The 50th AIG Women's Open begins at Royal Lytham & St Annes on July 29, with the world's top two players sharing a marquee grouping and the course itself demanding a different kind of golf.

Nelly Korda, the world No. 1, arrives with four major titles — two of them won this year. She claimed the US Women's Open in June, finishing one shot ahead of Charley Hull. The 30-year-old Englishwoman now has five runner-up finishes in majors and zero wins, a record that draws sympathy and frustration in equal measure.

Korda, speaking at pre-tournament media availability at Royal Lytham, was generous about the woman who keeps finishing second to her. "She's such a great personality," Korda said of Hull. "It would be great for her to do it on home soil, too. She's an amazing player. I enjoy playing with her. It would be great for the game." The Guardian

Hull's near-misses have become a recurring storyline. At the 2025 AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl, Miyu Yamashita pipped her to the title despite Hull carding a final-round 69. Korda compared Hull's repeated contention without a breakthrough to Sam Burns on the men's side — a player who keeps knocking on the door without it opening.

Royal Lytham, a links course (the coastal, wind-exposed style of golf that defines the Open championship), is the sixth Women's Open venue to host the tournament. It last held the event in 2018, when Georgia Hall won her first major. The men's Open is due back in 2028.

The course will not reward raw power. Korda estimates she will use her driver — the longest-hitting club in the bag — at most five times per round, adding a four-iron for control off the tee instead. On a links, position off the tee matters more than distance: the fairways are firm, the ball runs, and the bunkers are deep enough to cost a shot. Korda, who described her 2025 season as frustrating and said she decided to "stop getting so frustrated with everything," appears to have recalibrated both her mindset and her bag.

For fans, this means a tournament where the leaderboard could shift with the wind rather than with a single player's hot streak. Hull has the home crowd — she is joined by Lottie Woad as the other Englishwoman in the field — but home support does not calm a cross-breeze on the back nine. A three-shot lead on a links can vanish in two holes if the wind turns.

The 50th edition features an increased prize fund and expanded broadcast coverage, with adult tickets starting at £27.50 and youth tickets offered at half price. Tee times for the first two rounds were confirmed in late July, with Korda and Hull grouped alongside Haeran Ryu. AIG Women's Open

Korda's family sporting pedigree runs deep: both parents were professional tennis players, her brother still competes on tour, and her sister Jessica plays on the LPGA Tour. Hull, for her part, has been in the public eye since she was a teenager, withdrawing from the ANA Inspiration in September 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19.

Four rounds. One trophy. A course that asks questions off every tee. Royal Lytham has a habit of producing close finishes, and the stage is set for another.