Charley Hull is savoring the chance to mount a late surge toward a major championship win after delivering a dramatic third‑round rally at the AIG Women’s Open. The world‑number‑seven entered the round just five strokes off the lead at Royal Lytham & St Annes, but an early stumble saw her fall ten shots behind after three bogeys in the first six holes on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, overnight leader Haeran Ryu surged ahead, quickly establishing a comfortable gap over the rest of the field. Hull steadied herself with consecutive birdies on holes seven and eight, but a bogey at the tenth halted her momentum.
The tide began to turn when Ryu, who was playing several groups behind, encountered a rough patch of play, carding five bogeys over an eight‑hole stretch. This sudden dip in Ryu’s performance opened a window for Hull to claw back into contention. After a series of pars, Hull produced a pair of clutch birdies beginning at the 15th hole, followed by a resilient scramble that saved par on the 17th. She closed the round with a pars on the 18th, posting a level‑par 71.
The score left her five strokes behind Yealimi Noh heading into the final day of competition. "I’m pretty proud," Hull told Sky Sports, "because on the first six holes I felt like I was playing like a 10‑handicapper.
I missed three putts I should have made from five feet in, which would have kept me at even par instead of three over." She continued, "I managed to bounce back and hit a great shot on the last hole. I found a good line and left it short, but I was happy with how I finished." Hull admitted that keeping track of the leaderboard was challenging, noting the sparse crowd on the course made it difficult to gauge her exact standing. "I like to sneak a look at the boards when I can," she added.
Hull’s résumé includes five runner‑up finishes in major championships, two of which came at this very tournament over the past three years, and a second‑place finish at the U.S. Women’s Open in June. At 30, she hopes to convert those near‑misses into a long‑awaited triumph. "I just want to go out there tomorrow and enjoy it, without putting too much pressure on myself," Hull said.
"Just have fun, trust my swing, and see what happens." A victory would make Hull the first British woman to capture a major title since Georgia Hall won at Royal Lytham in 2018, adding to the legacy of Catriona Matthew, who also claimed a major at the same venue in 2009. Fellow competitor Lottie Woad is also in the mix, having posted solid top‑10 finishes in her two previous AIG Women’s Open appearances. After a disappointing second‑round finish, Woad rebounded with a one‑under‑70 round, featuring three birdies and two bogeys, positioning herself three strokes under par heading into the final day.
"It’s a good position to be in," Woad told Sky Sports. "I expect to be a few strokes back by the end of today. I’ll stick to my game plan and see what happens." She noted the course conditions were tougher than usual, with the wind reaching its strongest levels of the tournament. "The back nine was definitely a grind, but I felt better on the greens today and scrambled well around the trouble," Woad explained.
"At this course you have to take advantage of the front nine, which is downwind. I started with level par, which wasn’t ideal, but I knew there would be chances on the back nine.
In the end, it’s mostly par golf." Fans can watch the decisive final round live on Sunday from midday on Sky Sports Golf, or stream the action with a flexible, no‑contract subscription. The showdown promises high drama as Hull, Noh, Woad, and the rest of the field vie for the coveted AIG Women’s Open title, with every shot potentially reshaping the leaderboard and delivering a memorable chapter in women’s golf history.