Can Korda Add Another Major to Her Record at the AIG Women's Open?

As the 50th anniversary of the AIG Women’s Open approaches, excitement builds for the tournament that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Among the headline contenders are Nelly Korda and Charley Hull, both eager to claim the coveted major title at the storied links of Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The current women’s major season has been dominated by two standout performers: Nelly Korda of the United States and South Korea’s Haeran Ryu. Each of them now stands on the brink of matching the record for the most major victories in a single calendar year. Korda secured the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open earlier in the season, while Ryu added the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Evian Championship to her résumé.

This marks an unprecedented moment in golf history, as it is the first time that two players have each captured multiple majors within the same season. Only a handful of golfers—six in total across both the men’s and women’s tours—have ever managed to win three majors in a single year. The AIG Women’s Open presents a final opportunity for Korda and Ryu to join that exclusive club. In the men’s game, the feat has been accomplished only by legends Ben Hogan in 1953 and Tiger Woods in 2000.

On the women’s side, Inbee Park achieved three consecutive major victories in 2013, joining the ranks of past greats such as Babe Zaharias (1950), Mickey Wright (1961) and Pat Bradley (1986). Both Korda and Ryu are also in contention for the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award, which honors the LPGA player with the most impressive major record over a season. A third major win at Royal Lytham could be the decisive factor that crowns one of them as the award’s recipient.

One of the season’s biggest surprises came at the Evian Championship, where Korda missed the cut despite entering the event as a four‑time winner that year and a clear favorite to contend for the title. That early exit broke a remarkable streak of 34 consecutive tournaments in which she had made the cut, and it added an extra layer of intrigue to her pursuit of a career Grand Slam. After capturing the U.S.

Women’s Open, Korda now holds three different major titles and is positioned to become the first player since Inbee Park to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the AIG Women’s Open. Historically, players who have secured four of the five current women’s majors are recognized as having completed a career Grand Slam, a designation that reflects the evolving nature of which tournaments are classified as majors. This nuance gives Korda a fresh chance to cement her legacy at this week’s event.

Korda’s recent performances have been strong but not flawless. She finished tied for second place behind Lydia Ko at the 2024 Open at St Andrews, and she posted a tied‑16th finish at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open. A victory at Royal Lytham would not only give her a fifth major win—bringing her total LPGA Tour titles to 20—but also earn the two points she needs to secure her place in the LPGA Hall of Fame. The last player to win back‑to‑back women’s majors was Yani Tseng, who captured the 2010 Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale and followed it with a four‑stroke triumph at Carnoustie in 2011.

That 15‑year gap could finally be closed by Japan’s Miyu Yamashita, who is eager to add another major to her résumé. Yamashita, a former 13‑time winner on the LPGA of Japan Tour, burst onto the global stage last year when she out‑dueled Charley Hull for a two‑stroke victory at Royal Porthcawl.

Since then, she has continued to improve, adding a win at the Maybank Championship on the LPGA Tour and prevailing in a playoff over Lottie Woad at the Meijer LPGA Classic in June. Yamashita’s recent form includes four top‑five finishes in her last six worldwide starts, a shared fourth place at the Evian Championship and a shared fifth place in Scotland just weeks ago.

That consistency positions her as a serious contender to defend her major title and possibly break the long‑standing back‑to‑back streak. British golf history also looms large over the tournament. It has been thirty years since Dame Laura Davies captured her fourth major, and several British players have found success at Royal Lytham in recent years. Alison Nicholas won the U.S.

Women’s Open in 1997, and Karen Stupples lifted the AIG Women’s Open in 2004. More recently, Scotland’s Catriona Matthew became the first Scottish woman to win a major when she triumphed at Royal Lytham in 2009, just eleven weeks after giving birth to her second daughter. In 2018, England’s Georgia Hall secured a two‑stroke victory at the same venue. Charley Hull, a native of England, is once again chasing her breakthrough major win.

Hull has finished as a runner‑up in majors five times, including two second‑place finishes at the AIG Women’s Open within a three‑year span. Lottie Woad, another rising British talent, hopes to improve on her recent top‑10 finishes in her previous two appearances at the Open.

The tournament is expected to draw more than 50,000 spectators throughout the week, many of whom will be hoping to see a home‑grown champion. At the same time, the event serves as a crucial final opportunity for players to earn points toward selection for Team Europe in the upcoming Solheim Cup.

Anna Nordqvist, who will serve as a non‑playing captain, is finalizing her roster. She has already confirmed eight automatic qualifiers and will announce her four captain’s picks next week. Among the players vying for those captain’s picks are LET rookie Chiara Tamburlini, who sits second on the LET points list behind Helen Briem, as well as Agathe Laisne and Cara Gainer. The rookie quartet could see one of its members join Hull in securing a Solheim Cup berth via the points system.

World‑ranking spots are currently occupied by Lottie Woad, Maja Stark, Céline Boutier, Carlota Ciganda, Linn Grant and Esther Henseleit. Leona Maguire’s strong showing in Scotland last week also puts her back in contention for a European team spot. Other European players in the top 100, such as Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen, the Netherlands’ Dewi Weber and England’s Mimi Rhodes, will be watching closely to see if a standout performance at the major can boost their Solheim Cup prospects.

The Solheim Cup roster is expected to look different from the squad that fell short on American soil in 2024, and Nordqvist has warned that “hard phone calls” lie ahead as she finalizes her selections. Sky Sports retains exclusive broadcasting rights for the AIG Women’s Open in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

This year, the network introduces a new "Featured Groups" segment, offering viewers a deeper look at the competition. Coverage begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday and Friday on Sky Sports Golf, with full live action kicking off at 1 p.m. The third and fourth rounds will be shown live from midday over the weekend, providing a total of six additional hours of golf compared with previous years.

Fans can follow the tournament throughout the week on Sky Sports Golf, or stream the coverage without a contract via the Sky Sports platform. The question on everyone’s mind remains: Who will emerge victorious at the AIG Women’s Open and etch their name into the annals of golf history?