Day Three report

Yealimi Noh heads into the final round of the AIG Women’s Open with a three-shot lead following an eventful Saturday at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The American mixed three bogeys with five birdies for a two-under 69 which moved her onto seven-under for the Championship, clear of five players who are in a share of second place.

One of that quintet is Haeran Ryu, the halfway leader, with the 25-year-old carding six bogeys on a difficult afternoon.

The Korean wasn’t the only player to struggle in the third round with just nine players shooting an under-par score as Royal Lytham bared its teeth at the business end of the AIG Women’s Open.

Yealimi Noh has only managed one win on the LPGA Tour – the Founders Cup in February 2025 – and has missed 14 cuts in majors since 2022.

Yet, on her sixth Championship appearance – her first in England – she is in pole position to capture one of golf’s biggest prizes.

The Californian attributes her recent uptick in form to a new driver, which she has used sparingly – and successfully – so far in Lytham. Yealimi is eighth in driving distance this week and tied-12th for fairways hit (76%).

Something has clearly clicked on the tee.

With her broom handle putter, the 25-year-old has been impressive on the greens, too, ranking joint-second for average putts per round (27).

Yealimi is also excelling in the mental side of the sport, recovering brilliantly from three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on Saturday.

She birdied three in a row from the 9th and came home in 33 for her first 54-hole lead in a major.

Her whole game is coming together at just the right time.

Haeran Ryu [below] has won the last two major championships and is seeking a remarkable hat-trick, a feat only achieved three times before.

She held a slender one-stroke advantage over Shiho Kuwaki after 36 holes and, coupled with bogeys by her playing partner, briefly burst five clear following back-to-back birdies on 3 and 4.

That was as good as it got for Haeran as she struggled to maintain her sizzling form from the first two days.

She dropped shots on just three of her first 40 holes this week. She then dropped six over the next 10.

But Haeran knows what she must do on Sunday to bring herself back into contention.

“I [will] keep calm and [hit the ball] a little lower and [avoid the] bunker[s],” she said.

“Hopefully tomorrow I do [better] than today.”

Esther Henseleit made a notable jump up the leaderboard on what is commonly known as Moving Day.

The German dropped just one shot on an otherwise phenomenal afternoon where she went from level-par to four-under and into a share of second.

Esther’s reward for her birdie fest – including one on the 9th [above] – is a place in Sunday’s final pairing alongside Noh.

Lucy Li, Jeeno Thitikul, Kuwaki and Ryu are the others tucked in behind the leader on four-under, while Lottie Woad is a shot further back and Charley Hull is among those five off the pace at two-under.

Henseleit’s 67 was impressive – but it wasn’t the best of the day.

That honour went to Ayaka Furue [above], winner of the Evian Championship in 2024.

The Japanese landed an eagle and four birdies on her way to a six-under 65, bettered only by Jeeno’s record-breaking 64 on the opening day.

Meanwhile, Chanettee Wannasaen enjoyed a lightning start to her third round, sinking four straight birdies from the 2nd.

This sequence was the best of the week – until Minami Katsu, runner-up at Royal Porthcawl last year, picked up five shots in a row just minutes later.