Yealimi Noh seized the advantage on the third day of the AIG Women’s Open after Haeran Ryu faltered, allowing the American to claim the top spot while England’s Lottie Woad and Charley Hull remained in contention for the championship. Ryu entered the round holding a comfortable lead, having surged ahead with a four‑stroke advantage at the midway point of the tournament at Royal Lytham & St Annes. She seemed poised to secure a third straight major title, but an erratic stretch of eight holes saw her card five bogeys and finish with a three‑over 74, erasing the cushion she had built.
Noh arrived at the weekend two shots behind the leader. Her start was shaky, as she dropped two bogeys within the first five holes, but she quickly turned the tide with a flurry of birdies around the turn. A brilliant run of three consecutive birdies helped her post a two‑under 69, propelling her into a three‑shot lead over the field.
The American now heads into the final day at seven under par, eyeing her first major triumph. Ryu, despite her setback, is still locked in a tie for second place alongside Jeeno Thitkul, Lucy Li and Shiho Kuwaki, each hoping to capitalize on any further missteps from the leader.
Woad sits four strokes back, while Hull trails by an additional shot, positioning both English competitors for a potential late‑day surge. World No. 1 Nelly Korda, meanwhile, suffered a double‑bogey on the final hole, leaving her eight strokes behind at one over par. Ryu began the day with a one‑stroke advantage over Kuwaki, but she quickly re‑established control by making birdies on the third and fourth holes, extending her lead to four strokes after her playing partner stumbled with a bogey.
Both players then bogeyed the subsequent par‑three, after which Ryu regained her four‑stroke buffer by capitalising on a par‑five, only to see her momentum unravel on the seventh hole. A mis‑hit drive forced her to declare her ball unplayable in thick rough, leading to a costly bogey and a subsequent drop of a shot on the next hole. Kuwaki answered with birdies on the seventh and ninth, narrowing the gap to a single stroke at the turn. However, Ryu’s fortunes continued to decline when she failed to escape the bunker on the tenth, resulting in a double‑bogey after two sand attempts.
In the meantime, Noh, playing ahead, rattled off three straight birdies from the ninth onward, pulling herself into a three‑way tie for the lead. Ryu’s struggles persisted as she bogeyed the 12th and 14th holes, while Kuwaki could not save par on the 15th, allowing Noh to stretch her lead with a five‑foot birdie on the 16th.
Kuwaki’s subsequent bogey on the penultimate hole cemented Noh’s two‑shot cushion, putting her in position to become the first American to capture her maiden major at the AIG Women’s Open since Mo Martin’s victory in 2014. Reflecting on her performance, Noh told 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." German contender Esther Henseleit displayed a strong start, recording 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 points list. Woad also has a pathway to surpass Tamburlini: a solo third‑place finish or higher would see her move ahead. The world No. 5 mixed three birdies with two bogeys in her round, positioning herself well for a potential breakthrough at her first major.
"It's a good position to be in," Woad said to Sky Sports. "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." Hull’s round was a tale of two halves. After three bogeys in her opening six holes, she rallied with back‑to‑back birdies on holes eight and nine before dropping another shot on the tenth.
The two‑time runner‑up at the AIG Women’s Open in the past three years then mounted a late charge, posting consecutive birdies from the 15th onward to finish with a level‑par 71. "I'm pretty proud as the first six holes I played like a 10‑handicapper, I felt," Hull explained.
"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 approaches, the leaderboard remains tightly packed. Noh aims to extend her lead and secure her first major, while Ryu, Thitkul, Li and Kuwaki are poised to capitalize on any slip‑ups.
Woad and Hull will look to mount a late surge, and Henseleit hopes to climb the LET rankings. Fans can tune in to watch the decisive Sunday round live from midday on Sky Sports Golf, or stream the action without a contract through the network’s online platform. The drama at Royal Lytham & St Annes promises to deliver a thrilling conclusion to one of women’s golf’s most prestigious events.