Shiho Kuwaki wins AIG Women's Open in playoff for first major title

Shiho Kuwaki outlasted Germany’s Esther Henseleit over two extra holes at Royal Lytham & St Annes in Lancashire, England, to win the AIG Women’s Open and capture her first major title. Kuwaki sealed the victory with a par on the second playoff hole after Henseleit forced the championship into sudden-death pressure.

The result gave Japan back-to-back Women’s Open winners, following Miyu Yamashita’s victory the previous year, and turned a tight finish into another marker of the country’s growing presence at the top of women’s golf. Kuwaki, 23, had already shown she could handle the lead early in the week, holding a one-shot clubhouse advantage after the second round before the field tightened around her.

The final LPGA major of the season drew 144 players, with only the top 65 and ties moving on to the weekend. That cut line made the weekend path unforgiving, and Kuwaki stayed in the frame through the closing rounds while Henseleit also remained in contention after a strong third round. The championship eventually came down to the playoff, where Kuwaki’s steadier finish decided it.

The victory carried more than one distinction. Along with becoming a first-time major champion, Kuwaki won an event that one report described as carrying a record payout, underscoring the scale of the AIG Women’s Open as the sport’s financial profile continues to rise. For Japan, though, the larger signal was competitive depth: two consecutive Women’s Open titles from Japanese players suggest that the country’s women’s game is producing winners ready to close at the highest level, not just contend.