American golfer Yealimi Noh is on the verge of her first major, heading into the weekend with the sole lead at the AIG Women’s Open, held at the historic Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Noh set the tone early by firing an impressive 67 in the opening round and followed it up with a 70 in the second round to continue her pursuit of the top of the leaderboard.
In the third round, Noh carded five birdies en route to a solid two-under 69, extending her lead to three shots at seven-under-par as the championship heads into its final day.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda, meanwhile, continues to face challenges at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Despite posting five birdies in her third round, Korda was undone by three bogeys and two costly double bogeys, ultimately finishing
with an overall score of 73. She now sits at one-over-par heading into the final round, needing a significant turnaround to contend for the title.
AIG Women's Open leaderboard
Leaderboard after Round 3:
- 1: Yealimi Noh -7
- T2: Esther Henseleit -4
- T2: Lucy Li -4
- T2: Jeeno Thitikul -4
- T2: Shiho Kuwaki -4
- T2: Haeran Ryu -4
- 7: Lottie Woad -3
- T8: Ayaka Furue -2
- T8: Minami Katsu -2
- T8: Charley Hull -2
- T8: Chanettee Wannasaen -2
- T12: Lydia Ko -1
- T12: Soo Bin Joo -1
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 AIG Women's Open: American Yealimi Noh on verge of first major win
