Jeeno Thitikul Leads as Charley Hull and Lottie Woad Stay in AIG Women’s Open Hunt

Two English 69s—and almost nothing else in common

Hull and Woad both finished at two under, five strokes behind the leader.

That is where the similarities ended.

Hull’s round was a restless collection of recoveries, missed opportunities and sudden bursts of scoring. She made six birdies, more than enough to threaten the top of the leaderboard, but surrendered four shots with bogeys.

Woad took the quieter route. She made birdies at the sixth and 12th, kept every bogey off her card and rarely appeared in danger of losing control.

One score was assembled through attack and repair. The other was built through patience.

Hull admitted that the occasion had reached her before she even struck the first shot.

“I was so nervous on that first tee,” she said.

She responded by making a long birdie putt on the opening par three. The early release did not make the rest of the round straightforward. Hull three-putted the second, dropped another shot at the fourth and continued moving backwards and forwards throughout the afternoon.

She was briefly four under after a huge putt from off the 15th green, only to bogey the next hole. A final 69 kept her involved, although the number of dropped shots will have left her wondering how close she might have been to Thitikul.

Woad trusted the strongest part of her game

Woad’s scorecard looked uneventful beside Hull’s. Her strategy was not.

Royal Lytham asks players to make a decision on almost every tee. Its bunkers narrow the useful portion of the fairway and can make conservatism feel sensible long before it becomes necessary.

Woad resisted that temptation.

She used driver wherever she believed the hole allowed it, including on tight par fives where laying back might have reduced the chance of disaster but also removed some of the best birdie opportunities on the course.

Driving is one of her strengths, she explained, so she saw little value in voluntarily taking it away.

The decision worked. Woad avoided every bunker during her opening round, hit enough fairways and greens to remain comfortable and completed 18 holes without a bogey.

“No bogeys, which is always a good round here,” she said.

The frustration came on the greens. An eagle attempt caught the edge at the sixth, and another putt narrowly missed at the seventh. Several more chances passed without falling.

The 69 was therefore both satisfying and mildly irritating: good enough to establish a position, but not quite representative of how many opportunities Woad created.

Thitikul finally has the start her major record deserves

Thitikul has spent much of her young career answering the same question.

When will the major arrive?

She had accumulated five top-five finishes and nine top-10s in majors since 2021 before arriving at Royal Lytham. Her best result was second at the 2025 Evian Championship, where Grace Kim denied her in a dramatic playoff.

The absence of a major has become more conspicuous because almost everything else is already present. Thitikul has won nine times on the LPGA Tour, reached the top of the world rankings and collected two more victories in 2026 before this week.

She has also been part of the AIG Women’s Open story since she was a teenager. Thitikul won the Smyth Salver as the championship’s leading amateur in both 2018 and 2019, becoming the only golfer to win it outright in successive years.

The next step has proved more difficult.

Thursday did not solve that problem. Major championships are not won during their opening rounds, and Thitikul has been close enough often enough to understand that.

It did give her something she has rarely enjoyed in this setting: everyone else chasing her.

Ryu remains close enough for history

Before Thitikul’s afternoon charge, Ryu had appeared ready to own another major storyline.

The South Korean made six birdies and one bogey in a 66, taking the early clubhouse lead only weeks after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Evian Championship.

Her position changed when Kuwaki matched her and Thitikul moved two shots ahead. The significance of Ryu’s start did not.

She remains in immediate contention to win a third consecutive major, something no woman has achieved since Inbee Park won the first three majors of 2013.

Ryu’s 66 also widened the contrast with playing partner Nelly Korda.

The two players had divided the season’s first four majors between them. On Thursday, seven strokes separated them. Korda bogeyed two of her first three holes, briefly recovered to level par and then dropped two more shots on the back nine for a 73.

Once Thitikul completed her round, Korda stood nine behind.

Korda’s first concern is now the weekend

A player of Korda’s quality cannot be dismissed after 18 holes. She has already won a major this season after opening with the same score.

The situation at Royal Lytham is nevertheless uncomfortable. Korda must improve quickly enough to secure a weekend place before any realistic discussion of chasing the leaders can begin.

One poor round does not establish a crisis. It does change the purpose of Friday.

Thitikul will begin the second round protecting a lead. Ryu will try to close two strokes. Hull and Woad will look for the kind of low round that turns five shots into something more manageable.

Korda must first stop the championship from moving on without her.

Hull and Woad gave the home crowd enough

Neither English player produced the opening round that will be remembered if she eventually lifts the trophy.

Both did enough to make the possibility worth carrying into Friday.

Hull’s six birdies showed that Royal Lytham was not denying her opportunities. The problem was what happened between them. Fewer mistakes could move her quickly through a leaderboard on which only five strokes separate her from the lead.

Woad’s challenge is different. She played the cleaner golf, trusted her driver and avoided the hazards that can wreck a links round. Her task is to turn more of those 15- and 20-foot chances into birdies.

The home crowd may have preferred one of them to finish closer than five shots away. A first-round 69 is not a bad place from which to begin a major, particularly on a course capable of changing character with the wind.

The English challenge is alive.

It simply begins Friday in pursuit of a player who, for one afternoon, looked entirely at home.

Thitikul has the lead—not the championship

There will be temptation to frame the opening 64 as the moment Thitikul’s major breakthrough began.

It may eventually look that way. For now, it is one excellent round.

Ryu is only two behind and chasing a place in history. Hull and Woad are close enough to matter. Korda is too accomplished to assume she will disappear quietly. The leaderboard also contains Kuwaki, Noh and Boutier within three strokes of first place.

Royal Lytham still has three days to intervene.

Wind can strengthen. Bunkers that remained out of play Thursday may become unavoidable. Putts that dropped for Thitikul can slide past tomorrow.

She knows all of that. She has spent years reaching the edge of major contention without crossing it.

On Thursday, however, none of the doubt was visible.

Seven birdies. No bogeys. A two-shot lead.

For the first round at least, everybody else had to follow Jeeno.

FAQ

What did Jeeno Thitikul shoot in the first round of the AIG Women’s Open?
She shot a bogey-free 7-under-par 64 to take a two-stroke lead.

Where did Charley Hull and Lottie Woad finish after Round 1?
Both English players shot 2-under-par 69s, leaving them five strokes behind Thitikul.

Who is tied for second place behind Thitikul?
Haeran Ryu and Shiho Kuwaki are tied for second at 5-under-par 66.

What was Nelly Korda’s opening score?
Korda opened with a 2-over-par 73 and sits nine strokes off the lead.

GOLFRAW's Take

Jeeno Thitikul's opening 64 was a masterclass in links control, giving her a deserved two-shot lead at Royal Lytham. With Charley Hull, Lottie Woad, and Haeran Ryu all lurking within striking distance, the weekend setup at the 50th AIG Women's Open promises extraordinary drama.