Women's British Open bosses have boosted prize money by almost 40 per cent for this year's tournament.
The R&A has announced the increase to 4.5million US dollars (£3.6million) with AIG coming on board as title sponsor, with the winner taking home 675,000 US dollars (£539,000).
The Women's British Open now offers the second-highest prize fund of the five majors in the women's game, with this year's edition held at Woburn from August 1 to 4.
"We recognised that more needed to be done to elevate the prize fund for this great championship and are pleased that we have been able to make a significant increase this year as part of The R&A's commitment to women's golf," said The R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers.
"This is an important first step and we know it will take time to move closer to achieving parity with the men's game.
"We will continue to work toward the long-term goal of a sustainable business model but we can't do it alone and the support of fans, sponsors and media are all key to achieving that success."
Georgia Hall will defend her title against nine of the past 10 champions at the Woburn challenge, with AIG entering the first of a five-year sponsorship deal.
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