To say plenty was riding on the outcome of the AIG Women’s Open would be an understatement, with not only the distinction of a Major title alongside the winner’s name, but a host of other perks that come with taking the title.
They include an AIG Women’s Open exemption until the age of 60 and places in the other four Majors for the next five years.
There was life-changing money on the line, too, with this year’s winner Shiho Kuwaki earning a record $1.5m, before various factors reduce how much she really gets to keep. One of those is the money the Kuwaki will pay to her caddie, Toru Oda, from the $1.5m.
It is widely accepted that tournament winners generally give their caddies 10% of their prize money. Oda is expected to receive $150,000 for his role in helping Kuwaki win at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
That’s an increase from a year ago, when Miya Yamashita won $1,462,500, giving her caddie John Bennett around $146,250. In 2024, Lydia Ko won $1,350,000, of which around $135,000 would have been paid to her caddie Paul Cormack.
That $150,000 is not likely to be the full amount Oda will earn either, with players negotiating separate terms with their caddie.
For example, most caddies are either paid an annual salary or given a weekly base rate, although that information is generally kept between them.
The caddies of players finishing further down the leaderboard are also expected to be well compensated for their work.
Caddies of players finishing in the other positions in the top 10 of the AIG Women’s Open leaderboard are expected to receive around 7% of the prize money, with around 5% going to the caddies of other players in the field.
