5-over par 289. That’s the score that won Alex Cejka the 2023 Senior Open Championship. He tied on that score with the 2025 Senior Open Championship winner, Padraig Harrington, before defeating him in the playoffs. The two may have fought a tough battle, but considering the scores, it was evident that everyone was struggling at Royal Porthcawl that weekend. That has got the experts worried that the LPGA Tour stars might face the same fate in the 2025 AIG Women’s Open this week.

Brendan and PJ discussed the issue in the latest episode of Fried Egg Golf. PJ asked his co-host what his thoughts were on the course for this week’s women’s golf major venue. To that, Brendan replied, “The last time we saw Royal Porthcawl was absolute cinema with the seniors. Just the wind got up.” The weekend rounds in the 2023 Senior Open Championship saw winds of up to 40 miles per hour that blew sideways. That had a huge impact on the overall strokeplay and the eventual result.

Coming back to the present, he added in the latest podcast from Fried Egg Golf, “I will say, I’m worried if we get that kind of element, what the LPGA players… Their commentary will be. Will the R&A be made out to be embarrassing them? That would be my worry about this.” If the 2025 AIG Women’s Open also faces such drastic conditions, then the R&A would certainly be blamed for unintentionally sabotaging the LPGA Tour stars. The Tour had already faced scrutiny during the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship due to the terrible conditions of Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco.

However, Brendan did point out a stark difference between women’s and men’s golf that helps the former tackle windy conditions better. “One of the virtues of the women’s game is that the lower trajectories is going to lead to the ball being on the ground a little bit more. I think one of the complaints about Portrush was the lack of wind, and the aerial nature of the golf course had less balls running along the ground. You’re going to see a lot of shots coming in with a flatter trajectory and using contours to get close.”

With big hitters like Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, the Royal Portrush saw a lot of high-flying golf balls during The Open 2025. The lack of wind also allowed the players to take the risk and give the ball a lot of flight and find distance. They would have struggled if the wind had been blowing at 35-40 miles per hour. However, women’s golf is naturally much flatter, which helps them play better in windy conditions. Hence, even if it gets windy at Royal Porthcawl this weekend, the LPGA Tour stars will still not struggle as much as the seniors did back in 2023.

This year would be Nelly’s first visit to Royal Porthcawl. She also knows what the wind brings to this scenic venue. “The first four holes are beautiful,” she said. “The views from the golf course are absolutely breathtaking, but you can definitely tell that, when the wind kind of picks up here, it’s going to be a really, really hard test.” All things considered, who are the best bets to win the 2025 AIG Women’s Open?

Favorites to win the 2025 AIG Women’s Open

Nelly Korda will always be one of the favorites to win a tournament she’s a part of. The world #1 has been winless all through 2025. This is her last shot at winning a major this season, and she will be extremely eager to capture the title after the T2 finish in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally. She is coming in confident, but also content.

“I feel like I don’t really have anything more to prove to people ever. For me it’s just I’m passionate about the game. I love the game. I love playing in these kind of conditions, testing my game, and getting to play against the best players in the world. Having something to prove to myself, I don’t think I really need to do that. For me it’s just enjoying it and being in the heat of the battle. Yeah, of course I want to accomplish more. There are goals that I have, goals that I set for myself. To make myself feel whole about winning in every country that I play in, that’s definitely not my goal. My goal is to prepare the best that I can, enjoy myself, and hopefully be in contention. And then kind of enjoy the ride because, as many highs as I’ve had, I’ve had a lot of lows too with this sport,” she shared with the media. 

One of her strongest opponents will be Lydia Ko. The defending champion already has a win to her name this year and would want to retain the major title in the United Kingdom. The rising star who has recently stolen the spotlight is the recently turned pro Lottie Woad. She will be one of the strongest competitors on the field, coming off 2 wins and a T3 in a major. The English star is in hot form right now, and it won’t be a surprise to watch her win on home soil this weekend.

Last, but not the least, Jeeno Thitikul will be eager to get another great finish in the major. It’s not just her first major win that hangs in the balance for her. A victory will also help her propel to the top of the Rolex World Golf Rankings, taking Nelly Korda’s spot. However, anything could happen on a links course in windy conditions.