Ryu Hae-ran and Nelly Korda clash for 'major queen' title at AIG Women's Open

Ryu Hae-ran and Nelly Korda of the United States, each with two major victories this season, will go head-to-head at the AIG Women's Open — the season's final major — in a battle for the title of "major queen."

Ryu will chase a third consecutive major title at the tournament, which runs Thursday through Sunday at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club (par 72) in Lancashire, England. She and Korda, who won back-to-back majors at the Chevron Championship and the US Women's Open, are grouped together for the first and second rounds.

If Ryu has the stronger week, she will claim the Rolex Annika Major Award, given to the season's top major performer. Korda leads the standings with 126 points, six ahead of Ryu's 120. Third-placed Brooke Henderson of Canada sits at 42 points and has no realistic path to the award even with a win at the AIG Women's Open. A player must win at least one major during the season to be eligible.

Should Korda win the award, she would become only the second player in history to claim it twice, after Minjee Lee (2022 and 2025). If Ryu takes it, she would become the fourth Korean winner, following Park In-bee (2015), Yoo So-yeon (2017) and Ko Jin-young (2019).

A Ryu victory would also make her the fifth player ever to win both the Rookie of the Year award and the Annika Major Award, joining Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand, Ko, Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Yoo. Whichever of the two wins the AIG Women's Open, a player claiming three majors in a single season to secure the Annika Major Award would be a first in LPGA history.

The award scenarios heading into the final major are complex. Korda clinches the award outright with a win this week. A runner-up finish also secures it for her, as long as Ryu does not win. Even a fourth-place finish is enough for Korda if Ryu finishes third or lower.

Ryu, too, clinches the award outright with a win. A runner-up finish earns her the award if Korda finishes third or lower. If Ryu finishes third, she needs Korda to finish fifth or lower to take home the honor.

Established in 2014, the Rolex Annika Major Award is determined by a comprehensive evaluation of top-10 finishes across the five LPGA majors held during the season. Past recipients include Michelle Wie West (2014), Park In-bee (2015), Lydia Ko (2016), Yoo So-yeon (2017), Ariya Jutanugarn (2018), Ko Jin-young (2019), Patty Tavatanakit (2021), Minjee Lee (2022 and 2025), Lilia Vu (2023) and Nelly Korda (2024).

The 2026 winner will be formally presented the award at the official Rolex LPGA Awards ceremony during the CME Group Tour Championship week in November.