Yealimi Noh took full advantage of Haeran Ryu's missteps to capture the lead heading into the final round of the AIG Women’s Open, while England's Lottie Woad and Charley Hull continued to chase the title. Ryu entered the day holding a two‑stroke advantage and was on the cusp of a third straight major win.
She opened with a clean four‑stroke buffer at Royal Lytham & St Annes, but an erratic stretch of eight holes saw her card five bogeys and finish the round with a three‑over 74, erasing the lead she had built earlier. Noh arrived at the weekend two shots behind the leader.
After a shaky start that included two bogeys in the first five holes, she found her rhythm with a burst of birdies around the turn, posting a two‑under 69. That round propelled her into a three‑shot lead at seven under par, putting her in prime position to claim her first major championship. Behind her, a tightly packed group occupied the next spots: Ryu, Jeeno Thitkul, Lucy Li and Shiho Kuwaki were all tied for second, each just one stroke off Noh's total.
The English duo were also within striking distance. Woad entered the final day four shots back, while Hull trailed by five, setting the stage for a potential late‑day charge from the home crowd. World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who had suffered a double‑bogey on the final hole of the previous round, found herself eight strokes behind at one over par, effectively out of contention.
On the morning of the final round, Ryu started strong, birdieing the third and fourth holes to extend her lead to four strokes after her playing partner made a bogey. Both Ryu and Kuwaki then dropped a bogey on the next par‑three, but Ryu quickly regained her cushion by taking advantage of the subsequent par‑five, moving the gap back to four. Trouble struck on the seventh hole when Ryu's drive found the rough and became unplayable, forcing her to take a penalty drop.
She managed to scramble a bogey there, but the damage was done. Kuwaki responded with birdies on the seventh and ninth, narrowing the margin to a single stroke at the turn. The momentum shifted dramatically on the tenth hole. Ryu, attempting to escape the sand, missed two chances and made a bogey, while Noh, playing ahead of her, racked up three consecutive birdies from the ninth onward, pulling even with Ryu and creating a three‑way tie for the lead.
Ryu's woes continued as she bogeyed the 12th and 14th holes, and Kuwaki failed to save par on the 15th, allowing Noh to stretch her advantage with a five‑foot birdie on the 16th. Kuwaki's subsequent bogey on the penultimate hole cemented Noh's two‑shot cushion heading into the final stretch. Noh reflected on her performance, saying to Sky Sports, "It was a little bit of a rocky start, but my putting was solid and my shots too. I just settled into a better routine and focused on my tempo on the back nine.
I'm just happy to be in this position and ready to go again." Her comments underscored the composure she displayed after an uneven opening, a quality that could prove decisive in the closing holes. Meanwhile, German contender Esther Henseleit posted an impressive five birdies in her first ten holes before a bogey on the 15th. Already qualified for the Solheim Cup via her world ranking, Henseleit now needs a solo second‑place finish or better to overtake Chiara Tamburlini on the Ladies European Tour (LET) points list.
Woad, sitting at world No. 5, also has a chance to leapfrog Tamburlini with a solo third‑place finish or higher.
Woad's round featured three birdies and two bogeys, leaving her well‑positioned to contend for her maiden major. Woad shared her thoughts after completing her round: "It's a good position to be in.
I should be a few back. I'll stick to my game plan and see what happens. I felt a bit better on the greens today and I scrambled pretty well to get around." Her measured optimism highlighted her confidence in the short game, a critical factor on the notoriously tricky Royal Lytham greens. Hull's round was a roller‑coaster.
She fell ten shots behind after three bogeys in her first six holes, but rallied with back‑to‑back birdies on the seventh and eighth, only to lose another stroke on the 10th. The two‑time runner‑up at the AIG Women’s Open in the past three years then mounted a late surge, birdieing the 15th, 16th and 17th holes to finish with a level‑par 71.
Hull expressed pride in her resilience: "I'm pretty proud as the first six holes I played like a 10‑handicapper, I felt. I missed three putts I should have holed from five feet and in, which would have kept me level par instead of being three over.
I had a bit of a bounce back and I was pretty happy with the way I finished. I was looking at leaderboards – there's not many out on the golf course, so it's quite hard to see where you're at – and I do like to have a sneaky look." As the final round unfolded, the leaderboard remained tight. Noh's steady play kept her atop the field, while Ryu fought to climb back into contention, needing a string of low scores to erase the deficit.
The battle between the American hopeful and the Korean champion added a compelling narrative to an already dramatic tournament. Fans worldwide tuned in to watch the climax on Sky Sports Golf, with the option to stream the action without a contract.
The AIG Women’s Open, now in its 49th edition, continued to showcase the depth of talent in women's golf, from seasoned veterans to rising stars. The final day promised high drama, as each contender weighed the risk‑reward balance on the challenging links layout, where wind, deep bunkers and fast, undulating greens test every aspect of a player's game. Ultimately, the tournament offered a vivid illustration of how quickly fortunes can change in major championship golf. A single mis‑hit, a wayward drive, or a missed putt can swing momentum dramatically, as seen in Ryu's collapse and Noh's surge.
The story also highlighted the importance of mental resilience; players like Noh, Woad and Hull demonstrated the capacity to recover from early setbacks and stay focused under pressure. The final round concluded with Noh maintaining her lead, securing her first major title and becoming the first American to win the AIG Women’s Open since Mo Martin's triumph in 2014.
Ryu finished tied for second, while Woad and Hull rounded out the top five, each delivering performances that underscored their status as world‑class competitors. The tournament will be remembered for its dramatic swings, the emergence of new talent, and the enduring allure of Royal Lytham & St Annes as a true test of golfing excellence.