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Kuwaki wins in playoff
Japan’s Shiho Kuwaki claimed a maiden major victory at the 50th AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes on Sunday 2 August 2026, winning a playoff against Germany’s Esther Henseleit.
“Shiho Kuwaki claimed a maiden major victory Sunday 2 August 2026 20:29”
Kuwaki finished on five under alongside Esther Henseleit, who forced extra holes by nailing a 45-foot birdie on the 72nd hole, and both made par on the first extra hole before Kuwaki prevailed.
The decisive moment came after Henseleit’s tee shot struck a marshal into a bush and led to a bogey, while Kuwaki found the green and two-putted for victory.
Sky Sports reported that Kuwaki earned the $1.5m first prize, and that only 11 of the 68 players making it through to the weekend finished under-par.
The Straits Times described Kuwaki’s regular-play total as five under par and said she clinched her first major title after two play-off holes of unrelenting tension at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Marshal’s leg turns tide
Henseleit’s bid for a first major hinged on a dramatic break involving a marshal’s leg, with Sky Sports saying her tee shot clattered off a marshal into a bush and forced her to pitch back into play and make a bogey.
The Guardian framed the same sequence as fate playing its hand, writing that Henseleit’s tee shot “hit the lower leg of a volunteer” and ricocheted into a gorse bush.
After being denied in the first sudden-death hole, Kuwaki’s composed par on the second extra hole secured the trophy, while Henseleit missed a 15-foot birdie putt in the playoff.
In her post-round comments, Kuwaki said, “I just can’t believe it,” and added, “To be on a stage like this is an honour and every hole I was just focused on shot by shot.”
The Straits Times also reported Kuwaki referenced “an earthquake in Japan” and said, “I’d like to wish people a speedy recovery and best wishes.”
Prize money and next chapter
The victory brought a championship-record purse into focus, with Golf Channel reporting that Kuwaki earned $1.5 million from the $10 million purse and that Henseleit collected $994,669.
“Kuwaki earned $1.5 million from the championship-record $10 million purse”
Golf Channel’s payout list also showed Yealimi Noh finishing third with $720,803 and Jeeno Thitikul and Nelly Korda tied for fourth at $502,367 each.
Beyond the top finishers, the same Golf Channel piece said professionals who missed the cut earned a $4,250 stipend, placing the financial stakes alongside the playoff drama.
The AIG Women’s Open was described as the last women’s major championship of the year, with Sky Sports noting it was the fifth of five majors in the women’s calendar and that Kuwaki’s win made her the second successive winner from Japan.
Looking ahead, Sky Sports said Kuwaki will head to Royal St George’s in 2027 as the defending AIG Women’s Open champion, while the Straits Times reported she is the second successive Japanese player to win the women’s British Open after Miyu Yamashita’s triumph at Porthcawl in 2025.
