It was half a century ago when the Women's Open was established in 1976, with amateur Jenny Lee Smith claiming the inaugural title at Fulford in North Yorkshire.
Decades on, this championship has been transformed. It's a professional major, one of the most prestigious events in the game, and boasts a total prize fund of $10m, which is a status simply unrecognisable from those early, formative days.
Royal Lytham & St Annes is the stage for this 51st edition of the AIG Women's Open. It was a century ago when the great Bobby Jones lifted the Claret Jug here, illustrating the rich history that is woven into one of England's most celebrated venues.
The storied roll of honour at this famed links also includes Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Bob Charles, Tony Jacklin, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Lehman, David Duval and Ernie Els.
It's fair to say that the champions here in the women's game are equally impressive. You have twice winner Sherri Steinhauer, the revered Annika Sorenstam, and two British stalwarts. Catriona Matthew's success in 2009 - coming just months after giving birth - has gone down in legend, while eight years ago, it was Georgia Hall's time, as the English star claimed a memorable triumph on home soil.
Returning in 2026, what can we expect this time? Nelly Korda won the first two majors of this season and was succeeded by Haeran Ryu, who remarkably secured the next two.
Miyu Yamashita is the defending champion - having lifted the title 12 months ago at Royal Porthcawl - while Charley Hull will be a fan favourite as she seeks to finally grasp her first major victory in a career that has so far featured five agonising runner-up finishes.
Here are just some of the players who we are keeping an eye on this week in Lancashire.
Nelly Korda
It's hardly a revelation to drop the world number one into this article, but how couldn't you? With four wins (two majors among them) and three runner-up finishes this season, the American's form culminating in her dream US Women's Open triumph was truly astonishing.
While the mood has been a little quiet lately, there is no doubt that the 28-year-old's motivation will be palpable as she attempts to get her hands on a major that has thus far proven elusive despite a painful near-miss at St Andrews in 2024.
Haeran Ryu
The 25-year-old South Korean had been a winner on the LPGA Tour and featured on the leaderboard at majors, but no one could have seen coming what has happened in recent weeks.
Becoming a major champion at the Women's PGA in June was special, but that success at Hazeltine was just the start as she followed that up by winning the Evian Championship on Lake Geneva in a week that included a spectacular round of 60, before holding her nerve in a playoff against the chasing Brooke Henderson.
She couldn't win three majors on the trot, could she?
Charley Hull
With five second place finishes to her name in major championships, Hull is undeniably overdue crossing that winning line. Always fun to watch, it's fair to say that the 30-year-old hasn't always been fond of links golf, it's far from her favourite form of the game in competition, but her runner-up placing at Porthcawl last year demonstrated that she may have finally discovered the formula.
There would be no more popular champion with the gallery this week.
Jeeno Thitikul
(Image Credit: Rolex/Chris Turvey)
Given that she has accumulated 22 professional victories (including nine on the LPGA Tour) and 11 top ten finishes in major championships, it's easy to forget that the former world number one is still just 23.
Thitikul is arguably the best player in the game yet to win a major title, but why couldn't that change here? The Thai golfer was the low amateur at Royal Lytham in 2018 as a 15-year-old.
Lottie Woad
The 22-year-old is a sensational talent and could well be England's best chance of a home winner this week. It's true to say that she wasn't at her sparkling best during her defence of the Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, but Woad has finished inside the top ten in both of her previous appearances in this championship.
Jenny Shin
Someone who did have a great week in Scotland was Jenny Shin. Leading from start to finish, the experienced South Korean did have a stumble on Sunday but managed to secure a second victory on the LPGA Tour - a decade after her first. With 15 appearances behind her in the Women's Open, the 33-year-old has some credible results to her name and may well fancy her chances of contending in this major championship.
Jiyai Shin
When it comes to knowing how to win, no one in the field comes close to Jiyai Shin. The 38-year-old has gathered 66 professional titles and won this championship twice, in 2008 and 2012, but her finishes in 2023 and 2024 (3rd and T2nd) underline that she still comes alive when playing in Britain.
Given that she rarely plays on the LPGA Tour, instead focusing on the circuits throughout Asia, you can forget just how good she really is to this day.
Miyu Yamashita
We have to close with the defending champion, who held off a charging Charley Hull and Minami Katsu to become a major winner in Wales. The diminutive Japanese golfer - who is not even five feet tall - is a wonderful player, skilled and poised, and her solid performances in the biggest events this year have emphasised that she has the potential to contend once more this week.
The Women's Open has become a fabulous championship and it's an opportunity to see the world's best compete on a respected links that has made its way back into the spotlight, with Royal Lytham & St Annes booked to host the 156th Open in 2028.
But who is going to lift the final major of 2026? It will be fascinating to discover just how that story unfolds.
