Haeran Ryu Slips to Tied for Second After 3-Over Round at AIG Women's Open

Haeran Ryu, who is aiming for her third consecutive victory in major women's golf tournaments, has relinquished the lead and dropped to a tie for second place.

Playing in the third round of the AIG Women's Open (total purse of $10 million) held on August 1 (local time) at the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club (par 71) in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England, Ryu struggled with three birdies and six bogeys for a 3-over-par 74.

Having held a one-shot solo lead through the second round, Ryu posted a 54-hole total of 4-under 209, handing the top spot to Korean-American Yealimi Noh (7-under 206).

Ryu will look for a comeback victory in the final round on August 2.

If she overcomes a three-stroke deficit to claim the title, it will mark her third straight major championship win, a feat not accomplished since Inbee Park in 2013.

She won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June and the Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major of the season, which concluded on July 12.

Only two players in history have won three consecutive women's golf majors in a single season: Babe Zaharias of the United States in 1950 and Inbee Park.

Ryu got off to a strong start on this day.

She successfully sank a long birdie putt of over 10 meters on the 3rd hole (par 4) and followed up with another birdie on the 4th hole (par 4), appearing to cruise smoothly toward victory.

Although she made her first bogey on the 5th hole (par 3), she bounced right back with a birdie on the 6th hole (par 5).

Holding a four-stroke lead over the chasing pack through the 6th hole, Ryu began to waver with back-to-back bogeys on the 7th hole (par 5) and 8th hole (par 4).

On the 10th hole (par 4), her second shot landed in a bunker in front of the green, and with no clean stance to play the shot, she avoided taking unnecessary risks.

After playing her ball safely to the center of the bunker, she settled for a bogey.

Landing in a bunker again on the 12th hole (par 3) and recording another bogey, Ryu ultimately surrendered the lead.

She dropped another stroke on the 14th hole (par 4) but managed to save par on the remaining holes to finish her round.

After the round, Ryu said, "It was a really tough day. There were a few situations where I could have made double bogeys, so I am glad I managed to limit them to bogeys."

She added, "Before winning major tournaments, putting too much pressure on myself had a negative impact on my mental state. But after winning two recent majors, I have calmed down. (Despite struggling in the third round,) my mindset is fine right now."

Regarding her bunker shot on the 10th hole, she remarked, "I considered a few options, but no matter how I played it, saving par was going to be difficult. So I judged that it was better to move the ball to an easier spot in the bunker. I chose the strategy of intentionally sending it to the center of the bunker to make the next shot easier."

Her determination to win three straight majors remains undiminished.

She stated, "Golf is a sport where no one knows what will happen. I believe I still have a chance. My ball trajectory was a bit higher today than in the first and second rounds, so I plan to hit it lower tomorrow."

She smiled and added, "If I just avoid the bunkers, I can play better tomorrow than I did today."

Yealimi Noh carded five birdies and three bogeys for a 2-under 69, leaping to sole possession of first place with a three-stroke lead over the chasing group.

Born in California in 2001, Noh turned professional and debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2020, securing one career victory.

Although she has struggled this season with zero top-10 finishes and missing the cut in her last three consecutive events, she has seized an opportunity for her second career victory and her first major title.

She shared, "It has been really tough because my game hasn't been good over the past few months, but my fiancé (Jackson Suh) helped me stay relaxed. I will approach tomorrow's final round thinking of it as just another round of golf."

World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, Esther Henseleit of Germany, Lucy Li of the United States, and Shiho Kuwaki of Japan formed the tied-for-second group alongside Ryu at 4-under 209.

Lottie Woad of England finished in 7th place at 3-under 210, while Charley Hull of England, Chanettee Wannasaen of Thailand, Ayaka Furue, and Minami Katsu of Japan tied for 8th at 2-under 211.

Subin Joo tied for 12th place at 1-under 212 alongside Lydia Ko of New Zealand, while Jin Hee Im tied for 14th at even-par 213, and Sei Young Kim tied for 27th at 3-over 216.

Amy Yang and Ji Eun Shin tied for 35th at 4-over 217, Hyo Joo Kim and amateur Yunseo Yang tied for 40th at 5-over 218, Min Ji Kang tied for 49th at 6-over 219, Jin Young Ko tied for 56th at 7-over 220, and Mi Hyang Lee tied for 66th at 10-over 223.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States struggled with two double bogeys en route to a 2-over 73, placing her in a tie for 16th at 1-over 214 overall after three rounds.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.