Words: Golf NSW Release
Image: Mark Wilson – Golfplus Media
The stage is set for a thrilling four days of golf on the NSW South Coast as the 2026 Ford Women’s NSW Open gets underway at Wollongong Golf Club from Thursday 26 February to Sunday 1 March. This year’s tournament is the largest in its 20-year history, boasting a record AUD $600,000 prize purse and a field of 132 players from 34 countries, including 19 Ladies European Tour winners, 13 Olympians and at least 15 tour rookies. With defending champion Mimi Rhodes not returning to defend the Jan Stephenson Trophy, the door is wide open for a new name to etch itself into the history books. For Australian golf fans, there is plenty to get excited about closer to home. Kelsey Bennett, a South Coast local from Mollymook, tees up as the highest-ranked Australian from last year’s LET Order of Merit after securing her full LET card in 2024. Playing virtually in her own backyard, Bennett will carry enormous local support and has every reason to believe this could be her week. Kirsten Rudgeley knows just how good, and how cruel, Wollongong Golf Club can be. The West Australian finished runner-up at this same venue in 2025, just two shots off the pace. Expect her to come back with unfinished business firmly in mind. Su Oh, one of Australia’s most experienced professionals and a three-time WPGA Tour champion, adds further Aussie firepower, while Queensland’s Hannah Reeves made history just to get here, becoming the first player ever to win three consecutive Women’s NSW Open qualifying events. The amateur contingent adds further intrigue. Seventeen-year-old Rachel Lee, the 2025 Australian Amateur champion who co-led the Australian Women’s Open, is joined by fellow NSW amateur Ella Scaysbrook, who announced herself on the world stage as a semi-finalist at the 2025 US Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes. The two youngsters with bright futures are both capable of turning heads this week. The international contingent is equally formidable. Anna Huang, the highest-ranked player in the field at 111th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, arrives having won twice on the LET in 2025, at just 17 years of age. Momoka Kobori, the 2023 champion, is back and knows what it takes to lift the Jan Stephenson Trophy. Cara Gainer arrives in career-best form after claiming her maiden LET title at the Lalla Meryem Cup last year, while Lydia Hall brings serious momentum, having won the 2026 VIC Open just last month. Paris Olympians Emma Spitz, Alessandra Fanali (pic), who finished equal runner-up here in 2025, Sara Kouskova, Pia Babnik and Morgane Métraux further elevate the quality of a field. If there is one player who knows what it takes to win at this event, it is Meghan MacLaren. The Englishwoman claimed back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, and returns to Wollongong with history in her sights. A third Women’s NSW Open crown would be unprecedented and would further cement her status as one of the event’s all-time greats. How to Follow: Where: Wollongong Golf Club, Wollongong, NSW When: February 26 – March 1, 2026 Prize Purse: $615,000 AUD (record for the tournament) Entry: Free all week — no ropes, walk the course with the players. On TV: Final two rounds live on Fox Sports (Foxtel and Kayo) Live scoring: womensnswopen.com.auSocial: #NSWOpenGolf |
