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AIG Women's Open: Dame Laura Davies to hit opening tee shot on 40th appearance

Watch the AIG Women's Open live on Thursday from 10.30am on Sky Sports Golf, Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports Main Event

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The women's major golf season gets underway at the AIG Women's Open, with extended coverage from Royal Troon live on Sky Sports.

Dame Laura Davies will mark her historic 40th appearance at the AIG Women's Open by hitting the opening tee shot of the 2020 contest at Royal Troon.

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The 56-year-old will begin this year's event - being played behind closed doors - at 6.30am on Thursday morning alongside Canada's Alena Sharp and amateur Olivia Mehaffey.

Davies won the event in 1986 - before any of the world's current top 10 were born - and has featured every year since it became recognised as a major in 2001, with this year's tournament marking the start of a condensed women's major schedule for 2020.

Image: Davies has missed the cut in all three events she has played this year on the LPGA Tour or Ladies European Tour

Defending champion Hinako Shibuno, who claimed her maiden LPGA Tour title with a one-shot victory in last year's contest, is in the afternoon wave and goes out alongside South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai and world No 7 Brooke Henderson.

World No 2 Danielle Kang is the highest-ranked player in the field due to several South Korean players electing not to travel to the UK because of concerns around coronavirus, with this week's event being the first women's major since the pandemic started.

Kang, who won the first two LPGA Tour events back from golf's coronavirus-enforced stoppage and then finished tied-fifth at the Ladies Scottish Open last week, goes out for the first two rounds with former world No 1 Lydia Ko and China's Yu Liu.

Image: Kang is chasing a second major title this week

Charley Hull has been grouped alongside 2016 champion Ariya Jutanugarn and 2013 winner Stacy Lewis, who comes into the event off the back of a play-off victory in North Berwick on Sunday, with Georgia Hall - Britain's last women's major champion - in a threeball with Nasa Hatoka and Nelly Korda.

Also See:

Selected pairings and tee times for Thursday (all BST)

0630 Laura Davies, Olivia Mehaffey (a), Alena Sharp (Can)

0736 Gemma Dryburgh, Caroline Masson (Ger), Jessica Korda (USA)

Gemma Dryburgh
Image: Dryburgh won back-to-back events on the Rose Ladies Series

0747 Charley Hull, Stacy Lewis (USA), Ariya Jutanugarn (Tha)

0758 Minjee Lee (Aus), Azahara Munoz (Esp), Amy Yang (Kor)

0809 Nasa Hataoka (Jpn), Nelly Korda (USA), Georgia Hall

1216 In Kyung Kim (Kor), Celine Boutier (Fra), Bronte Law

Live Ladies European Tour Golf

1227 Danielle Kang (USA), Yu Liu (Chn), Lydia Ko (Nzl)

1238 Lexi Thompson (USA), Inbee Park (Kor), Mone Inami (Jpn)

1249 Hinako Shibuno (Jpn), Brooke Henderson (Can), Ashleigh Buhai (Rsa)

Sky Sports will have full coverage from the opening women's major of the year, with all four rounds live on Sky Sports Golf, Sky Sports Mix and also being streamed on the Sky Sports YouTube channel.

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