AIG Women's Open Prize Money Shows How Far the Major Has Moved

What happened:

Watch the highlights:

Sky News reports that the AIG Women's Open is approaching its 50th anniversary at Royal Lytham & St Annes, with the championship's growth described as almost unrecognisable from its launch. The source highlights the stark prize-money contrast: when the event first launched 50 years ago, the field was made up mostly of amateurs and total tournament prize money stood at £500. The winner's prize is now £1.25m.

Why it matters:

That shift is not just a financial footnote. Prize money is one of the clearest signals of how a tournament is valued by sponsors, broadcasters, governing bodies, players, and fans. A major that once had a mostly amateur field now sits in a very different competitive economy, where elite preparation, travel, support teams, and career planning all depend on the event being treated as a serious professional stage.

Tournament impact:

Royal Lytham & St Annes gives the anniversary more weight because the setting links the present championship to a broader major tradition. The anniversary does not decide the result, but it changes the backdrop around the week. Players are competing not just for a title, but inside a visible marker of how quickly women's golf has developed.

What changed:

The confirmed contrast is simple and powerful: £500 total prize money at launch, £1.25m for the winner now. That does not explain every part of the tournament's rise, but it gives fans a useful scale. The event has moved from a modest, amateur-heavy beginning into a major where the economics match a far bigger sporting platform.

What to watch:

The next question is how the championship converts that growth into competitive depth. Bigger prize funds can raise stakes, attract stronger fields, and increase pressure on players trying to peak for a major week. The useful tournament lens is not only who wins, but how deep the leaderboard looks and whether the event feels like a genuine test from the opening round through the final holes.

Confidence:

Confirmed by the Sky News source: the AIG Women's Open is marking its 50th anniversary at Royal Lytham & St Annes, began with a mostly amateur field, had £500 total prize money at launch, and now carries a £1.25m winner's prize. Not confirmed from the supplied facts: the full current purse, player list, tee times, course setup, or betting implications.