English pair Hull and Woad four and five shots off AIG Open lead
Charley Hull and Lottie Woad head into the final round of the AIG Women's Open trailing leader Yealimi Noh, offering Britain its best chance in eight years to end a major championship drought.
Charley Hull and Lottie Woad will enter the final round of the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes trailing leader Yealimi Noh. Hull sits five strokes back, with Woad a shot closer, keeping British hopes alive for a first home major victory since 2018.
Hull, ranked seventh in the world, carded a level-par 71 in the third round after a turbulent afternoon. Three early bogeys left her 10 shots off the pace, prompting her to tell Sky Sports: "I played like a 10-handicapper, I felt. I missed three putts I should have holed from five feet and in."
The Englishwoman recovered with back-to-back birdies, capitalising as overnight leader Haeran Ryu faltered with five bogeys in an eight-hole stretch. Hull added further gains at the 15th and 16th to narrow the gap. "I had a bit of a bounce back and I hit a great shot into the last hole," she said.
Woad, meanwhile, posted a one-under 70 to sit alone in third place on three under. She mixed three birdies with two bogeys after a level-par front nine, later noting that "the wind was probably the strongest it's been" and "the back nine was definitely a grind."
A victory for either player would carry significant historical weight for British golf. No British woman has won a major since Georgia Hall triumphed at this exact venue in 2018. Catriona Matthew's prior major success at Royal Lytham in 2009 further establishes the Lancashire links as favourable territory for home challengers.
Hull arrives at Sunday's final round with considerable major experience, having finished runner-up five times. That includes two second-place finishes at this tournament over the past three years and another at the US Women's Open in June. "I just want to go out there and enjoy it tomorrow, not put too much pressure on myself," Hull said, adding she plans to "trust my swing."
Woad, who has recorded top-10 finishes in both her previous AIG Women's Open appearances, plans to stick to a measured approach on Sunday. "I should be a few back by the end of today," Woad said. "I'll stick to my game plan and see what happens."
