Women's Open 2025: Charley Hull, Megan Khang join the chase after leader Miyu Yamashita

New York Times

2 days ago

PORTHCAWL, Wales – As Miyu Yamashita came off a sun-soaked 18th green, where she had just missed one final chance for birdie, the Japanese golfer was presented with a birthday card and a cake.
After giving interviews in the mixed zone, she posed for pictures in front of the assembled press on her 24th birthday. There was a bright smile after a testing Saturday on the never-not blustery course at Royal Porthcawl for the third round of the AIG Women's Open.
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Yamashita, a LPGA rookie after standout seasons on the LPGA of Japan Tour, went out on Saturday 11-under-par and came back 9-under. She could hold on to the fact that on a day when everything that could go wrong did, she is still in the lead — though by not nearly as much as she was going into the weekend.
A Lim Kim of South Korea shot a 67 to get to 8-under-par after 54 holes, just one shot back. The 29-year-old was one of what felt like a growing group of hungry golfers hitting their form at the right time. Kim has a history of that, of course. In 2020, she came from behind to win the U.S. Women's Open. She had started the final round in ninth place, birdied the last three holes to shoot 67 and take home the silverware on what was her first start at a major tournament.
Kim is the only player within four shots of Yamashita who has previously won a major.
Yamashita, who dreams of joining the list of major winners, would be a deserved addition should the trophy come her way on Sunday night. She was the first to go bogey-free on Friday when getting back into the clubhouse in only 65 shots. On Saturday, things were different — she bogeyed Nos. 5, 10, 14 and 16.
Two birdies helped even out her scorecard and there were some excellent par saves too. A long putt on the 17th, which dropped in after a shot out of the bunker ran a little too fast and past the cup could be viewed as one of the most important shots of the tournament should she win Sunday.
She's not backing down!
What a moment for Miyu Yamashita to maintain her lead 👏 pic.twitter.com/D6Sag3PERN
— AIG Women's Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 2, 2025
Even for the cake, card and pink paper hat she wore briefly, Yamashita's birthday celebrations are on hold. Her New Zealander caddie John Bennett carried her clubs right through to the practice area.
'Tonight I'll be looking at what went wrong and what went right,' Yamashita said. 'And analysing the day to make the improvements that hopefully will lead to a better round tomorrow.'
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A better round will be whatever it takes to stay in the lead and claim a first major title. As for compatriot and close friend Rio Takeda, who Yamashita was paired with on the first three days, she also found the Welsh winds testing.
'The wind definitely made today's conditions very difficult so it was pretty hard to adjust,' Takeda, 22, said. 'Tonight will be no different to my usual routine, I will get my game ready in the same way and make sure I am well prepared for tomorrow.'
That preparation had already started with putting practice in the short game area straight after media duties.
Takeda, who hit identical shots to Yamashita on the approach to holes five and seven, also shot a 74. That dropped her into a tie for fourth at 6 under, along with fellow Japanese golfer Minami Katsu, who succeeded where others struggled when going from 1-over-par to 6-under-par in just over four hours. In ahead of them both is American Andrea Lee, a former amateur world No. 1. Lee had a positive run along Rest Bay, hitting 67 to go 7-under-par and into third place. Fellow American, Megan Khang, added her name to fourth on the leaderboard after making an impressive six birdies.
British golfer Charley Hull is also tied for fourth. She started the day at level-par and hit her first shot of Saturday's round directly into a bunker. After escaping there to stay even, seven birdies followed in a barnstorming, crowd-pleasing rush which pulled Hull into contention. There was a moment when Hull, on the rise, walked to the 17th putting green, passing Yamashita and Takeda on the opposite fairway as they followed their tee shots on No. 3.
Yamashita and Takeda didn't see Hull but they will have heard the noise when she and others made big shots. The wind did not just carry the kite surfers out into the Bristol Channel with its seagulls, it carried the cheers for birdies too. Yamashita did her best to block it out. It is not personal, you can see that in the way the athletes embrace each other at the end of each match, but they all want what she herself does not yet have.
'I just kind of enjoy chasing. It's quite fun. I like it. It's more fun that way,' Hull, also awaiting her first major win, said. 'I like hunting someone down.'
The six players within three shots of the leader know if they can ride out the rain and pressure, they have a big opportunity to do something incredible.
'Tomorrow I'll be focused on one shot at a time,' Yamashita smiled. 'That's how I'll play my best golf.'
Come Sunday night she wants to be putting last and placing first. It will taste a lot sweeter than her vanilla-icing birthday cake.
(Top photo of Charley Hull: Luke Walker / Getty Images)