Charley Hull will chase a maiden major title in Sunday's final round of the AIG Women's Open after a dramatic third-round fightback at Royal Lytham & St Annes left her five strokes behind leader Yealimi Noh.
The world No 7 started the day five off the halfway lead but fell 10 behind after three bogeys in her opening six holes on Saturday afternoon, as overnight leader Haeran Ryu made a fast start to pull clear of the field.
Hull hit back with back-to-back birdies from the seventh, though a bogey at the 10th checked her momentum. The gap narrowed again when Ryu, playing several groups behind, made five bogeys in an eight-hole stretch.
The Englishwoman ended a run of pars with successive gains from the 15th and a scrambled par at the 17th, then closed with a par at the last for a level-par 71, leaving her five shots behind Noh going into Sunday.
"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 hit a great shot into the last hole. I hit it on a great line and just left it short, but I was pretty happy with the way I finished."
"I was looking at leaderboards - to be fair there's not many out on the golf course so it's quite hard to see where you're at. I do like to have a sneaky look."
Hull has five runner-up finishes in majors, including two at this event over the past three years and one at the US Women's Open in June. The 30-year-old said she wants to draw confidence from those experiences.
"I just want to go out there and enjoy it tomorrow, not put too much pressure on myself," Hull added. "Go out there, have fun and trust my swing."
Woad leads home charge at Royal Lytham
A win for Hull would make her the first British woman to win a major since Georgia Hall triumphed at this venue in 2018. Catriona Matthew's major victory also came at Royal Lytham, in 2009.
Lottie Woad, who has recorded top-10 finishes in both her previous AIG Women's Open appearances, sits a shot closer to the lead than Hull after recovering from a disappointing finish to her second round to post a one-under 70. She mixed three birdies with two bogeys to reach three under par heading into the final day, placing her seventh overall, four strokes behind Noh.
"It's a good position to be in," Woad told Sky Sports. "I should be a few back by the end of today. I'll stick to my game plan and see what happens."
"The course definitely played tougher today. The wind was probably the strongest it's been. The back nine was definitely a grind, but I felt a bit better on the greens today and I scrambled pretty well to get around."
"I think on this golf course you've got to get at the front nine, with it being downwind. I went out in level par, which wasn't the best of starts. I knew there would be some chances on the back nine, but a lot of it is par golf."
The final round of the AIG Women's Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes tees off Sunday, with live coverage on Sky Sports Golf from midday.
