Chandni Canan BauerShiho Kuwaki won the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes with the sort of finish the Lancashire links tends to reward: calm, economical and entirely uninterested in theatrics.
The 23-year-old from Okayama defeated Esther Henseleit on the second play-off hole on Sunday, securing both her first major championship and her first LPGA Tour title.
Royal Lytham Saved Its Sharpest Test for Last
The championship returned to the par-four 18th for sudden death after Kuwaki and Henseleit finished five under. Both made par at the first attempt, a temporary truce on a hole not generally known for diplomatic work.
Back they went. Henseleit made bogey. Kuwaki made par.
That modest entry on the scorecard carried a rather larger consequence. After 72 holes and two extra journeys down the last, Kuwaki had the trophy, Henseleit had second place and Yealimi Noh was left one shot outside the play-off at four under.
The winning moment was not spectacular in the conventional sense. There was no need for it to be. At Royal Lytham, avoiding the calamitous number often counts as a form of attack. Kuwaki understood the assignment better than anyone still standing.
A Three-Shot Deficit Disappeared Without Fuss
Kuwaki began the final round at four under, three behind Noh and among five players sharing second. The gap was significant, but hardly terminal on a course where bunkers seem to multiply whenever somebody starts feeling comfortable.
Noh struggled to a three-over round. Kuwaki moved the other way, shooting one under to reach five under. Henseleit then birdied the 72nd hole to force extra time, adding one more act to a championship that had already begun tightening its collar.
Kuwaki’s response was revealing. She did not chase the title with wild ambition or allow the occasion to turn her swing into a public inquiry. She kept the ball in play, accepted par when par was useful and waited for the mistake that eventually arrived from elsewhere.
The Victory Had Been Building Since Thursday
There was little accidental about Kuwaki’s position on Sunday evening. She opened with a 66, her lowest round in an LPGA major, and sat two shots behind Jeeno Thitikul after the Thai player’s 64.
By halfway, Kuwaki had reached six under and trailed Haeran Ryu by one. Saturday brought the inevitable links-golf reminder that progress is not always linear. She slipped back to four under as Noh moved three clear, yet the damage was limited.
That proved important. Major championships are often lost during the round when a player decides one poor stretch must become an entire bad day. Kuwaki refused the invitation. She stayed close enough to make Sunday matter, then made it matter rather a lot.
Japan’s Major Influence Grows Again
Kuwaki becomes the third Japanese winner of the AIG Women’s Open, following Hinako Shibuno in 2019 and Miyu Yamashita in 2025. She is also the seventh Japanese player to win an LPGA major and the second successive champion from Japan at this event.
Those figures no longer describe a novelty. Japanese women’s golf is now embedded in the competitive centre of the elite game. Kuwaki arrived in Lancashire leading the JLPGA Mercedes Ranking, with five domestic tour victories and two wins in Japan during 2026. She leaves with a major championship won on one of British golf’s least forgiving stages.
The speed of the ascent is striking. This was only her seventh major start and her 10th LPGA Tour appearance when her three TOTO Japan Classic starts are included. She is the first non-member to win the AIG Women’s Open since Sophia Popov in 2020, and the first non-member to win an LPGA major since Yuka Saso at the 2021 US Women’s Open.
A First LPGA Title Brings a Sizeable Choice
The winner’s cheque is $1.5 million, but the more lasting consequence may be the membership decision now sitting on Kuwaki’s desk. She can accept immediate LPGA Tour membership for the remainder of 2026 or defer it until next season.
Immediate membership would make the prize money part of her official LPGA earnings and add 650 Race to the CME Globe points. It is the sort of administrative detail that can reshape a career while looking remarkably dull on paper.
For Kuwaki, the decision can wait. Sunday belonged to her, caddie Toru Oda and a performance defined by judgement rather than noise. Royal Lytham asked her to win the championship twice. On both occasions, she answered with par.
