Shiho Kuwaki wins AIG Women's Open to secure record-breaking prize money at Royal Lytham & St Annes

Kuwaki won her first major championship at the AIG Women’s Open, hosted by Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The Japanese star snatched victory during an enthralling conclusion to the championship on Sunday, which ended with a play-off against Germany’s Esther Henseleit.

Henseleit sank a 45-foot birdie putt on the iconic 18th hole at Royal Lytham to move to five under alongside Kuwaki and force a play-off.

Kuwaki had overturned a three-shot deficit on Sunday and scrambled to an unlikely par on the first play-off hole, with Henseleit missing a ten-foot birdie putt for the win.

A nightmare second play-off hole for Henseleit saw her drive strike a marshal’s ankle and end up in a bush, forcing her to hack her way back onto the fairway and presenting Kuwaki with the chance to two-putt for victory.

The world No. 46 banked a record amount of prize money on the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Open, while also claiming the first major trophy of her career.

She is the second successive Japanese player to win the Women’s British Open after Miyu Yamashita triumphed at Royal Porthcawl last year.

Kuwaki’s previous best finish at a major came at the US Women’s Open, where she finished tied for 14th place.

English stars Lottie Woad and Charley Hull both finished inside the top ten, but Dame Laura Davies believes both players will feel they missed an opportunity to take home the trophy.

She said: “I think they’ll be happy with their finishes. They were both tied for sixth and inside the top ten.

“But they’ll both see this as a missed opportunity because five under won it.

“Charley played a little bit in and out.

“I thought Lottie played really solid golf, but she didn’t hole enough putts.

“Charley made a couple too many mistakes, and that’s the way she plays golf. She goes full-out attack.

“She was pretty disciplined this week, but I think she’ll look back and think, ‘I’m only four back. That’s too close. I should have been in there right at the death.’

“It’s hard to get in there and stay up there on a course like that. I think this course won this week. I think it wore them all down.”

AIG Women's Open 2026 full prize money breakdown

1st | Shiho Kuwaki | £1,112,700

2nd | Esther Henseleit | £737,845

3rd | Yealimi Noh | £534,692

T4 | Jeeno Thitikul | £372,656

T4 | Nelly Korda | £372,656

T6 | Haeran Ryu | £197,795

T6 | Lottie Woad | £197,795

T6 | Charley Hull | £197,795

T6 | Wei Ling Hsu | £197,795

T6 | Shannon Tan | £197,795

T6 | Rio Takeda | £197,795

T12 | Minami Katsu | £127,171

T12 | Celine Boutier | £127,171

T12 | Yuka Saso | £127,171

T12 | Sara Kouskova | £127,171

T16 | Lucy Li | £101,249

T16 | Jinhee Im | £101,249

T16 | Lauren Coughlin | £101,249

T16 | Hyojoo Kim | £101,249

T20 | Chanettee Wannasean | £87,880

T20 | Lydia Ko | £87,880

T20 | Soo Bin Joo | £87,880

T23 | Ashleigh Buhai | £73,973

T23 | Carla Tejdeo Mulet | £73,973

T23 | Mao Saigo | £73,973

T23 | Pia Babnik | £73,973

T23 | Amelia Garvey | £73,973

T23 | Patty Tavatanakit | £73,973

T29 | Chizzy Iwai | £56,746

T29 | Sei Young Kim | £56,746

T29 | Hannah Green | £56,746

T29 | Brooke Henderson | £56,746

T29 | Paula Martin Sampedro (a) | N/A

T29 | Yuna Araki | £56,746

T29 | Anna Nordqvist | £56,746

T36 | Jin Yang | £43,807

T36 | Alexandra Forsterling | £43,807

T36 | Mimi Rhodes | £43,807

T36 | Maja Stark | £43,807

T36 | Arpichaya Yubol | £43,807

T41 | Yana Wilson | £36,841

T41 | Cara Gainer | £36,841

T41 | Auston Kim | £36,841

T44 | Dewi Weber | £32,383

T44 | Nastasia Nadaud | £32,383

T44 | Nasa Hataoka | £32,383

T47 | Robyn Choi | £27,117

T47 | Amy Yang | £27,117

T47 | Jenny Shin | £27,117

T47 | Manon De Roey | £27,117

T47 | Rose Zhang | £27,117

T47 | Jin Young Ko | £27,117

T53 | Ayaka Furue | £22,255

T53 | Yunseo Yang (a) | N/A

T53 | Ariya Jutanugarn | £22,255

T53 | Alice Hewson | £22,255

T53 | Julia Lopez Ramirez | £22,255

T58 | Annabell Fuller | £19,017

T58 | Kajsa Arwefjall | £19,017

T58 | Pauline Roussin-Bouchard | £19,017

T61 | Lindy Duncan | £17,396

T61 | Akie Iwai | £17,396

T61 | Aunchisa Utama | £17,396

64th | Amanda Doherty | £16,589

T65 | Minji Kang | £11,687

T65 | Alison Lee | £11,687

T65 | Mi Hyang Li | £11,687

68th | Cassandra Alexander | £10,571