Staff WriterIf you thought the AIG Women’s Open was just another week on the links, think again. This year’s edition at Royal Porthcawl didn’t just draw a crowd—it brought the house down, rewrote the record books, and left broadcasters scrambling for superlatives.
The AIG Women’s Open welcomed more than 47,000 spectators over five gloriously unpredictable days, earning it the distinction of being the largest women’s sporting event ever held in Wales. And no, that’s not a typo.
Nearly 2,500 of those attendees were children, courtesy of The R&A’s well-worn but wonderfully effective Kids Go Free initiative. It’s proof that while golf may have a past soaked in tweed, its future is screaming for ice cream and asking for autographs.
Television audiences showed up in droves too. Sky Sports reported its highest-ever average audience for the first and second rounds of the AIG Women’s Open—presumably because people like to see good golf and not just arguments about who’s playing slower than continental drift.
Digitally, it was a masterclass in engagement. YouTube views surged by a staggering 144% compared to 2024. Viewers didn’t just click—they stuck around, watching 93% more hours of content and racking up a 133% rise in interactions. Instagram wasn’t far behind, clocking its highest day of engagement on the Saturday.
Overall, social impressions shot up 221% year-on-year, and the account’s follower count ballooned by 316%. Turns out, birdies and broadband pair quite nicely.
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, summed it up in terms that suggest he’s either overjoyed or just watched someone hole out from a bunker blindfolded:
“The AIG Women’s Open is making significant strides across the board. We are delighted with how many fans have attended this week and the numbers of fans who have tuned in on television and engaged with our digital platforms.
This Championship is a globally significant event and is hugely important to women’s sport and golf in particular.
“We are grateful to AIG and all our partners for their incredible support in continuing to elevate the Championship and it is pleasing to see how this is resonating with fans.
We have provided creative and innovative ways for the fans to engage with the Championship and the players and you can see how much they have relished that opportunity.”
He’s not wrong. From on-course experiences to online extras, the AIG Women’s Open has grown into something far greater than a major championship. It’s now a movement, a statement, and—if this year’s numbers are anything to go by—a blueprint for how to build a modern sporting event without losing its soul.
For those already counting down the days, the 2026 AIG Women’s Open heads to Royal Lytham & St Annes from 29 July to 2 August.
You might want to book early. If the Porthcawl edition taught us anything, it’s this: the game is no longer just afoot—it’s flying.
More info and ticket details at www.aigwomensopen.com – because, frankly, missing out again would be a shank.
