History
The Women's British Open was established in 1976 by the Ladies' Golf Union (LGU) of Great Britain. Weetabix, a British manufacturer of breakfast cereal, sponsored the tournament from 1987 through 2006. Ricoh, a Japanese manufacturer of electronics products, took over sponsorship in 2007.
In 1990, the LGU selected the Woburn Golf and Country Club as the Open's permanent home. That arrangement lasted until 1997, when the tournament again began rotating among major courses throughout Great Britain.
The Open was a stop on the European Ladies Tour from the beginning, but it gained more prestige when it became an official stop on the LPGA tour in 1994. On 2001 it replaced the du Maurier Classic as the LPGA's fourth designated major tournament.
