Haeran Ryu Leaves Nelly Korda Behind, but Jeeno Thitikul Owns Day One at Royal Lytham

Ryu was sharp from the opening hole

There was little evidence of major-championship fatigue in Ryu’s golf.

She birdied Royal Lytham’s par-three opening hole, added another birdie at the fourth and then took advantage of the consecutive par fives at Nos. 6 and 7. Four birdies in her first seven holes carried her to the turn in 31.

The back nine demanded more patience. Ryu began it with five consecutive pars before making her only bogey at the 15th.

It would have been understandable had her round quietly faded from there. Royal Lytham’s finishing stretch offers enough bunkers, awkward angles and uncertainty to make a player protective of a good score.

Ryu responded differently.

She birdied the 16th and closed with another birdie at the 18th, turning a late setback into a two-under finish across her final three holes. Her scorecard contained six birdies and just one bogey.

The 66 was impressive on its own. Coming from a player attempting to win a third consecutive major, it carried considerably more weight.

Korda spent most of the round chasing the game

Korda’s problems arrived almost immediately.

She bogeyed the second and third holes, falling two over before the marquee group had completed its opening stretch. Birdies at Nos. 6 and 8 helped her return to level par, but the recovery did not continue after the turn.

Korda made two more bogeys and no birdies on the back nine, finishing with seven pars and a pair of dropped shots for a 73. Lydia Ko, the third member of the group, shot an even-par 71.

The contrast was difficult to miss.

Ryu created birdie chances, survived her only meaningful mistake and finished strongly. Korda repaired her early damage briefly, only to give those shots back before reaching the clubhouse.

Once Thitikul completed her 64, Korda found herself nine strokes off the lead. Ryu was two behind and firmly positioned for another major challenge.

One round does not decide a championship, but it can quickly change what a player needs from the next one.

Ryu can begin Friday thinking about the lead. Korda must first think about the cut.

The season’s major rivalry finally became a direct contest

Korda and Ryu arrived at Royal Lytham after dividing the four previous majors between them.

Korda won the Chevron Championship in April, controlling the tournament on her way to a five-stroke victory. She then claimed the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera after opening with a 73 and beginning the second round seven shots behind.

Ryu answered at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, recovering from a 10-shot first-round deficit to win her first major by two strokes. She followed that performance by defeating Brooke Henderson in a playoff at the Evian Championship.

Her Evian victory included one of the season’s defining rounds: an 11-under 60, the first recorded 60 by a man or woman in a major championship.

The sequence created a natural question before the AIG Women’s Open.

Would Korda reassert the dominance she showed during the first part of the season, or would Ryu carry her major momentum into the final championship?

Thursday did not settle the larger argument. It gave Ryu a considerable advantage in this particular week.

Ryu says the pressure has changed

Ryu’s results suggest a player reaching the height of her powers. Her explanation is less technical.

Before winning her first major, she said the desire to break through had created pressure and made her forceful on the golf course. The victories at the Women’s PGA and Evian appear to have changed how she approaches the biggest tournaments.

“I feel free,” Ryu said after her opening round at Royal Lytham.

Her relaxed language matched the golf she produced Thursday, although it would be too simple to claim that peace of mind alone explains her recent success. Ryu has also delivered accurate approach play, timely putting and the ability to recover when a round threatens to move against her.

She offered another uncomplicated description of her current approach.

“I just enjoy my golf,” she said.

It is the sort of answer professional golfers give regularly. It becomes more convincing when the player saying it has won two consecutive majors and opened the next one with a 66.

A place in rare company is available

Ryu is attempting to become the fifth player in LPGA history to win three consecutive major championships.

Babe Zaharias completed the feat in 1950. Mickey Wright’s run covered the 1961 and 1962 seasons, while Pat Bradley won three straight across 1985 and 1986. Inbee Park was the most recent, winning the first three majors of the 2013 season.

Only Zaharias and Park completed three consecutive major victories within the same season. Ryu would join them with a win at Royal Lytham.

The possibility is significant, but Ryu appears determined not to let it dominate her week.

There are still 54 holes to play on a course she described as difficult. Royal Lytham’s collection of pot bunkers can turn an apparently safe hole into a struggle, and the demands of links golf can change quickly with the weather. Ryu said her priority was to manage the course and remain focused on her own game rather than Sunday’s outcome.

That restraint makes sense. She is chasing Thitikul before she can chase history.

Thitikul ensured the story was bigger than one pairing

The early coverage naturally centred on Ryu and Korda. Their group contained the winners of all four majors played this season, along with former AIG Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko.

Thitikul changed the shape of the day.

Her bogey-free 64 was the lowest round recorded in an AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham, bettering the previous low scores of 65 at the venue. She finished Thursday two ahead of Ryu and Shiho Kuwaki, with the rest of the field facing an immediate target.

Ryu therefore did not lead after round one, despite headlines published earlier in the day describing her as being on top. Those reports reflected the position when she completed her morning round, before Thitikul moved ahead during the later wave.

The correction does not diminish Ryu’s performance. It places it accurately.

She outscored the world No. 1 by seven strokes, finished two behind the actual leader and gave herself an opportunity to continue one of the rarest major runs in women’s golf.

Korda has escaped from an opening 73 before

Korda’s position is uncomfortable, but it is not unfamiliar.

She also began the U.S. Women’s Open with a two-over 73. That left her tied for 56th and seven strokes behind before she responded with consecutive rounds of 67. A closing 69 completed the comeback and gave her the fourth major title of her career.

Royal Lytham presents a different test, and the deficit is already two strokes larger. The previous comeback proves that Korda can recover from a poor opening major round; it does not prove she will do so again.

Her immediate task is straightforward. She needs a substantially better score Friday to reach the weekend comfortably and bring some portion of the field back within range.

The wider historical possibilities remain available. Korda entered the championship seeking a third major of the season and another major title for a résumé already among the strongest of her generation.

Thursday pushed those ambitions into the distance.

Ryu has made the three-peat feel possible

There is still too much golf remaining to describe Ryu as being close to a third consecutive major.

She trails Thitikul. Kuwaki shares her position. A large group of accomplished players remains close enough for the leaderboard to change rapidly during the second round. The cut has not even been made.

Ryu nevertheless accomplished something meaningful Thursday.

She entered the championship with unprecedented attention surrounding her recent success, played alongside the world’s top-ranked golfer and produced a round that required very little explanation. Six birdies. One bogey. A closing 66.

Korda arrived at Royal Lytham as the player most likely to challenge Ryu’s hold on the major season. After their first head-to-head round, Korda is trying to remain part of the championship.

Ryu is two shots from the lead and 54 holes from history.

For one day, at least, the distance between them was unmistakable.

FAQ

What did Haeran Ryu shoot in the first round?
Ryu shot a five-under-par 66, making six birdies and one bogey.

What did Nelly Korda shoot?
Korda opened with a two-over 73. She made four bogeys, two birdies and 12 pars.

Who led after round one?
Jeeno Thitikul led at seven under after a bogey-free 64. Ryu and Shiho Kuwaki were tied second at five under.

How many shots separated Ryu and Korda?
Ryu finished seven strokes ahead of Korda, 66 to 73.

What history is Ryu chasing?
Ryu is trying to become the fifth woman to win three consecutive LPGA majors and the third to complete that run within one season.

Can Korda still recover?
She can, although her position is difficult. Korda previously won the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open after opening with the same score, 73, and beginning seven shots behind. At Royal Lytham, she starts the second round nine behind.

GOLFRAW's Take

Haeran Ryu's opening 66 was a statement of intent. Outplaying world No. 1 Nelly Korda by seven shots while staying within two strokes of Jeeno Thitikul's brilliant 64 sets up a captivating weekend at Royal Lytham.