The final standings from the 50th edition of the AIG Women’s Open, the season‑ending major on the women’s tour, were posted after the dramatic conclusion at Royal Lytham & St Annes. In a historic showdown, Japan’s Shiho Kuwaki secured her first major championship by prevailing in a tense playoff, capping an unforgettable day that saw more than a dozen competitors remain in contention deep into the final round. Kuwaki finished the regulation 72 holes at five strokes under par, sharing that total with Germany’s Esther Henseleit. Henseleit forced the playoff by sinking an impressive 45‑foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole, matching Kuwaki’s final‑round 70 and sending the tournament into extra holes.
The two players headed into the first sudden‑death hole on equal footing. Both made par, but Henseleit missed a 10‑foot putt that would have handed her the title, while Kuwaki was forced to scramble after her ball landed in thick rough, eventually getting up and down for a four on the hole.
On the second playoff hole, Henseleit’s tee shot ricocheted off a marshal’s marker and into a bush, leaving her with a difficult recovery pitch that resulted in a bogey. Kuwaki, by contrast, found the green in regulation and two‑putted for par, clinching the championship. The victory made Kuwaki the second consecutive Japanese player to win the AIG Women’s Open, and she walked away with the tournament’s $1.5 million first‑place purse. Defending champion Yealimi Noh, who had led after the third round, slipped to a solitary stroke behind the leaders, finishing third after a final‑round 74.
The world’s top‑ranked players, Nelly Korda and Jeongeun "Jeeno" Thitikul, both tied for fourth place, each a stroke further back. Charley Hull, playing on home soil, and Lottie Woad shared sixth place, four strokes off the lead, while South Korea’s Ha‑ran Ryu, who was chasing a third consecutive major title, also finished at one under par. Only 11 of the 68 competitors who made the weekend cut managed to finish under par, underscoring the difficulty of the links layout at Royal Lytham.
The tournament, the fifth and final major of the women’s calendar, followed a week in which Korda captured the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open, while Ryu added the Amundi Evian Championship after her earlier KPMG Women’s PGA Championship triumph.
The AIG Women’s Open also generated a suite of related content, including the latest news updates, video highlights, and a recap of the 2025 season where a player named Yamashita secured a major victory. Viewers were reminded to use the Chrome browser for optimal video playback, as the embedded player offers a more accessible experience. Sky Sports retained its role as the exclusive broadcaster for the event, delivering live coverage of the majors, PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, and Ladies European Tour. Subscribers can access the feed without a long‑term contract, and the network promotes additional golf streaming options through its NOW platform.
Beyond the tournament itself, the article encouraged readers to explore golf opportunities across the United Kingdom and Ireland, highlighting a searchable database of 1,700 courses. Users can input a course name, city, or postal code to find nearby playing options, though the example search returned no results and suggested trying a different query. In summary, Shiho Kuwaki’s breakthrough win, secured after a nerve‑wracking playoff against Esther Henseleit, capped a thrilling final day at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
The leaderboard reflected a tightly contested field, with several of the world’s best players finishing within striking distance of the title. The event reinforced the prestige of the AIG Women’s Open as the culminating major of the season, and it highlighted the growing international diversity of champions in women’s golf.