This year’s AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes saw higher attendances and increased TV viewership

R&A chief executive Mark Darbon has hailed the impact made by this year’s AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes after increased attendance and viewership figures were announced.

The landmark 50th tournament took place on the Fylde links, with Shiho Kuwaki beating Esther Henseleit in a play-off on Sunday to take the title.

This year’s event saw a total of 55,000 fans in attendance, up from the 47,000 who were at Royal Porthcawl last year and the highest figure since AIG became the main sponsor in 2019.

Almost 4,500 children under the age of 16 also attended for free across the week through the R&A’s long-standing ‘Kids go Free’ initiative.

Darbon said: “As part of our strategy to open golf to the world we are committed to staging inspiring championships and this, the 50th AIG Women’s Open, has undoubtedly achieved that aim.

“We have seen just how much the AIG Women’s Open means to fans with our highest attendance in recent years and fantastic engagement across our broadcast and digital audiences globally.

“With the incredible support we receive from AIG, we are working to elevate the AIG Women’s Open and ensure that it is at the pinnacle of the women’s game for players and fans alike.

“We have seen some amazing golf this week from the world’s best women’s players at one of the sport’s most renowned links venues and it is gratifying to see that reflected in the excellent engagement we have seen across the board.”

That engagement included improved television audience ratings, with daily record average audiences on Sky Sports across all four days of the championship up by 18.4 per cent.

There was also a significant increase in live viewer hours, supported by the new early window coverage in the first two rounds which was introduced for 2026.