Charley Hull is savoring a 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 No. 7 found herself just five strokes off the leader at the halfway mark on the storied links of Royal Lytham & St Annes, only to slip back to ten strokes behind after a shaky start that included three bogeys in her first six holes on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, overnight leader Ha‑Rin Ryu surged ahead with a brisk opening, widening the gap and putting Hull under pressure. Undeterred, Hull answered with a pair of birdies on holes seven and eight, briefly rekindling her momentum.

A subsequent bogey on the tenth hole threatened to stall her progress, but the tide turned when Ryu, who was playing several groups behind, stumbled through an eight‑hole stretch that produced five bogeys. Hull’s deficit began to shrink as the field reshuffled around her. The English competitor then broke a string of pars with consecutive birdies beginning at the 15th hole, followed by a skillful scramble that saved par on the 17th.

She capped the round with a steady par on the 18th, finishing with a level‑par 71. That score left her just five strokes behind Yealimi Noh heading into the final day, keeping her firmly in contention for the title.

"I’m pretty proud because 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." She continued, "I had a bit of a bounce‑back and I hit a great shot into the last hole.

I hit it on a great line and just left it short, but I was pretty happy with the way I finished." Hull admitted that keeping track of the leaderboard was a challenge, noting the sparse crowd on the course made it difficult to gauge her position. "I do like to have a sneaky look," she added, hinting at the mental gymnastics required to stay aware of the competition while staying focused on her own game. 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 close second at the U.S.

Women’s Open in June. At 30 years old, 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 title since Georgia Hall’s triumph at Royal Lytham in 2018, and would join Catriona Matthew’s 2009 major victory at the same venue. Fellow competitor Lottie Woad is also in the mix, having posted a solid one‑under 70 in the second round after a disappointing start, positioning herself three under heading into the final day.

Woad told Sky Sports, "It’s a good position to be in. I should be a few back by the end of today. I’ll stick to my game plan and see what happens." She described the course conditions as tougher than expected, with the wind reaching its strongest levels of the tournament.

"The back nine was definitely a grind, but I felt a bit better on the greens today and I scrambled pretty well to get around," Woad explained. "I think on this golf course you’ve got to get at the front nine, with it being downwind. I went out in level par, which wasn’t the best of starts. I knew there would be some chances on the back nine, but a lot of it is par golf." The final round will determine who lifts the AIG Women’s Open trophy.

Fans can watch the decisive Sunday showdown live from midday on Sky Sports Golf, or stream the action through Sky Sports without a contract. The stage is set for a thrilling conclusion, with Hull, Noh, Woad, and other contenders poised to battle for the coveted major title.