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LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England – Going into the fifth major of the season, Yealimi Noh hadn’t broken par since April. The unfortunate streak ended on opening day at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, and the American now heads into the final round of the AIG Women’s British Open with a three-stroke lead.
What changed?
Golf with her fiancé, Jackson Suh. The former collegiate tennis player, who Noh says is golf-obsessed, once again reminded her that golf is fun. The couple played golf together at tree-lined Sahalee Country Club last week, which 25-year-old Noh said was good prep coming into Lytham, where instead of majestic fir, cedar and hemlock, it’s a plethora of pot bunkers.
“It only takes one round for your whole mindset and whole game to change,” said Noh, who missed her last three cuts coming into the British Open.
This marks her first time holding the solo lead following any round of a major championship. Three years ago, Noh changed to a broomstick putter and it completely turned her game around, leading to her first win in early 2025.
Suh, for the record, isn’t here this week. He’s actually back home playing in the club championship at the Club at Snoqualmie Ridge near Seattle. Suh won the first amateur tournament he ever played in and occasionally beats Noh from the back tees, which keeps her motivated. She discovered vacation golf through Suh, and last spring the NorCal product played Pebble Beach for the first time for Suh's birthday.
"You know, we're always so stressed, and whether it's going good or bad it's a lot with golfers," said Noh. "He's been really great supporter."
Bunched behind Noh at 4 under sit five players, including world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, who’s still searching for her first major; Olympic silver medalist Esther Henseliet; former prodigy Lucy Li; and Shiho Kuwaki, the JLPGA player known as “Yellow Baller,” for obvious reasons (she uses a yellow ball), who leads that tour’s Mercedes Ranking.
Rounding out the five-some is the woman who won the last two majors and looked like she might run away with this one too, Haeran Ryu. After leading by four strokes through six holes, Ryu bogeyed five holes coming in, finding herself in too many bunkers.
A smiling Ryu said she was happy to avoid any big numbers on the day, and planned to work on getting her ball-flight a little lower in the final round. Asked how she felt about her position going into Sunday, she reminded everyone that Brooke Henderson was seven back going into the final round at the Amundi Evian and forced her into a playoff.
“So I keep calm and a little more lower and no bunker,” said Ryu, who is trying to win an unprecedented third major title in only three starts.
For the home crowd, England's Lottie Woad lurks four back after a 1-under 71, closing with an inward 35.
“That back nine was playing very tough with that wind,” she said. “Probably the strongest it's been all week and playing long, so definitely pars were good on that.”
Woad, 22, was 14 years old when she watched 22-year-old Englishwoman Georgia Hall win at Lytham in 2018 from her home in Farnham.
“I remember it looked warmer,” said Woad of the telecast.
Among the trio who are five back at 2 under sits another English star, Charley Hull, who sputtered early but made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 to give herself an outside chance. Hull has five runner-up finishes at the majors, including last year at this event, with no wins. She made headlines earlier in the week after she pranked her caddie with a fake lottery ticket.
“The first six holes I played like a 10-handicapper,” said Hull of the 3 over start.
But she’s proud of the way she finished.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda came to the 18th hole on Saturday at 1 under for the championship but lost her drive in the bushes on the final hole and made double bogey. She’s now 1 over, eight shots back.
Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the LPGA and all things women's golf.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: American Yealimi Noh takes three-shot lead at 2026 AIG Women's British Open
Continue reading...
What changed?
Golf with her fiancé, Jackson Suh. The former collegiate tennis player, who Noh says is golf-obsessed, once again reminded her that golf is fun. The couple played golf together at tree-lined Sahalee Country Club last week, which 25-year-old Noh said was good prep coming into Lytham, where instead of majestic fir, cedar and hemlock, it’s a plethora of pot bunkers.
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“It only takes one round for your whole mindset and whole game to change,” said Noh, who missed her last three cuts coming into the British Open.
This marks her first time holding the solo lead following any round of a major championship. Three years ago, Noh changed to a broomstick putter and it completely turned her game around, leading to her first win in early 2025.
Suh, for the record, isn’t here this week. He’s actually back home playing in the club championship at the Club at Snoqualmie Ridge near Seattle. Suh won the first amateur tournament he ever played in and occasionally beats Noh from the back tees, which keeps her motivated. She discovered vacation golf through Suh, and last spring the NorCal product played Pebble Beach for the first time for Suh's birthday.
"You know, we're always so stressed, and whether it's going good or bad it's a lot with golfers," said Noh. "He's been really great supporter."
Bunched behind Noh at 4 under sit five players, including world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, who’s still searching for her first major; Olympic silver medalist Esther Henseliet; former prodigy Lucy Li; and Shiho Kuwaki, the JLPGA player known as “Yellow Baller,” for obvious reasons (she uses a yellow ball), who leads that tour’s Mercedes Ranking.
Rounding out the five-some is the woman who won the last two majors and looked like she might run away with this one too, Haeran Ryu. After leading by four strokes through six holes, Ryu bogeyed five holes coming in, finding herself in too many bunkers.
A smiling Ryu said she was happy to avoid any big numbers on the day, and planned to work on getting her ball-flight a little lower in the final round. Asked how she felt about her position going into Sunday, she reminded everyone that Brooke Henderson was seven back going into the final round at the Amundi Evian and forced her into a playoff.
“So I keep calm and a little more lower and no bunker,” said Ryu, who is trying to win an unprecedented third major title in only three starts.
For the home crowd, England's Lottie Woad lurks four back after a 1-under 71, closing with an inward 35.
“That back nine was playing very tough with that wind,” she said. “Probably the strongest it's been all week and playing long, so definitely pars were good on that.”
Woad, 22, was 14 years old when she watched 22-year-old Englishwoman Georgia Hall win at Lytham in 2018 from her home in Farnham.
“I remember it looked warmer,” said Woad of the telecast.
Among the trio who are five back at 2 under sits another English star, Charley Hull, who sputtered early but made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 to give herself an outside chance. Hull has five runner-up finishes at the majors, including last year at this event, with no wins. She made headlines earlier in the week after she pranked her caddie with a fake lottery ticket.
“The first six holes I played like a 10-handicapper,” said Hull of the 3 over start.
But she’s proud of the way she finished.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda came to the 18th hole on Saturday at 1 under for the championship but lost her drive in the bushes on the final hole and made double bogey. She’s now 1 over, eight shots back.
Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the LPGA and all things women's golf.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: American Yealimi Noh takes three-shot lead at 2026 AIG Women's British Open
Continue reading...
