Five holes into Friday’s second round, Haeran Ryu’s pursuit of a third consecutive major looked as if Royal Lytham & St Annes had finally found the crack.
Ryu bogeyed the par-4 3rd and doubled the par-4 5th, sliding from 5 under to 2 under. On a firm links course with 166 bunkers, three lost shots can quickly turn a major championship from an opportunity into a survival test.
Ryu answered with five birdies over her final 13 holes, including one at the 18th, to shoot 2-under 69 and take the outright lead at 7 under. Her 66-69, 135 total left her one shot ahead of Shiho Kuwaki and two clear of Yealimi Noh and Jeeno Thitikul.
The closing birdie gave Ryu her first 36-hole lead in a major and preserved the most compelling pursuit of the week. The winner of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Amundi Evian Championship is trying to become the first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to win three consecutive majors.
Now she enters the weekend in front, and the way she recovered Friday may matter more than the one-shot margin she carries with her.
AIG Women's Open | Round 2
The Weekend Leaderboard
Royal Lytham & St Annes has four players separated by two shots after 36 holes.
| Pos. | Player | Rounds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Haeran Ryu |
66-69 |
-7 |
2 |
Shiho Kuwaki |
66-70 |
-6 |
T3 |
Yealimi Noh |
67-70 |
-5 |
T3 |
Jeeno Thitikul |
64-73 |
-5 |
Cut line
4 over
Weekend field
68 players
Ryu’s Recovery Was Built on Control
Ryu’s response was not a sudden run of improbable putts. Her ball control has been the foundation of her position.
She hit 13 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation during the second round. Through 36 holes, she has found 24 of 28 fairways and a field-best 31 of 36 greens. She has made 11 birdies, also the most in the field, while recording only three bogeys or worse.
Those numbers are especially meaningful at Royal Lytham. The course does not require a player to overpower it. It asks for enough discipline to keep the ball out of the pot bunkers and enough precision to leave the next shot from a manageable position. Ryu’s average drive Friday was 247 yards, but she repeatedly put the ball where she could continue attacking.
Her most revealing explanation came from the company she kept. Ryu played the first two rounds with Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko, two major champions whose games offered different lessons.
“To be honest, Nelly didn’t have the best round but she was very calm,” Ryu said through a translator. “I think I was able to take that and be very calm in my round today even when I had a rough start.”
Ko’s influence was more strategic.
“I was amazed by her course management,” Ryu said. “She knew where to place her balls even when it was a tough situation.”
The best players absorb information without surrendering their own identity. Ryu did that in real time. She borrowed Korda’s composure, noticed Ko’s positioning and then turned a damaging opening stretch into the round that moved her to the top.
The Decisive Response
From 3 Shots Lost to the Outright Lead
Ryu’s round changed after the double bogey at No. 5. She did not drop another shot and closed with a birdie at the 18th.
Through 5 holes
3 over
Bogey at No. 3
Double bogey at No. 5
Final 13 holes
5 under
5 birdies
0 dropped shots
Round 2 control
16/18
Greens in regulation
13 of 14 fairways
36-hole position
7 under
One-shot lead
11 total birdies
Why it matters:
Ryu’s lead was built after her worst stretch of the championship, not before it. That response is the strongest evidence that her game remains ready for major pressure.
Kuwaki, Noh and Thitikul Stay Close
Kuwaki also began Friday with a bogey, then answered with three consecutive birdies and settled into a 1-under 70. The five-time JLPGA Tour winner is 6 under, one behind Ryu, and will enter the weekend in contention for the first major title of her career.
Her challenge will be converting more opportunities as the greens continue to firm up. Kuwaki said the wind made pace control more difficult on the back nine and left her unable to make several putts she believed were available.
“I’ll work on the areas that need to be cleaned up and try to play with the same rhythm and tempo tomorrow,” Kuwaki said. “I think that’s the key.”
Noh followed an opening 67 with a 70 to reach 5 under. She described her ball striking and putting as the strengths of her round, although Royal Lytham’s bunkers created trouble when she failed to avoid them.
Her club selection also told a larger story. Noh said she relied heavily on hybrids from the tee, using driver far less often than she normally would. That is the adjustment links golf demands. The correct club is the one that finishes in the safest section of the hole, not necessarily the one that travels the farthest.
Noh also brought a lighter outlook into the week after spending time playing golf with her fiance in Washington.
“He reminded me that golf can be fun,” Noh said. “He helped relax a lot more and get in a good mindset.”
Thitikul’s day was more difficult. The first-round leader followed her Royal Lytham record 64 with a 73, nine shots higher, yet remained only two behind Ryu. She three-putted the 14th and found a bunker at the 15th during the most frustrating stretch of her round.
Her response was direct.
“Patient. Patient. Just really be patient,” Thitikul said of her weekend approach.
That may be the defining requirement for everyone near the top. Royal Lytham is offering enough birdie chances to reward control, but one poor decision can erase several holes of good work.
Korda’s 68 Keeps the Chasers Within Range
Korda shot one of Friday’s five lowest rounds, a 3-under 68, to move to 1 under and six shots behind Ryu.
On many leaderboards, six back at the halfway point would feel remote. Recent AIG Women’s Open history says otherwise. Three of the last five champions began the weekend at least five shots behind, including Lilia Vu from six back in 2023 and Lydia Ko from five back in 2024.
The longer view still favors the front of the board. Thirty-three of the championship’s 49 previous winners were leading or within three shots after 36 holes. Only four came from more than five behind.
That combination keeps the top four in the strongest historical position while leaving a player of Korda’s ability relevant. Charley Hull is five back at 2 under after a second-round 71, while Paula Martin Sampedro, also at 2 under, will carry the low-amateur lead into Saturday.
The cut fell at 4 over, with 68 players advancing. Defending champion Miyu Yamashita missed the weekend after a second-round 77 that included a quadruple bogey at the 18th. Georgia Hall, the 2018 champion at Royal Lytham, and major winner Lilia Vu also missed the cut.
Halfway History
The Lead Matters, but the Chase Is Not Closed
The championship’s long-term record favors Ryu and the players closest to her. Recent results offer hope to those farther back.
22 of 49
Past champions led or shared the lead after 36 holes.
33 of 49
Past champions were within three shots entering the weekend.
3 of 5
Recent champions began the weekend five or more shots behind.
The competitive read
Ryu, Kuwaki, Noh and Thitikul occupy the strongest historical position. Korda is six back, but Lilia Vu won from the same deficit in 2023.
Saturday Will Test Ryu From the Front
Ryu’s first two major victories this season came after she was tied for second and tied for third through 36 holes. This time, she owns the lead.
That creates a different competitive problem. She is no longer the player quietly applying pressure from behind. Every birdie and mistake will shape the championship around her.
Ryu said she has no interest in watching the chase develop over her shoulder.
“I don’t want to focus on other players,” she said. “I just keep thinking about my golf and the golf course.”
That approach carried her through Friday’s roughest stretch. She did not need to rescue the championship in one swing after the double bogey at No. 5. She needed to solve the next shot, accept the occasional bad bounce and keep the significance of the week from becoming larger than the golf directly in front of her.
At the 18th, Ryu made one more birdie and took the lead alone. The next 36 holes will determine whether it was simply the end of a sharp recovery or the midpoint of one of the rarest major runs women’s golf has seen.
PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on R.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.
