AIG Women's Open Featured Groups Start With Ko, Korda, and Ryu, Then Get Even Meaner

Image: LPGA

The LPGA did not exactly tiptoe into the 2026 AIG Women’s Open with the featured groups.

It basically went straight to the good stuff.

According to the LPGA’s official featured-groups release published Wednesday, July 29, 2026, checked on Thursday, July 30, the championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes opens with a top-line trio of Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda, and Haeran Ryu, then keeps stacking serious names behind them.

This piece is based on the LPGA’s official July 29, 2026 featured-groups story, checked on July 30. No pretending I was in the room when somebody started arranging names on a whiteboard and decided to be rude to the rest of the field.

If you want the broader setup first, read our full AIG Women’s Open field breakdown, the ANNIKA award-race update, and our watch guide for the week.

The Headline Group Is the One It Should Be

The first marquee tee time the LPGA highlighted is:

• Thursday, July 30, 8:42 a.m., 1st tee
• Friday, July 31, 1:26 p.m., 1st tee
• Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda, Haeran Ryu

That group works because every player brings a different kind of weight.

The LPGA notes that:

• Ko won this championship in 2024 at St Andrews
• Korda is still carrying the Hall of Fame pressure line we already covered here
• Ryu arrives chasing a third straight major win after the run we covered in our Evian story

That is not a gimmick pairing. That is a weekly-news cycle by itself.

The Defending-Champ Group Is No Joke Either

The next big one the LPGA flagged:

• Thursday, July 30, 1:15 p.m., 1st tee
• Friday, July 31, 8:31 a.m., 1st tee
• Miyu Yamashita, Jeeno Thitikul, Lauren Coughlin

That is a sneaky nasty group.

The official LPGA release says Yamashita returns as defending champion after her 2025 win at Royal Porthcawl. It also points out Thitikul was the low amateur at this championship in both 2018 and 2019, which is exactly the kind of stat that reminds you she has been orbiting this event for a while. Coughlin, meanwhile, brings the links credentials of a 2024 Women’s Scottish Open win and a tie for 13th at last year’s AIG.

That trio has a very strong “everybody here knows how to survive a proper week” energy.

The Hull Group Feels Like Prime British-Open-Theater Material

The LPGA’s third highlighted group:

• Thursday, July 30, 1:26 p.m., 1st tee
• Friday, July 31, 8:42 a.m., 1st tee
• Charley Hull, Hannah Green, Brooke Henderson

This one has a little more chaos to it in the best way.

The LPGA says Hull has twice finished runner-up at the AIG Women’s Open, including last year. Green has not had much joy in this major historically, which is exactly why she becomes interesting if she gets going early. Henderson still has a live career-grand-slam angle hanging around, and the LPGA notes she was tied for 11th the last time the event came to Royal Lytham in 2018.

So yes, this group feels like broadcast producers trying to guarantee themselves something useful by lunchtime.

The Tee Sheet Matches the Week

This is really the broader point.

The LPGA did not need to manufacture intrigue here. The week already had it.

We already argued in our no-single-main-character opinion piece that this major is better because it is not built around one lone superstar and a pile of supporting furniture. The featured groups back that up.

You have:

• Ko, Korda, Ryu for raw résumé weight
• Yamashita, Thitikul, Coughlin for form and recent links credibility
• Hull, Green, Henderson for major scars, home pressure, and legacy angles

That is a strong board before anybody even holes a putt.

Bottom Line

The LPGA’s official July 29, 2026 featured-groups release, checked on July 30, opens the AIG Women’s Open with Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda, and Haeran Ryu, then follows with Miyu Yamashita, Jeeno Thitikul, Lauren Coughlin and Charley Hull, Hannah Green, Brooke Henderson.

That is exactly how a major should look:

stacked early, stacked late, and not especially interested in easing into the week.