The AIG Women's Open starts Thursday at Royal Lytham & St Annes. It is the 50th edition, and it arrives with a few storylines already in place.
- 50 Editions of the championship, counting this one
- 3 Japanese winners so far: Ayaka Okamoto (1984), Hinako Shibuno (2019) and Miyu Yamashita, the defending champion
- 3 Majors in a row that Haeran Ryu can make it, if she wins on Sunday
- 2 Of Sherri Steinhauer's three Women's Open titles that came at Lytham, in 1998 and 2006
- 1 Lytham title for Annika Sorenstam, in 2003
What Lytham rewards
Lytham is famous for its pot bunkers, and it is not a links you can overpower. Keeping the ball out of the sand matters more than length here.
What to watch
Ryu is the story of the week. Nobody gets to go for three majors in a row very often. The home crowd will follow Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, both still looking for a first major. And Japan will be trying to keep the trophy for the second year running.
We'll have the result on Monday.
Sources: AIG Women's Open (Royal Lytham history and past Japanese winners); Golf.com (Haeran Ryu, 1 August).