Shiho Kuwaki wins AIG Women's Open after dramatic playoff at Royal Lytham & St Annes

Shiho Kuwaki won her first major title after overcoming Germany's Esther Henseleit on the second extra hole.

02 Aug 2026

Shiho Kuwaki won the AIG Women's Open by overcoming Esther Henseleit in a dramatic playoff.

The Japanese golfer, 25, looked as though she was going to win the final women's major of the year at Royal Lytham & St Annes by one stroke after posting a 72-hole total of 5-under.

But the 27-year-old German holed a monster birdie putt at the 18th to match her total and force extra holes.

Both players headed back down the last and it looked as though Henseleit was going to claim the title when Kuwaki got in trouble and found the thick rough with her tee shot, but she managed to hack out and escape with a par.

Henseleit then suffered a brutal touch of luck when her tee shot at the second play-off hole hit a marshal on the leg and bounced into a gorse bush.

From there, she could only manage a bogey while Kuwaki made a par.

It is a first major title for Kuwaki, who is nicknamed "Yellow Golfer" because she always plays with a yellow ball.

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AIG Women's Open: Final leaderboard
Position	Player	Score
1	Esther Henseleit	-5
1	Shiho Kuwaki	-5
3	Yealimi Noh	-4
4	Nelly Korda	-2
4	Atthaya Thitikul	-2
6	Hae-Ran Ryu	-1
6	Shannon Tan	-1
6	Lottie Woad	-1
6	Wei Ling Hsu	-1
6	Rio Takeda	-1
6	Charley Hull	-1
12	Yuka Saso	E
12	Celine Boutier	E
12	Sara Kouskova	E
12	Minami Katsu	E
16	Lucy Li	+1
16	Lauren Coughlin	+1
16	Jin-Hee Im	+1
16	Hyo-Joo Kim	+1
20	Chanettee Wannasaen	+2
20	Lydia Ko	+2
20	Soo-Bin Joo	+2
23	Carla Tejedo	+3
23	Ashleigh Buhai	+3
23	Paphangkorn Tavatanakit	+3
23	Mao Saigo	+3
23	Pia Babnik	+3
23	Amelia Garvey	+3
29	Yuna Araki	+4
29	Anna Nordqvist	+4
29	Hannah Green	+4
29	Brooke Henderson	+4
29	Chisato Iwai	+4
29	Sei-Young Kim	+4
29	Paula Martin	+4
36	Maja Stark	+5
36	Jing Yan	+5
36	Arpichaya Yubol	+5
36	Alexandra Foersterling	+5
36	Mimi Rhodes	+5
41	Yana Wilson	+6
41	Auston Kim	+6
41	Cara Gainer	+6
44	Dewi Weber	+7
44	Nasa Hataoka	+7
44	Nastasia Nadaud	+7
47	Manon de Roey	+8
47	Jin-Young Ko	+8
47	Amy Yang	+8
47	Jenny Shin	+8
47	Rose Zhang	+8
47	Robyn Choi	+8
53	Yun-Seo Yang	+9
53	Ariya Jutanugarn	+9
53	Julia Lopez	+9
53	Ayaka Furue	+9
53	Alice Hewson	+9
58	Annabell Fuller	+10
58	Pauline Roussin-Bouchard	+10
58	Kajsa Arwefjall	+10
61	Aunchisa Utama	+11
61	Lindy Duncan	+11
61	Akie Iwai	+11
64	Amanda Doherty	+12
65	Alison Lee	+13
65	Mi-Hyang Lee	+13
65	Min-Ji Kang	+13
68	Casandra Alexander	+14

Another disappointing major result for Charley Hull

Hull entered the day with faint hopes of claiming a first major title.

The 30-year-old from Kettering, who has finished runner-up five times in majors - including twice at the AIG Women's Open - admitted after her opening round that she struggles to cope with the weight of expectation.

She got off to the perfect start on Sunday by making a birdie at the 1st.

But double-bogeys at the 3rd and 7th effectively ended her hopes.

After hitting the turn in 2-over, Hull responded with a birdie at the 10th but followed it with eight consecutive pars to finish on 1-under overall alongside her compatriot Lottie Woad.

Woad also endured a frustrating afternoon, dropping a shot right out of the gate and making the turn in 2-over.

She made birdie at the 11th but played her final seven holes in 1-over to sign for a 73.

Hull and Woad spent a long time signing autographs after their rounds but declined to speak to media.