The 50th staging of the championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes drew the biggest crowds since AIG became title sponsor, with broadcast and digital audiences also at record levels.

The AIG Women’s Open attracted a record 55,000 spectators to Royal Lytham & St Annes this week, alongside the biggest broadcast and digital audiences in the championship’s history, as it marked its 50th playing at the Fylde links course.

Attendance was up from 47,000 at last year’s championship at Royal Porthcawl. Just under 4,500 children were admitted free across the week through the R&A’s Kids Go Free scheme.

Broadcast and digital audiences climb

Sky Sports’ average daily audience was up 18.4% across all four rounds, boosted by new early-window coverage introduced for the first two days this year. Sky expanded its production for UK viewers, adding camera and analysis features alongside its usual interviews and studio coverage.

Digital viewing grew sharply too. The championship’s YouTube and R&A TV channels recorded 8.1 million live minutes watched, up 181% on 2025, while R&A TV’s live audience for the event rose 17% year-on-year, with viewers watching for 10% longer on average.

Across all AIG Women’s Open channels, total impressions rose 218% and engagements 39% compared with last year, with the tournament’s social channels up 41%. The R&A said engagement is now 20 times higher than five years ago. The official app also had its highest number of users to date, up 11% across the four days, with new sign-ups rising 43%.

Mark Darbon, chief executive of The R&A, said the figures reflected how much the championship means to players and fans, adding that the organisation was working to keep the AIG Women’s Open at the top of the women’s game.

The championship moves to Royal St George’s for the first time in 2027, running from 28 July to 1 August.

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