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2026 AIG Women's Open: Hull, Korda Lead Major Chase at Royal Lytham

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Nelly Korda of USA plays a shot during a Pro-Am prior to the AIG Women's Open 2026 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes on July 29, 2026 in Lytham St Annes, England.

Opening Round Underway at Royal Lytham

The 2026 AIG Women's Open, the fifth and final major of the LPGA season, teed off Thursday morning at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in Lancashire, England. With a $10 million purse on the line, the world’s top female golfers are competing for glory at one of the most storied links courses in the game.

Round 1 coverage began at 4 a.m. ET on Golf Channel, switching to USA Network at 8 a.m. ET through 2 p.m. ET. Streaming is available via Golfchannel.com, the Golf Channel App, and the NBC Sports App. Among the early marquee groups, World No. 1 Nelly Korda teed off at 3:42 a.m. ET alongside Lydia Ko and Haeran Ryu. English star Charley Hull, who finished T2 at last year’s Women’s Open and again at the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open, is carrying home-soil hopes into her quest for a first major title.

Full TV Schedule for the Week

Stakes at a Career-Defining Level

The narrative this week centers on two compelling storylines: Charley Hull’s long-awaited major breakthrough and Nelly Korda’s pursuit of a career Grand Slam.

Hull, ranked No. 7 in the world, has three LPGA victories but has finished runner-up in majors five times. Coming off a T2 at last month’s U.S. Women’s Open—where Korda claimed the title—and a T2 at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, the 30-year-old Englishwoman is due for a coronation on home soil. The galleries at Royal Lytham are expected to be heavily in her favor, adding both pressure and motivation.

Defending champion Miyu Yamashita, who won as a rookie in 2025, returns to defend her title. Other contenders include Linn Grant, Jin Young Ko, and Lottie Woad, the rising star who has impressed in recent majors.

For Korda, a victory this week would mark her third major of 2026—after wins at the Chevron Championship and U.S. Women’s Open—and give her a major title at four different championships, effectively completing a career Grand Slam. She finished T2 at the Women’s Open in 2024 and has never won this event.

Perspective: What a Win Would Change

A Hull victory would be a watershed moment for English golf and for the LPGA’s visibility in the U.K. It would also end one of the most discussed near-miss narratives in the sport. For Korda, adding the Women’s Open to her résumé would cement her legacy as one of the most dominant players of her generation and fuel discussion about her place in the all-time rankings.

The AIG Women’s Open remains the only women’s major played outside the United States, and its rotation through historic links courses like Royal Lytham underscores growing global investment in the women’s game. The $10 million purse is the largest in tournament history.

In related golf news, Jackson Koivun Wins 3M Open, Takes Home $1.584 Million Prize, highlighting a busy stretch for professional golf. Off the course, the Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Iran War Cloud Darkens Inflation Outlook, a reminder of the broader economic context affecting sponsorships and travel for international events.

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