Kuwaki Wins Women's Open After Wild Playoff at Royal Lytham

A Major Championship Decided by the Unthinkable

I've seen plenty of wild finishes in major championships, but what unfolded at Royal Lytham & St Annes on Sunday might just take the cake. Shiho Kuwaki is your 2026 AIG Women's Open champion, but the manner in which she claimed the Claret Jug will be debated in clubhouses for years to come.

The 23-year-old Japanese star captured her first major title after a playoff that ended in the most extraordinary fashion imaginable. Has a marshal's ankle ever determined the outcome of a major championship before? I certainly can't recall one, but that's exactly what happened on the Lancashire coast.

How We Got to the Playoff

Let me back up for a moment, because the drama didn't start in the playoff—it was building all afternoon. This was a Women's Open where nobody seemed willing to grab hold of the trophy. The tension was palpable, written across the faces of every contender as they navigated Lytham's treacherous final holes.

Kuwaki posted five under par in the clubhouse and had to wait. And wait. Esther Henseleit needed a birdie at the 18th to force extra holes, and she was staring down a 45-foot putt that looked nearly impossible.

The German rolled it true. When that ball was still five feet from the hole, Henseleit already knew. She'd done it. Back to the 18th we went.

The First Playoff Hole

On the first trip back to 18, Kuwaki played a gorgeous approach shot to secure her par. The playoff continued. Both players gathered themselves for another crack at the famous finishing hole.

The Moment Nobody Saw Coming

Kuwaki found the fairway with a textbook drive. Henseleit? Not so fortunate. Her tee shot drifted right, already in trouble before fate intervened in the cruelest possible way.

The ball struck the lower leg of a volunteer marshal. Instead of settling in manageable rough, it ricocheted violently, coming to rest at the base of a gorse bush. Henseleit's face told the whole story.

Give credit to the German—she showed serious guts. She managed to advance the ball back to the fairway, but the damage was done. Kuwaki held all the cards now, and her steady four sealed the championship.

A Rollercoaster Regulation Round

The playoff drama almost overshadowed what was a fascinating final round. Henseleit had tied Kuwaki at five under with a tap-in birdie at the 15th, looking every bit like a champion in the making. Then reality struck.

From the 16th tee, Henseleit hooked her three-wood into the long grass. Bogey. It was as if getting close to that trophy triggered some kind of alarm in every contender's mind.

Yealimi Noh held a three-shot advantage after 54 holes. She even extended that lead early in the round before the pressure of Sunday at a major caught up with her. England's Charley Hull and young Lottie Woad finished in a share of sixth place, giving the home fans something to cheer about but falling short of the ultimate prize.

Japan's Back-to-Back Dominance

Kuwaki's victory means Japan now has consecutive AIG Women's Open champions. For a player who had appeared in just one previous Women's Open—missing the cut at Royal Porthcawl in 2025—this represents a stunning breakthrough.

Perhaps her inexperience actually helped. While seasoned contenders buckled under the weight of chasing the 50th edition of this championship, Kuwaki played with a freedom that served her perfectly.

The Takeaway

This Women's Open will be remembered not just for Kuwaki's maiden major triumph, but for the heartbreak that befell Henseleit. She produced one of the great clutch putts in major history to force the playoff, only to have her championship hopes undone by a volunteer's ankle.

Golf has always been a game where fortune plays a role, but rarely this dramatically on this stage. Kuwaki is a deserving champion who held her nerve when it mattered most. Henseleit, meanwhile, has every right to feel aggrieved—but she'll be back. Players who can drain 45-footers under that kind of pressure don't stay without major titles for long.