Charley Hull is savoring the chance to mount a late‑season charge for a major title after delivering a dramatic comeback in the third round of the AIG Women’s Open. Ranked seventh in the world, Hull found herself five strokes off the leader at Royal Lytham & St Annes early in the round, only to slip to ten strokes behind after three bogeys in her first six holes on Saturday afternoon. The gap widened as overnight leader Ha‑Rin Ryu surged ahead with a quick start, pulling clear of the field. Undeterred, Hull answered with a pair of birdies on holes seven and eight, briefly narrowing the margin.
A bogey on the tenth stalled her momentum, but the tide turned when Ryu, playing several groups behind, stumbled with five bogeys over an eight‑hole stretch, allowing Hull to claw back some ground. After a series of pars, Hull produced consecutive birdies beginning at the 15th, then salvaged a par on the 17th, and finished with a pars on the 18th to post a level‑par 71.
The round left her just five strokes behind Yealimi Noh as the tournament entered its final day. "I’m pretty proud – the first six holes I played like a 10‑handicapper," Hull told Sky Sports.
"I missed three putts I should have holed from five feet, which would have kept me at even par instead of three over. I bounced back, hit a great shot into the last hole, found a perfect line and left it short, but I was happy with how I finished." Hull admitted that keeping track of the leaderboard was challenging because there were relatively few competitors on the course at that moment.
"I like to sneak a look when I can," she added, acknowledging the difficulty of gauging her position in real time. Hull’s résumé includes five runner‑up finishes in major championships, two of which came at this very venue over the past three years, and a second‑place finish at the U.S.
Women’s Open in June. At 30, she hopes to translate those near‑misses into a breakthrough victory.
"I just want to go out there and enjoy it tomorrow, not put too much pressure on myself," Hull said. "Go out there, have fun and trust my swing." A win would make Hull the first British woman to capture a major since Georgia Hall triumphed at Royal Lytham in 2018, and the first to do so at this course since Catriona Matthew’s victory in 2009.
Fellow competitor Lottie Woad is also within striking distance, having recorded top‑10 finishes in each of her previous AIG Women’s Open appearances. After a disappointing second‑round finish, Woad posted a one‑under 70 on day three, mixing three birdies with two bogeys to sit at three under par heading into the final round. "It’s a good position to be in," Woad told Sky Sports. "I should be a few strokes back by the end of today.
I’ll stick to my game plan and see what happens. The course definitely played tougher today – the wind was probably the strongest it’s been. The back nine was a grind, but I felt a bit better on the greens and scrambled well enough to stay in contention." Woad emphasized the importance of capitalising on the front nine, which is generally downwind at Lytham.
"I started with level par, which wasn’t ideal, but I knew there would be chances on the back nine. Much of it is par golf, so you have to stay patient and wait for the openings," she explained. As the final round approaches, the field remains tightly packed, with several players eyeing the coveted green jacket.
Fans can watch the decisive day live on Sky Sports Golf from midday on Sunday, or stream the coverage without a contract through the provider’s flexible plans. The tournament promises high drama, as seasoned contenders like Hull and emerging talents such as Woad vie for a historic win at one of women’s golf’s most revered venues.