Alice Hewson produced a phenomenal bounce back at the AIG Women’s Open after a nightmare start as she carded a 68 (-4) on Sunday to finish T16 and land her best ever Major result.
Playing in front of home fans at Walton Heath, Hewson was left with a mighty task in round one as six bogeys and one double in her opening eight holes left the Englishwoman in 144th position.
“Nothing seemed to go right,” Hewson explained. “Whether it was missing short putts, driving it into the trees, it didn’t feel great after those first eight holes that’s for sure.”
After battling back to eventually post a 77 (+5), a clutch 69 (-3) on Friday then saw Hewson make the cut on the number to see the weekend in the final Major of the year.
A 73 (+1) in testing conditions on Saturday left Hewson in T54 heading into the final round, before a magnificent 68 (-4) on Sunday helped the 25-year-old climb into the top-20 as Lilia Vu claimed victory.
“Proud doesn’t even cover it,” she continued. “I was eight-over through eight holes which is obviously never a dream start in a Major, let alone your home major.
“I was relieved to get that tee time through for the weekend. It took me many hours trying to get to sleep on Friday night. My mind was absolutely racing. It was hard to comprehend the difference between those first eight holes and the rest of the week. But I’m very happy overall.
“I played solid today. I played freely, played committed. I’m very proud of myself. It was an emotional rollercoaster.”
The T16 finish eclipses Hewson’s best previous result in a Major Championship by four positions – a T20 finish at the 2021 AIG Women’s Open – and sees the Englishwoman cash in on €108,584,56.
“I feel like I’ve learned so much this week.” Hewson explained, now 15th the Race to Costa del Sol standings. “To be able to pull myself out of that and rally back in the second nine holes of that round and get it back to five-over brings me a huge amount of confidence moving forwards.
“It’s been a really tough six to eight weeks, I’ve definitely not had my A game. I’ve been struggling a little bit to put some scores together, so to come out in a major and get nice low one in there on the weekend when it’s not playing easy out there, it gives me some confidence going forward.”
Hewson and the Ladies European Tour (LET) move on to Northern Ireland next for the ISPS HANDA World Invitational Presented By AVIV Clinics, where the Englishwoman will be full of confidence following a memorable week on home soil.
She said: “I grew up just one hour away from here. I’m not quite based as locally anymore, but to me the Women’s Open will always be the most special major I can play. Home majors are always top priority. AIG do such a good job putting on such a fantastic event. It makes me really proud to be British and proud to be a part of this tournament.”
