Charley Hull is poised to make a strong push for a major win after a remarkable late-third-round fightback at the AIG Women's Open. The world No 7 was five strokes off the lead at the halfway point at Royal Lytham & St Annes but found herself 10 behind after three bogeys in her first six holes on Saturday afternoon, as overnight leader Haeran Ryu took a commanding lead. However, Hull bounced back with consecutive birdies from the seventh hole, only to lose momentum with a bogey at the 10th, before Ryu's five bogeys in an eight-hole stretch reduced the deficit.
Hull ended a run of pars with back-to-back gains from the 15th, scrambled a par at the 17th, and closed with a final-hole par to card a level-par 71, leaving her within five strokes of Yealimi Noh heading into the final round. 'I'm pretty proud, considering I played like a 10-handicapper in the first six holes,' Hull told Sky Sports.
'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 hit a great shot into the last hole.' Hull has five runner-up finishes in majors and is keen to draw confidence from those experiences to claim an elusive victory. 'I just want to go out there and enjoy it tomorrow, not put too much pressure on myself,' Hull added.
'Go out there, have fun, and trust my swing.' A win for Hull would make her the first British woman to win a major since Georgia Hall at this venue in 2018. Lottie Woad is also chasing home success, recovering from a disappointing finish to her second round by posting a one-under 70 to head into the final day on three under. 'It's a good position to be in,' Woad told Sky Sports. 'I should be a few back by the end of today.
I'll stick to my game plan and see what happens.'