielle Kang are also missing from the field.

The top pros who will not be competing in Home of Golf are:

Danielle Kang

Danielle Kang‘s glittering resume was not enough for her to qualify for the 2024 AIG Women’s Open. On Monday during the final qualifying, the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner and six-time LPGA Tour champion shockingly failed to make the cut, carding a dull 78.

Over the past year, her stance has seen a drastic decline, and she has fallen to World No. 140. Her performances this year were disappointing. Kang participated in 13 tournaments and missed the cut at six of them, her latest being at the CPKC Women’s Open. This is not the first time Kang has missed the AIG. In 2022, a back issue revealed a tumor on her spine, forcing her to miss that year’s AIG Women’s Open.

In Gee Chun

In Gee Chun, the three-time Major champion has had an amazing career highlighted by incredible victories like the 2015 US Women’s Open, the 2016 Evian Championship, and the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. As a major winner in the past 5 years, Chun automatically secured a spot in the 2024 AIG Women’s Open because of the exemption that guarantees the players a place on the big field.

However, the fates are not in Chun’s favor as she will not participate in the upcoming showdown, likely due to injury. Chun’s history of injuries dates back to 2016. In 2016, Chun had to withdraw from the JTBC Founders Cup due to injuries that took place in an accident at the Singapore airport.

Caroline Hedwall (reserve)

Hedwall’s story is pretty disheartening. The Swedish golfer with seven wins on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and has represented Team Europe in the Solheim Cup five times, will not be seen on the greens of St. Andrews. Hedwall is currently the first reserve for the upcoming AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews.

Her being on the first reserve means that she has not secured a spot in the competition, technically. We say technically because, as the first reserve, she may still have a chance to participate in the major if any of the confirmed players withdraw or are unable to compete due to an emergency or any other reason.

Laura Davies

Laura Davies is a former AIG Women’s Open champion and has been playing this major ever since 1980. Then why has the veteran made the difficult decision to miss the AIG Women’s Open for the first time in 44 years? Well, because the golfer believes that her form has not been that good in recent years. “I’m just not playing enough golf now to warrant a spot in the field,” she said, according to Gulf News. 

After her win at the 1986 Championship, Davies had a good run, so this was a hard decision for her. “It has been a week that I’ve always looked forward to. It was a really tough decision, but I think it’s the right decision.” Davies confessed to struggling to balance tournaments and broadcasting duties, saying “Since I’ve been commentating, I’ve played less and less golf”. Her decision marks the end of an era, and she’ll be missed at the AIG Women’s Open.

Pia Babnik

Pia Babnik has surely been the talk of the town for quite a while after her incredible performance at the 2024 Olympics. The talented Slovenian golfer is fresh from competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she secured a decent 22nd-place finish. However, despite a strong performance in Final Qualifying with an even-par round of 72, she wasn’t able to make it to the field of the AIG Women’s Open. But don’t worry; the young golfer has her eyes set on other things.

Babnik will be concentrating on sharpening her gameplay and strategies for the ultimate challenge, the Ladies European Tour. The golfer has already marked two victories on LET, and perhaps she’s on the way to claiming more.

So are you excited to see the highly anticipated 2024 AIG Women’s Open? And who do you think will be the final major of the season? Let us know in the comment section below!