Yealimi Noh fired a round of 69 (-2) to lead by three strokes heading into the final day of action at the 2026 AIG Women’s Open.
The American was in a share of third place overnight and had a rocky start with bogeys on the fourth and fifth holes before a birdie on six at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Noh dropped another on the seventh but then found her groove rolling in three birdies on the trot on holes nine, 10 and 11 before adding another on 16 to lead with a score of seven-under-par.
“I don’t want to say surprised, I know I can do this and I have it in me,” said Noh. “I have had a rough year so far, golf is crazy it just takes sone week, one round to switch it and play a whole different game. I’m happy to be in this position.
“I really focused on my tempo [on the back nine]. I was satisfied with 17 and 15 as well. I don’t think I’ve ever had to hit so many hybrids off the tee or approach shots. Usually, I’m on the longer side so it’s been interesting having longer irons in.
“I feel pretty ready [to win]. There’s so much golf left and so much left to do. I want to go out there and enjoy it.”
Five players are in a tie for second place with Germany’s Esther Henseleit, American Lucy Li, Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul, Korea’s Haeran Ryu and Japan’s Shiho Kuwaki all on four-under-par.
It was a solid day on the golf course for two-time LET winner Henseleit who fired a round of 67 (-4) on day three.
The German star made back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes before adding further birdies on six, nine and 11.
Her only dropped shot of the day came on the 15th hole, but Henseleit was still finished on four-under-par at the end of moving day.
“It was very good again and very solid. I didn’t really get in too much trouble which is the key to this golf course. I managed to hole some putts today, I’m very happy with my result,” said Henseleit.
“There are so many subtle little breaks and normally we play greens with bigger slopes, so you just have to trust your line and maybe give it a little more pace than you’re used to and just focus. You have so many long putts, so your speed has to be really good. If there is a strength in my putting, it’s the speed control on the long ones.
“There are so many golfers out here. You know it’s not going to be enough that if you make one or two birdies. You just have to keep going. The first nine holes are probably the easier ones, so I wanted to take advantage of that and the par-5s and the shorter holes.”
American Li was also under-par in the third round with a 69 (-2) which included four birdies and two bogeys.
“Everything was just really solid. I hit the ball pretty good, I putted well and I made putts when it mattered. It was good coming down the stretch, it was playing pretty tough and to have a few really good par saves at the end,” said Li.
“It was pretty windy and the last few holes are pretty tough when it’s into the wind. Links golf you can make bad swings and get good breaks and make good swings and get bad breaks, so I had a few.
“The drive on 15 was really good, but I just ended up in the bunker, so making a par there was really good for momentum. Then 17 was a really good birdie and 18, I just bailed out my second shot. It was good to get that up-and-down; otherwise this would have been a little bit of a lost opportunity.”
Ryu, who has won the last two Major championships, held the lead overnight but had a tricky day with a 74 (+3).
“It was very different than yesterday because I started bad but then I made an under-par score. It started pretty good and it was windier; I made mistakes with my shots. It was impossible to make pars,” said Ryu.
“I am so happy to not make double bogeys today. It was windier than today, and it was a little slower on the greens, I hope tomorrow I make more birdies. [Winning the majors] was an amazing thing for my golf life, but this is a major and nobody knows who will win over the weekend. I keep trying hard and who knows who is going to win.”
England’s Lottie Woad is in solo seventh place on three-under-par after a round of 70 (-1) at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
“That back nine was playing very tough with that wind. It’s probably the strongest it’s been all week and playing long, so pars were definitely good on that. Then eventually I knew that 16 would be a good chance and I managed to capitalise on that,” said Woad.
“It feels great to be in the mix. Obviously, it’s always the goal to do that and put myself in position is great. I’m just going to try my best tomorrow and there’s not really much else you can do.”
Four players are in a share of eighth place with Japanese duo Ayaka Furue and Minami Katsu alongside Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen and England’s Charley Hull all on two-under-par.
The final round will begin at 8.35 am (local time) with the leading group going out at 2.35 pm (local time) at the 2026 AIG Women’s Open.
Follow all the action throughout on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #AIGWO.
