Golf Business News – Yamashita wins AIG Women’s Open in front of Wales’ record crowd
Japan’s Miyu Yamashita wins her first major title at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales
The 24-year-old entered the final round with a one-shot lead, defeating three birdies in the first nine games and dropping her day on the 17th to win two shots.
“It’s incredible to win such a historic match in front of all these fans, and it’s amazing to have the family around me,” the champion said. “It’s really, really special to be part of this moment in history.”
The success of this major champion on the Japanese LPGA Tour increased her success, where she already had 13 titles and became the sixth champion in Japan.
Before breaking through the victory, Yamashiro won the best result in the 2024 Million-Second Royal Women’s PGA Championship. She placed the T6 in the same event earlier this year and recently completed the T14 at the Amundi Evian Championship.
On the last day, there was a strong crowd of people blowing wet and strong winds before the weather cleared in the afternoon. More than 47,000 fans competed in the Royal Porthcawl’s championship for five days, making it the largest women’s sporting event ever in Wales.
Charley Hull of England went two shots with Minami Katsu of Japan at a nine-race ratio at the T2.
Hull was right in the fight until she bogeyed on 16 and 17, which brought the four-time LET WINNER back a long way, who was chasing her first major champion.
By the end, I didn’t even play badly on 16. I didn’t even move it like an inch. A little unfortunate. Missed 17 putters. About 18 years old. Because I have a high leverage on the bunker and I do a great job there, just for the sake of unfortunately, I don’t feel my fate. Pure. ”
Hull now finishes second in the professional second, including runner-up at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open and AIG Women’s Open.
A large crowd followed Hull throughout the round. She added: “It’s great. I feel the chicken skin ump, especially that birdie putter. I don’t even remember what the hole it was, maybe 14. It’s really good.”
She heads to the PIF London Championship next week. “I look forward to playing in London next week. It’s at home. Looking forward to this from here. Major’s second place.”
In the fourth tie, two of them were Rio Wudashi from Japan and Lin Jin from South Korea. After England’s Lottie Woad made her career debut last week at the Scottish Open, her favorite is the dealer’s favorite.
“I don’t think it will affect my golf ball, but there will definitely be more attention, more eyes for me,” Woad said of the expectations on her shoulders. “I feel like I’ve handled it well overall, just sticking to my game and just wanting to really focus on the preparations and not letting it distract me. It’s a really good week, it’s a very solid week.”
Growing fan engagement
The AIG Women’s Open enjoyed a bumper presence this week and reached some new peaks in terms of broadcast audience share, as well as digital coverage and participation.
More than 47,000 fans competed in the Royal Porthcawl’s championship for five days, making it the largest women’s sporting event ever in Wales. Family and children participated in the conference in large numbers, with nearly 2,500 children passing R&A’s long-term children’s free initiative.
The champions made significant progress in capturing more television viewers in the UK, with the first two rounds drawing Sky Sports’ top average viewers on day one and two.
YouTube’s views grew 144%, viewing hours increased by 93%, engagement increased by 133%, and digital fans increased by 144%. On social media, the AIG Women’s Open Instagram account achieved its highest engagement day ever on Saturday. So far, social media impressions/views have increased by 221% year-on-year compared to 2024, and social followers’ growth rate has increased by 316% compared to last year.
R&A CEO Mark Darbon said: “The AIG Women’s Open is making great strides across the board. We are delighted to have a lot of fans this week and the number of fans that have been adjusted on TV and interacted with our digital platform. This championship is a major event globally and important for women’s sports and especially golf, and is crucial for women’s sports.
“We thank AIG and all of our partners for their incredible support to continue to improve the championship, which gives us a look at how this resonates with our fans. We provide fans with creative and innovative ways to interact with champions and players and you can see that they are happy with this opportunity.”
