AIG Women’s Open: Big names who missed the cut at 2026 LPGA major

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England – For Georgia Hall, the fairytale finish wasn’t meant to be, though she will certainly have memories and photos to cherish.

Hall returned to Royal Lytham and St. Annes, site of her major championship triumph eight years ago, with infant son Conor and fiancé Paul Dunne by her side. It was a lovely family event, even if her golf at the 2026 AIG Women’s British Open didn’t get her to the weekend. Hall shot 76-72 to finish at 6 over for the championship. The cut fell at 4 over, with 68 players advancing.

“I had a picture with him on 18 and that will definitely be my screen saver,” said Hall. “I have my whole life there with Paul. It’s lovely. It’s a shame he’s not a bit older, but I’m really grateful that I kind of made it back here and everything went well enough in the birth to allow me to play.”

It was a tough week for moms, in fact, as only Alison Lee (4 over) has a Saturday tee time. Royal Lytham was the site of Catriona Matthew’s incredible feat in 2009, when she triumphed only 11 weeks after giving birth to daughter Sophie.

Perhaps the most shocking player to miss the cut this week was defending champion Miyu Yamashita, who made a quadruple-bogey eight on the par-4 18th after bunker trouble and a triple on the par-4 third. Yamashita shot 77 on Friday to finish at 7 over for the tournament. It marked her first missed cut in a major since the 2024 British Open.

Minjee Lee’s slump continued in England as the 30-year-old finished 7 over. Lee hit only two fairways in the opening round and 11 on Friday.

Last week at the Scottish, the three-time major winner opened with a shocking 85 and was 10 over through 13 holes in her second round when she withdrew due to illness. When asked by Fox Sports Australia earlier this week for a reason for last week’s withdrawal, Lee said “I’d rather not.”

For a third time in four weeks, Kiara Romero had a chance to earn her LPGA card. The No. 1 amateur in the world, however, shot 76-74 to miss the cut in her third straight professional event.

Should she remain the No. 1 amateur through next week, however, she’ll receive the Mark H. McCormack Medal and cross the threshold. The only player who could potentially thwart that: No. 2 Paula Martin Sampedro, who is tied for sixth at Royal Lytham at 2 under.

Other highly-ranked players who missed the weekend include Ruoning Yin, (10 over), Gaby Lopez (5 over), Ina Yoon (6 over) and A Lim Kim (7 over).

Helen Briem, the tall German who was trying to nab an automatic qualifying spot for the Solheim Cup team, will instead need a pick. Briem trails Chiara Tamburlini by one point in the European Solheim Cup standings and will not overtake her.