The final standings from the 50th AIG Women’s Open, the season‑ending major on the women’s golf calendar, 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 sudden‑death 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, tied with Germany’s Esther Henseleit, who had produced a spectacular 45‑foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to match Kuwaki’s final‑round 70 and force the extra‑hole drama. Both players parred the first playoff hole; Henseleit missed a 10‑foot putt that would have handed her the title, while Kuwaki was forced to scramble a four after her ball landed in thick rough and required a delicate pitch. On the second playoff hole, Henseleit’s tee shot ricocheted off a marshal’s marker and into a bush, compelling her to execute a recovery pitch that ultimately resulted in a bogey.
Kuwaki, by contrast, found the green with her approach and calmly two‑putted for the win, clinching the championship. The overnight leader, Yealimi Noh, slipped one shot back to finish third after carding a 74 in the final round.
World‑number‑one Nelly Korda and Thailand’s Jeongeun "Jeeno" Thitikul, the top two players in the global rankings, shared fourth place, each a further stroke behind Noh. Home hopefuls Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, who had dreamed of a British victory and a third consecutive win at Royal Lytham, settled for a tie for sixth, four strokes off the lead. South Korean contender Ha‑Ran Ryu, who was chasing a third straight major title, also finished at one under par. Only 11 of the 68 competitors who made the cut survived the weekend under par, underscoring the difficulty of the links layout.
Kuwaki’s triumph marked the second consecutive win for a Japanese golfer at the AIG Women’s Open, and she walked away with a $1.5 million first‑place purse. The AIG Women’s Open is the final leg of the five‑major series in women’s professional golf. Earlier in the year, Nelly Korda captured the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open, while Ha‑Ran Ryu added the Amundi Evian Championship to her KPMG Women’s PGA Championship victory, completing a remarkable run of major successes.
Broadcast coverage of the tournament, along with the other premier events on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, and Ladies European Tour, remains exclusive to Sky Sports. Fans can subscribe to Sky Sports or stream the action without a long‑term contract, gaining access to live golf and a broad range of other sporting content. For golfers looking to experience the courses themselves, Sky Sports offers discounted rates and booking options for more than 1,700 courses throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Interested players can search by course name, city, or postal code to find the perfect venue for their next round. In summary, Shiho Kuwaki’s victory at Royal Lytham & St Annes not only added a new name to the list of women’s major champions but also highlighted the depth of talent on the LPGA and LET circuits.
The playoff showdown between Kuwaki and Henseleit will be remembered as one of the most exciting finishes in recent major‑tournament history, and the overall leaderboard reflected a highly competitive field where only a handful managed to break par on a demanding links course.