American Yealimi Noh moved to the brink of her first major title after shooting a two-under-par 69 in the third round of the Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham on Saturday, August 1, 2026. Noh finished the round at seven under overall, holding a three-shot lead going into the final round on Sunday, August 2.

Noh described her round as having a rough start with a couple of bogeys on the front nine but highlighted a chip-in par save on the second hole. She said, "I just fell out of tempo a little bit and then got it together for the back nine, and it was really solid. Had some good par saves. Then eventually knew that 16 would be a good chance and managed to capitalize on that."

The back nine played tough due to strong winds, which Noh noted as "probably the strongest it's been all week and playing long, so definitely pars were good on that."

South Korean golfer Thitikul remained in contention after parring every hole on the back nine in a one-over 72. Earlier in her round, she briefly extended her lead to five shots after reaching nine under, but six bogeys caused her to finish with a three-over 74, dropping her back into the chasing pack.

England’s amateur Lottie Woad also stayed in the hunt, posting a third-round 70 to sit at three under overall, four shots behind Noh.

Noh’s round included a birdie on the 17th hole that helped her climb the leaderboard, though a wayward tee shot on the final hole resulted in a costly double-bogey six.

The 25-year-old American will look to secure her maiden major championship in the final round on Sunday.

Sources