Elliott Heath
The final women’s Major Championship of the season takes place at St Andrews' Old Course for the 48th playing of the tournament and the 24th as a Major.
During this time, a number of great champions have managed to get their name on the iconic trophy, including Annika Sörenstam, Karrie Webb, Lorena Ochoa and Inbee Park.
And this is what they’re all playing for – that famous piece of silverware. However, whoever holds the trophy aloft on 18 at the famed Old Course on Sunday will receive a number of perks, too.
Here are some of the perks of winning The AIG Women’s Open.
The Trophy
The AIG Women’s Open trophy was first awarded at the Ricoh Women’s British Open at St Andrews in 2007, lifted by champion Lorena Ochoa.
The elegant fluted design with floral pattern was created by Edward Asprey, the master craftsman behind a number of other glittering golf trophies, including the famous falcon trophy awarded to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship victor on the DP World Tour.
The Money
Lilia Vu won $1.35m at last year's AIG Women's Open
The R&A upped the AIG Women's Open prize money to a huge $9.5m this year, with the champion set to win $1.45m - up $100,000 on what Lilia Vu won in 2023.
Open Exemption
Anna Nordqvist won The AIG Women’s Open in 2021
One of the greatest perks of winning The AIG Women’s Open is that it helps the winner plan for the future.
Champions are exempt into the AIG Women’s Open until they are 60-years-old, provided they are still an active member of a recognised professional tour.
Other Major exemptions
The AIG Women's Open winner is exempt into the other four Majors for five years each, meaning they get to play in all 25 Majors over the next five seasons.
Race To The CME Globe Points
The winner of The 2024 AIG Women's Open will also pick up 650 points towards the LPGA Tour's season-long Race to the CME Globe.
Most events only carry 500 for the winner, with the five Majors giving 30% extra.
Double Solheim Cup points
All of the five women's Majors offer double the Solheim Cup points vs regular events, meaning USA and European players can make big moves to securing their spot on the teams with victory at St Andrews this week.
The automatic qualifiers will be confirmed after this week's event, too.
LPGA Membership
Non-member winners receive five-year tour exemptions, which opens up a lot of doors.
Rolex ANNIKA Major Award Points
Minjee Lee of Australia receives the Rolex Annika Major Award in 2022
The Rolex ANNIKA Major Award was established in 2014 to recognize the player who, during a current LPGA Tour season, has the most outstanding Major Championship record.
Players are only eligible for the award if they win a Major, and it's those players who finish in the top 10 and ties at all five Major Championships who pick up points.
The points available from each Major are as follows:
- 1st place - 60 pts
- 2nd place - 24 pts
- 3rd place - 18 pts
- 4th place - 14 pts
- 5th place - 12 pts
- 6th place - 10 pts
- 7th place - 8 pts
- 8th place - 6 pts
- 9th place - 4 pts
- 10th place - 2 pts
LPGA Hall Of Fame Points
When a player wins a Major Championship they tick off a big box towards entering the LPGA Hall Of Fame.
It's one of the big requirements to enter illustrious company, although players also need to accumulate 27 Hall Of Fame points, and winning a Major Championship is worth just two.
