Noh Leads AIG Women's Open by Three Heading Into Sunday

A Championship Course Demands Championship Composure

Royal Lytham & St Annes has never been a course that forgives uncertainty. The Lancashire links, with its railway line hugging the property and bunkers placed with surgical precision, has a way of exposing doubt in even the most accomplished players. But on Saturday at the AIG Women's Open, Yealimi Noh walked off the 18th green having demonstrated exactly the kind of composure this storied venue demands.

The American will carry a three-shot lead into Sunday's final round after posting a two-under-par 69, reaching seven under for the championship. It was hardly a straightforward round—Noh dropped shots at the fourth, fifth, and seventh holes, finding herself two over for the day and watching her position on the leaderboard slip. The kind of moving day that moves you backward.

Then something shifted.

Four Birdies When It Mattered Most

Starting at the ninth hole, Noh strung together three consecutive birdies, the kind of run that transforms a round and announces serious intent. A fourth birdie at the 16th pushed her clear of a congested leaderboard, establishing the cushion she'll defend on Sunday.

"I don't want to say surprised, I know I can do this and I have it in me," Noh said afterward. "I have had a rough year so far, golf is crazy, it just takes one week, one round to switch it and play a whole different game. I'm happy to be in this position."

That rough year makes this performance all the more compelling. Golf has a way of rewarding persistence, and Royal Lytham—with its demand for precise iron play and its wind that seems to shift between clubs—tends to reward players who can find their tempo when everything conspires to disrupt it.

Noh credited exactly that: an emphasis on tempo through the back nine, where longer approach shots under increasingly challenging conditions separated those who could execute from those who couldn't.

A Crowded Pack Lurking Three Back

Five players share second place at four under, and it's a formidable group. Esther Henseleit produced the low round among Noh's challengers, a four-under 67 that featured birdies at the second, third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh holes against just one bogey at fifteen. The two-time Ladies European Tour winner called her round "very solid" and noted she stayed out of serious trouble—precisely the approach Royal Lytham rewards.

Joining Henseleit on four under are Lucy Li, Jeeno Thitikul, Haeran Ryu, and Shiho Kuwaki. That's a collection of talent that could make Sunday's final round one of the more dramatic in recent Women's Open history. Three shots is a meaningful advantage, but this course has a way of reclaiming strokes from those who lose focus even momentarily.

Sunday at Lytham: What to Watch

Royal Lytham & St Annes demands accuracy off the tee and precise distance control on approaches. The pot bunkers scattered throughout the course punish anything casual, and the firm, fast conditions mean even well-struck shots can find trouble. For Noh, the challenge will be maintaining that tempo she found on Saturday's back nine through a full eighteen holes with a major championship hanging in the balance.

"I feel pretty ready," she said. "There's so much golf left and so much left to do. I want to go out there and enjoy it."

The attitude is right. The lead is real. And Royal Lytham will do what Royal Lytham does—reveal who truly wants it most.

Key Takeaways

Yealimi Noh leads by three at seven under after a resilient two-under 69
Five players share second at four under, including Esther Henseleit who shot the day's low round of 67
Noh's back-nine surge—four birdies over her final ten holes—transformed a difficult round into a commanding position
Sunday's final round at Royal Lytham & St Annes will determine the 2026 AIG Women's Open champion