AIG Women's Open 2026: 10 million dollars prize money and more live TV

To mark its 50th anniversary, the AIG Women's Open 2026 is sending a clear signal for growth in women's golf: The R&A and title sponsor AIG are increasing the prize fund to 10 million US dollars and at the same time significantly expanding the live broadcast. The tournament will be played from July 29 to August 2, 2026 at the tradition-steeped Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The increase is not just a round anniversary figure, but part of a longer-term development. R&A boss Mark Darbon speaks of the sixth consecutive increase in prize money. In the official announcement, he emphasizes that the "consistent and sustainable investments" show how serious The R&A and AIG are about their ambition to further enhance the international status of the championship.

Find out more about the women's golf majors here.

Prize money development at the AIG Women's Open

A look back makes the dynamic clear: when the Women's Open was last hosted at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2018, the total prize fund stood at 3.25 million US dollars. Since the partnership between The R&A and AIG, which began in 2019, the prize money has more than tripled. The organizers are thus continuing their policy of developing the championship step by step towards the top level of the major women's tournaments - without claiming to escalate in the short term at any price.

The second component of the announcement is at least as relevant for visibility: more live hours on TV. A new, additional live window will be introduced in the morning for the first two rounds. On Thursday and Friday (Rounds 1 and 2), early coverage will run from 9am to 1pm (BST), before the main coverage takes over from 1pm to 7pm (BST). On Saturday and Sunday, seven hours of live coverage are scheduled from 12pm to 7pm (BST). In total, this adds up to 34 hours of live coverage over four days. Darbon speaks of an increase of 20 percent compared to 2025 and calls the expansion "a new benchmark" for women's golf.

More TV broadcast time for the Women's Open

In the UK, the broadcast will be available in full on Sky Sports and via R&A TV, according to the announcement. In the USA, Golf Channel, USA Network and NBC will broadcast live. International partners include JTBC (South Korea), JGN and U-Next (Japan) as well as VGolf (Scandinavia).

It is striking that investments are continuing despite the economic reality. Darbon admits in media quotes that the tournament is currently not profitable - but profitability is not the top priority. Strong venues, a high-quality experience for players and reach via TV and digital channels are crucial in order to attract new target groups (source: BBC report on the AIG Women's Open). AIG CEO Peter Zaffino links the development to the company's self-image: the tournament stands for AIG's aspiration to advance women in business, sport and society.

Those who want to experience the anniversary on site can also benefit: As part of "Kids Go Free", children under the age of 16 accompanied by a paying adult will receive free admission, while youth tickets (16-24) are available at half price. This will not only make the 50th edition bigger, but also more accessible - both on TV and on the course.