Japan’s Miyu Yamashita marked her 24th birthday by clinging to the top of the leaderboard at the Women’s Open, though her third round at Royal Porthcawl on Saturday proved far more turbulent than she had hoped.
Coming off a dazzling second-round 65 that gave her a three-shot lead, Yamashita struggled to maintain momentum with a shaky 74, slipping to nine-under overall after carding four bogeys.
Her lead narrowed to just one stroke ahead of South Korea’s Kim A-lim, who surged into contention with a flawless 67, highlighted by five birdies. American Andrea Lee also posted a 67 and sits just one shot behind Kim in third place.
“Today wasn’t really what I hoped for,” Yamashita admitted. “It felt like things just didn’t go my way. This is a tournament I’ve dreamed of winning—it’s a major—but tomorrow, I can’t let myself think about that too much. I just need to take it one shot at a time.”
Yamashita’s troubles began at the fifth hole, where a misjudged uphill birdie attempt ended her bogey-free run at 24 holes. A misstep at the 10th further cut her lead to a single stroke, but she bounced back with consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th to regain her three-shot advantage.
She later dropped two more shots, including one after a bunker visit, but salvaged par on the 17th with a spectacular 35-foot putt—one of the standout shots of the day. Despite missing a birdie opportunity on the 18th, she remains in front heading into Sunday’s final round.
England’s Charley Hull ignited the home crowd with a sizzling 66, featuring seven birdies, to climb into a tie for fourth with Rio Takeda, Minami Katsu, and Megan Khang at six-under. Hull’s round included a close call when a wayward drive narrowly missed Minjee Lee on a nearby hole.
She had a chance to grab solo third but missed an eight-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
“I felt like you had to go out and post a good score,” said Hull. “It started calm, but the wind picked up quickly. I felt confident, though. Shame about that last hole—it was a tough putt downhill, with breaks on both sides.”
World No. 1 Nelly Korda endured a frustrating round, posting a 74 marred by four bogeys. She finished the day at even par and tied for 36th.
“I felt pretty nervous today, and the wind made things difficult,” Yamashita told Sky Sports. “My game just wasn’t quite there.”
