2025 AIG Women’s Open preview: Everything you need to know ahead of the action at Royal Porthcawl

The final major of the women’s golf season is here! Get up to speed with everything worth knowing in our AIG Women’s Open preview.

Lydia Ko stole the show at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open, clinching her third major title with a final-round of 69 at the Home of Golf, St Andrews. Her 7-under total edged out a tight leaderboard, and her victory capped a summer of stellar performances, including Olympic gold and her LPGA Hall of Fame induction. With drama down to the final hole – including a tough bogey from defending champ Lilia Vu – it was Ko who held her nerve and drained a birdie on 18 to seal it.

Let’s see what’s in store as the 2025 championship heads to Wales and Royal Porthcawl, where seaside winds and fresh rivalries await.

AIG Women’s Open key details

Dates: July 31-August 3, 2025

Venue: Royal Porthcawl, Wales (Par 72 – 7,068 yards)

Format: 72-hole strokeplay with 36-hole cut

Purse: The total prize money is yet to be announced, but 2024’s tournament was $9 million.

Defending champion: Lydia Ko (NZ), -7

Where is the 2025 AIG Women’s Open?

The 2025 tournament is being held at Royal Porthcawl, one of the UK’s best links courses, nestled between Cardiff and Swansea in South Wales.

Royal Porthcawl first came to life in 1891 thanks to Scotsman Ramsay Hunter, with a stylish facelift by Harry Colt a few decades later. Colt’s tweaks gave the place its brainy layout and scenic wow-factor.

Perched on a soft slope that tumbles toward the sea, the course skips the usual dune drama—so you get dreamy ocean views on every hole. It’s no stranger to big-time events either, boasting a resume that includes multiple Amateurs, the Walker and Curtis Cups, and Senior Opens.

Click here to read our full course guide to Royal Porthcawl.

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How to watch the AIG Women’s Open

Sky Sports will broadcast the AIG Women’s Open in the UK and Ireland, while NBC and the Golf Channel will be broadcasting in the US.

You can find a full breakdown of broadcast times, and other ways to, tune in to the action, right here.

Who is playing in the 2025 AIG Women’s Open?

The 2025 Women’s Open will feature a diverse field of professional and amateur players from around the world. Competitors will include major champions such as Lydia Ko, Lilia Vu, and Nelly Korda, top performers from the LPGA and LET tours such as Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, who recently turned professional after a run of fantastic amateur performances. There will also be talented players who secured their spots through pre-qualifying and final qualifying stages.

Click here for a full list of the 144 players at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open.

Who has won the Women’s Open?

Here’s a look back at the last 10 years of chamionship winners, and the courses on which they claimed their victory.

AIG Women’s Open prize money

The total prize money for the 2025 AIG Women’s Open will be announced ahead of the tournament.

The AIG Women’s Open is currently the third highest-paying major in women’s golf, trailing behind the US Open’s record $12 million purse and the KPMG PGA Championship’s $10.4 million. The purse for the 2024 AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews increased by $500,000 from 2023’s total, bringing the purse to $9.5 million, which was a a 5.5% rise.

In 2023, the prize fund saw a substantial 23% jump from $7.3 million in 2022. Although still smaller than the $17 million Open Championship purse at Royal Portrush this year, the women’s prize fund has grown significantly, nearly tripling since 2018 when Georgia Hall won at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Title sponsor AIG boosted the fund by $1.25 million in 2019 after several years of little change. The prize fund first hit $1 million in 1998, evolving from just £500 in 1976.

Find out more about the AIG Women’s Open prize money, and how it has evolved over the years, here.

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