From £500 to £1.25 million: The Remarkable Evolution of the AIG Women’s Open
The AIG Women’s Open began half a century ago as a modest competition, its field dominated by amateurs and a total purse of merely £500. Back then, even the professionals who entered, such as Vivien Saunders and Gwen Brandom, had to contribute their own money to the prize fund. Fast forward fifty years, and the tournament bears little resemblance to the version that Jenny Lee Smith lifted the tro…