Woad, Hull chase Noh after Ryu blows big AIG Women's Open lead

Yealimi Noh capitalised on Haeran Ryu's stumble to grab the third-round lead at the AIG Women’s Open, where Lottie Woad and Charley Hull stayed in title contention.

Ryu held the halfway lead in pursuit of a third consecutive major victory and pulled four clear at Royal Lytham & St Annes, only to card five bogeys in an erratic eight-hole stretch on her way to a three-over 74.

Noh came into the weekend two back and fell further behind after two bogeys in her first five holes, before a birdie burst around the turn helped her post a two-under 69 and open a three-shot lead.

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The American heads into the final day on seven under as she chases a maiden major title, with Ryu among the logjam in tied-second alongside Jeeno Thitkul, Lucy Li and Shiho Kuwaki.

Woad heads into the day four back and Hull sits a further stroke behind, leaving both Englishwoman primed to make a final-day charge, while a final-hole double-bogey dropped world No 1 Nelly Korda eight shots adrift on one over.

How Noh hit the front at Royal Lytham

Ryu started the day one ahead of Kuwaki but quickly took control with back-to-back birdies from the third, which moved her four ahead when her playing partner made bogey.

Both players bogeyed the par-three next before Ryu restored her four-shot buffer by taking advantage of the par-five next, only to see her round first unravel when a wayward drive at the par-five seventh forced her to take an unplayable in the rough.

She eventually scrambled a bogey and dropped a shot at the next, as Kuwaki posted birdies at the seventh and ninth to reach the turn just one behind Ryu.

The overnight advantage disappeared when Ryu took two attempts out of the sand to bogey the par-four 10th, while Noh - playing in the group ahead - posted three consecutive birdies from the ninth to make it a three-way tie at the top.

Ryu's struggles continued as she bogeyed the 12th and 14th, while Kuwaki failed to save par at the 15th and allowed Noh to open up a two-shot cushion with a five-foot birdie at the 16th.

The lead increased when Kuwaki bogeyed her penultimate hole and failed to find a closing birdie, with Noh now looking to become the first American to make the AIG Women's Open their maiden major since Mo Martin in 2014.

"It was a little bit of a rocky start, but my putting was solid and my shots too," Noh told Sky Sports. "I just settled into a better routine and focused on my tempo on the back nine. I'm just happy to be in this position and ready to go again."

Woad and Hull keep British hopes alive

Henseleit posted five birdies in her first 10 holes before bogeying the 15th, with the German - already set for Solheim Cup qualification via her world ranking - needing solo second or better to overtake Chiara Tamburlini on the Ladies European Tour list.

Woad can also overtake Tamburlini with a solo third finish or better, with the world No 5 mixing three birdies with two bogeys to sit well-placed to challenge for a maiden major title.

"It's a good position to be in," Woad told Sky Sports. "I should be a few back. I'll stick to my game plan and see what happens. I felt a bit better on the greens today and I scrambled pretty well to get around."

Hull fell 10 shots behind after three bogeys in her opening six holes, then rebounded with back-to-back birdies over the next two holes before dropping another shot at the 10th.

The fans' favourite, a two-time runner-up at the AIG Women's Open in the last three years, then rallied late to post successive birdies from the 15th to salvage a level-par 71.

"I'm pretty proud as the first six holes I played like a 10 handicapper, I felt," Hull told Sky Sports. "I missed three putts I should have holed from five feet and in, which would have kept me level par instead of being three over.

"I had a bit of a bounce back and I was pretty happy with the way I finished. was looking at leaderboards - there's not many out on the golf course, so it's quite hard to see where you're at - and I do like to have a sneaky look."

Who will win the AIG Women's Open? Watch the final round live on Sunday from midday on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream golf and more with no contract.