April 28 (Reuters) - The women's British Open is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a record-breaking $10 million prize fund for the major at Royal Lytham & St Annes this year, the R&A announced on Tuesday.
The winner of the championship will pocket $1.5 million, compared with the $673 Jenny Lee Smith earned for claiming the inaugural title in 1976.
"This is the sixth consecutive year that the AIG Women's Open prize fund has been increased," said Mark Darbon, chief executive of The R&A.
"These consistent and sustainable investments in the prize fund clearly demonstrate The R&A and AIG's commitment to elevating the Championship on the global stage."
Japan's Miyu Yamashita won last year's Women's Open by two shots at Royal Porthcawl to win her first major title and pocket $1.46 million.
($1 = 0.7426 pounds)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
