Women’s Open: Ryu Hae-ran Struggles as Woad and Hull Close In

Yealimi Noh holds a three-shot lead at the Women’s Open after Ryu Hae-ran stumbled during a dramatic third round at Royal Lytham and St Annes. Ryu saw her four-stroke advantage vanish, opening the door for Noh, alongside contenders Lottie Woad and Charley Hull, heading into the final 18 holes of the major championship.

The Collapse at Royal Lytham and St Annes

Ryu Hae-ran entered the third round chasing an extraordinary piece of golf history, targeting three major wins in as many starts. Early on Saturday, that milestone appeared all but guaranteed. Ryu seized control early in the round, marching to a four-shot lead after four holes and maintaining that exact cushion on the 7th tee. Yet, links golf on this Lancashire coast proved as unforgiving as ever.

By the time Ryu walked off the 18th green, her commanding advantage had completely evaporated. A string of dropped shots dropped her three strokes back of the new leader, Yealimi Noh. The sudden shift ranks among the most remarkable turnarounds in recent major championship memory, echoing past historical collapses on the property. Golf observers immediately drew parallels to the 2012 Open Championship, where Adam Scott suffered a notoriously severe back-nine capitulation that allowed Ernie Els to claim the Claret Jug. Royal Lytham and St Annes once again demonstrated that sizable leads evaporate quickly when coastal winds and deep pot bunkers enter the equation.

Chasing the Leader in the Final Round

With Ryu stumbling into the final day trailing by three, the leaderboard has bunched up dramatically. England’s Lottie Woad and Charley Hull sit firmly in contention, bringing heavy local support and sharp links-course execution to Sunday’s final pairing matrix.

Ryu now faces 18 holes to recover from Saturday’s events, while Noh must protect her three-stroke cushion against a surging pack that includes Woad and Hull. How the field handles the closing stretch at Lytham will define the final major trophy of the current stretch of the golf calendar.

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