Story of the Championship

Shiho Kuwaki etched her name into the history books by winning the 50th edition of the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The Japanese star showed enormous courage to come through a tense two-hole play-off with Esther Henseleit after the German had holed a monster birdie putt on the 72nd hole.

It was a remarkable victory in front of a bumper crowd of 55,000, and a fitting end to a landmark Championship.

This is the story of the 2026 AIG Women’s Open.

Round One | Jeeno sets new low score

Nelly Korda and Haeran Ryu had shared the first four major titles of the year – but it was another of the world’s foremost golfers who caught the eye with a breathtaking opening round.

Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul – second in the world rankings – didn’t drop a single shot as she cruised to a record seven-under 64; the lowest 18-hole tally in any of the six Championships to be staged at this venue.

She birdied four of her opening eight holes and picked up three more shots on the back nine to beat by one the previous low score recorded by Lorena Ochoa (twice), Grace Park and Minjee Lee.

Haeran had set the early pace on Thursday, birdieing the 1st and dropping just one shot on her way to a five-under 66; the same tally as Shiho, whose only blemish was on the par-4 8th.

Jeeno, Celine Boutier and Lottie Woad were the only players to finish the first round bogey-free.

Round One leaderboard

-7 Jeeno Thitikul
-5 Shiho Kuwaki, Haeran Ryu
-4 Celine Boutier, Yealimi Noh
-3 Chizzy Iwai, Chanettee Wannasaen

Round Two | Haeran threatens hat-trick

Before the Championship, Haeran had spoken about playing carefree golf, having broken her major drought at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June.

Following that up at the Amundi Evian Championship just two weeks later meant that she travelled to England seeking a scarcely believable third straight major title; something which hasn’t been achieved since Inbee Park’s incredible run in 2013.

By the end of play on Friday, the hat-trick looked a distinct possibility.

A tricky opening (a bogey at 3 and a double-bogey at 5) was quickly forgotten as Haeran dusted herself down and put on a showcase of ball-striking brilliance.

She picked up five shots, including a birdie at the last, to earn a one-shot lead at the halfway stage.

Tucked in behind Haeran was Shiho – in what was just her second appearance at the AIG Women’s Open. The 23-year-old displayed a real liking for Royal Lytham, sinking 10 birdies across her opening 36 holes.

However, fellow Japanese – and defending Champion – Miyu Yamashita was among the bigger names to miss the cut. Miyu never fully recovered from a triple-bogey 7 at the 3rd and joined Ruoning Yin, Hinako Shibuno and Lilia Vu as notable absentees from the weekend.

Meanwhile Minami Katsu – T2 at Royal Porthcawl 12 months ago – eagled the par-5 6th for the second day in a row.

Round Two leaderboard

-7 Haeran Ryu
-6 Shiho Kuwaki
-5 Jeeno Thitikul, Yealimi Noh
-3 Soo Bin Joo

Round Three | Yealimi hits the front

Near the top of the tree all week, Yealimi Noh burst into a three-stroke lead on Saturday for her first 54-hole lead in a major.

The American was one of just nine players to shoot an under-par score on a difficult afternoon.

Yealimi did have a sticky patch on the front nine with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch, but recovered brilliantly to sign for a two-under 69.

Another of the nine to make hay was Henseleit, who landed five birdies as she cut through the field and into a five-way tie for second. The German was nine strokes off the lead on Thursday, and seven strokes behind at halfway.

Haeran was unable to press home her second-round advantage, posting a three-over 74 following a wild afternoon of three birdies and six bogeys.

Shiho had only dropped four shots across her opening two rounds. But she too found life difficult on Saturday with a two-over 73 seeing her go from one to three behind.

Ayaka Furue, winner of the Evian Championship in 2024, fared better than anyone on ‘Moving Day', landing an eagle and four birdies on her way to a six-under 65, bettered only by Jeeno’s record-breaking 64 on day one.

It was all to play for on Championship Sunday.

Round Three leaderboard

-7 Yealimi Noh
-4 Esther Henseleit, Lucy Li, Jeeno Thitikul, Haeran Ryu, Shiho Kuwaki
-3 Lottie Woad

Final Round | Shiho perseveres after dramatic finale

Guts, grit, and glory.

These three words sum up perfectly the biggest Sunday of Shiho Kuwaki’s career.

Sitting in the clubhouse with a one-stroke advantage, she could only watch on in disbelief as Henseleit drained an enormous birdie putt at the last to force a play-off.

With one elated and the other deflated, both players had to re-compose themselves before teeing it up on the first extra hole.

A slightly wayward drive left Shiho with a tricky shot, and no clear line, into the 18th green. It mattered not as she produced a sumptuous approach which led to a steady two-putt par.

Henseleit then found trouble off the tee on the next play-off hole, ending up in a gorse bush to the right of the fairway. The 27-year-old was only able to bogey from there.

With Shiho safely on the green in two, one more two-putt was enough to secure her first LPGA major.

In contrast to how it finished, it had been a relatively low-key final round from the eventual Champion.

Shiho blended two birdies with two bogeys during a level-par front nine and only picked up one shot after the turn, at the par-4 13th.

This birdie did, however, bring her level at the top with a faltering Noh. Shiho came home with five comfortable pars, before the drama of the extra holes.

Similarly, Henseleit was largely under the radar at the turn until a birdie blitz on the back nine hauled her right back into contention. She picked up strokes at 11, 12 and 15 before her memorable putt at the last.

Noh, meanwhile, just couldn't find any rhythm on the Sunday, and was three-over for her round coming down the last.

The 25-year-old had a chance to join the play-off but was unable to convert a long birdie putt on 18. Her third-place finish matches her best major return, at the Evian Championship in 2021.

Royal Lytham & St Annes is notorious for the danger laying in its 166 bunkers. And these sand traps caused bedlam, with just 11 players finishing the week under-par.

Two of those 11 were Korda and Thitikul – the top two in the world rankings – with both finishing in a share of fourth on two-under.

Top Spanish amateur Paula Martin Sampedro won the Smyth Salver for the second year in a row, finishing five strokes ahead of Yunseo Yang, her only other rival for the prize.

English duo, and crowd favourites, Lottie Woad and Charley Hull were among the six players on one-under.

Final leaderboard

-5 Shiho Kuwaki (won after a play-off), Esther Henseleit
-4 Yealimi Noh
-2 Jeeno Thitikul, Nelly Korda
-1 Haeran Ryu, Lottie Woad, Charley Hull, Wei Ling Hsu, Shannon Tan, Rio Takeda