As the AIG Women’s Open celebrates its 50th anniversary, the tournament will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, and all eyes are on a handful of contenders, notably Nelly Korda and Charley Hull, who are eager to claim the coveted major title at the historic links of Royal Lytham & St Annes. The current women’s major season has been largely a two‑player show.
Nelly Korda and Ha‑Ran Ryu have each already secured two major championships this year, putting them in a position to match the record for most majors won in a single calendar year. Korda captured the Chevron Championship and the U.S.
Women’s Open, while Ryu triumphed at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Evian Championship. This marks the first occasion in LPGA history that two different players have amassed multiple majors in the same season. Only a select group of six golfers—across both the men’s and women’s tours—have ever won three majors in a single year. Should either Korda or Ryu add the AIG Women’s Open to their trophy cabinets, they will join an exclusive club that includes legends such as Ben Hogan (1953), Tiger Woods (2000), Inbee Park (who swept the first three majors in 2013), Babe Zaharias (1950), Mickey Wright (1961) and Pat Bradley (1986).
For the women, the achievement is especially significant because the set of tournaments designated as majors has shifted over time; winning four of the five current majors is now considered a career Grand Slam. Both Korda and Ryu are also in contention for the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award, which honors the player with the best major‑championship record in a season. The award will likely be decided by whoever captures the AIG Women’s Open, adding another layer of intrigue to the competition.
Korda’s recent form has been a roller‑coaster. After a surprising missed cut at the Evian Championship—an event where she entered as the heavy favourite and a four‑time winner that season—she rebounded with a solid finish at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, tying for 16th place. Earlier in the year, she broke a 34‑tournament streak of making the cut when she missed the cut in France, but she quickly regained momentum by winning the U.S.
Women’s Open, her third distinct major title. A victory at Royal Lytham would give her a fifth major, a 20th LPGA Tour win, and the two points she needs to secure a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame. Korda is not the only player with a historic narrative. Charley Hull, a British favorite, is seeking her breakthrough major win after finishing as a runner‑up on five separate occasions, including twice in the last three years at this very venue.
Hull’s consistency has kept her in the conversation, but the pressure to finally convert those near‑misses into a win is mounting. Miyu Yamashita, a relative newcomer to the UK audience, also deserves attention. The Japanese star, who amassed 13 victories on the LPGA of Japan Tour before bursting onto the global stage, claimed her first LPGA Tour title at the Maybank Championship and later won the Meijer LPGA Classic in a dramatic playoff against Lottie Woad. She has posted four top‑five finishes in her last six worldwide starts, including a shared fourth place at the Evian Championship and a shared fifth at the Scottish Open.
Yamashita’s recent form suggests she could be a dark horse contender for the title. The tournament also carries a sense of heritage. It has been 30 years since Dame Laura Davies secured her final major, and in the intervening decades, several British players have lifted the trophy at Royal Lytham. Catriona Matthew became Scotland’s first female major champion in 2009, triumphing just 11 weeks after giving birth to her second daughter.
Georgia Hall followed in 2018 with a two‑stroke victory. The prospect of another home‑grown champion adds excitement for the estimated 50,000 fans expected to attend throughout the week.
Beyond the individual battles, the AIG Women’s Open serves as a final qualifying opportunity for the European Solheim Cup team. Captain Anna Nordqvist, who will not play this year, is finalising her roster, with eight automatic qualifiers already secured. The remaining spots will be filled by a mix of LET points leaders, world‑ranking qualifiers, and promising rookies such as Chiara Tamburlini, Helen Briem, Agathe Laisne and Cara Gainer. Players like Lottie Woad, Maja Stark, Celine Boutier, Carlota Ciganda, Linn Grant and Esther Henseleit are also in contention via the world rankings, while Leona Maguire hopes to earn a place after a strong showing in Scotland.
Sky Sports retains exclusive broadcasting rights for the event in the UK and Ireland. This year, the network introduces a new "Featured Groups" segment, beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday and Friday on Sky Sports Golf, followed by full coverage from 1 p.m. The weekend rounds will be shown live from midday, offering fans more than six additional hours of live golf compared with previous editions.
In summary, the 2026 AIG Women’s Open promises a compelling blend of personal milestones, historic records, and national pride. Whether Nelly Korda can complete a career Grand Slam, Charley Hull can finally break her runner‑up streak, or a rising star like Miyu Yamashita can pull off a surprise upset, the tournament is set to deliver drama and high‑quality golf. Tune in to Sky Sports Golf throughout the week to witness the unfolding story and find out who will etch their name into the annals of women’s golf history.