PORTHCAWL, Wales — In a challenging display of golf at the Women’s British Open, Miyu Yamashita encountered a difficult round on Saturday, finishing 2-over par with a score of 74. Her struggles on the course reduced her lead to just one stroke over A Lim Kim.
Entering the third round with a three-shot advantage, Yamashita faced difficulties, particularly losing her accuracy off the tee and contending with her putting. Despite not hitting a single fairway in her final 11 holes, she managed to maintain her lead at Royal Porthcawl, albeit with considerable effort.
As the pressure mounted, especially on the 17th hole, Yamashita escaped a precarious situation by getting out of a pot bunker and landing the ball near the fringe, 40 feet away from the hole. She successfully made the par putt but narrowly missed a birdie opportunity on the par-5 18th, finishing the day at 9-under 207.
“Today I’ll be just looking at what went wrong and what went right and analyzing the day and make the improvements that hopefully will lead to a better round tomorrow,” said Yamashita, who celebrated her 24th birthday on the same day.
A Lim Kim delivered a standout performance in the windy conditions, carding a 5-under 67. Her impressive 335-yard drive on the 18th hole nearly provided her with a chance to tie for the lead; however, a long putt from off the green resulted in three putts for par.
“Honestly, I’m not focused on the leader. I focus on my process and my shot and then my position,” Kim stated. She finds herself in the final group, aiming for her second major title after winning the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston in 2020.
The leaderboard is tightly contested, with several players eyeing the championship following Yamashita’s hurdles. Charley Hull, representing England, significantly closed the gap with a remarkable 66, moving from 11 shots behind the leader to just three shots off.
“I just kind of enjoy chasing,” said Hull, who is on the hunt for her first major title. Andrea Lee also had a strong showing with a 67, placing her just two shots behind the leader. Following in close proximity were Hull and Megan Khang, who shot a 68, along with Rio Takeda (74) and Minami Katsu, whose impressive round of 65 matched the lowest score of the tournament.
Lee noted, “I think there will be a little bit of extra pressure on whoever is the 54-hole leader. Tomorrow is going to be pretty tough. Anything can happen out there. I think anyone within five shots has a chance at this championship honestly, so I’m just going to try and keep my head down and stick to my own game plan and try not to look at the leaderboard.”
Initially, the Women’s British Open appeared to be a fierce battle primarily between Japanese golfers, but Yamashita struggled early with her putting and lost her usual driving accuracy. She did manage to stabilize her game momentarily, including a birdie from the rough on No. 11 and another on the par-3 12th.
However, her challenges persisted with a series of bogeys. Takeda experienced her own difficulties, starting with two bogeys in the early holes and ending with two more over the last five. Rising star Lottie Woad finished with a 71, placing her six shots off the lead.
Nelly Korda, the current top-ranked player in women’s golf, had a disappointing round with a score of 74, leaving her nine strokes behind and risking the loss of her No. 1 ranking to Jeeno Thitikul.
The LPGA Tour is witnessing a historic season, with no player having claimed multiple titles across the first 19 tournaments—a streak that remains alive. Only Kim and Takeda from the top 10 players on the leaderboard have secured victories this season.
