Woad Five Behind As Japanese Duo Lead Women's Open

AIG Women's Open 2025 - first information leaderboard

-5 Okayama (Jpn), Takeda (Jpn); -4 Yamashita (Jpn)

Selected others

-3 Chun (Kor), Rhodes (Eng), Saigo (Jpn); -2 Harry (Wal), Korda (US), M Lee (Aus), Thitikul (Tha); E Woad (Eng); +1 Hull (Eng), Ko (NZ); +2 Vu (US)

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Lottie Woad changeable a level-par first information to dishonesty 5 shots disconnected nan AIG Women's Open lead jointly held by Japanese duo Eri Okayama and Rio Takeda.

England's Woad began arsenic favourite astatine Royal Porthcawl, having won 2 events and narrowly missing retired connected a first awesome title successful July.

The 21-year-old, playing successful her 2nd tourney since turning professional, made lengthy birdie putts astatine nan first and sixth holes arsenic she reached nan move successful level par.

A superb attack to wrong 4 feet group up different birdie astatine nan 14th and Woad besides birdied nan past to motion for a 72.

However, she was incapable to build immoderate existent momentum during her opening information and immoderate coagulated putting for pars and bogeys prevented irretrievable harm to her tourney chances.

"It was a spot mixed," Woad said. "It's 1 of those rounds that could person sewage distant from maine truthful I americium happy I hung successful there."

Scoring was mostly bully connected a breezy time erstwhile short bursts of rainfall punctured longer spells of sunshine astatine nan links people successful southbound Wales.

Okayama, appearing astatine a Women's Open for nan first clip since 2018, did not driblet a changeable aft a bogey astatine nan first spread and made six birdies successful her information of 67.

The only blemish connected Takeda's scorecard was a double-bogey 7 astatine nan ninth, pinch 4 birdies connected nan backmost 9 putting her alongside Okayama astatine nan apical of nan leaderboard.

Defending champion Lydia Ko vanished 1 complete par, while 2023 victor Lilia Vu recovered from a tally of 4 consecutive bogeys connected nan beforehand 9 to station a two-over-par 74.

World number 1 Nelly Korda changeable a coagulated two-under-par 70, while England's Charley Hull ended 1 over.

England's Mimi Rhodes is nan starring Briton among a ample group astatine 3 nether par, while nan 2 Welsh players successful nan 144-strong section were among those to make coagulated starts.

Royal Porthcawl personnel Darcey Harry ended 2 nether and Lydia Hall, who made it done qualifying to unafraid her place, carded a level-par 72.

Harry said: "I didn't deliberation I would travel disconnected pinch 2 nether par today. I americium not excessively judge why - I was conscionable ace tense - but it was awesome retired there."

Woad is inevitably nan centre of attention astatine Royal Porthcawl aft a rather unthinkable month.

Surrey-born Woad started July by winning nan Irish Open, earlier finishing successful a necktie for 3rd spot astatine nan Evian Championship - nan 4th of 5 women's fields during nan almanac year.

Because she was appearing arsenic an amateur, she could not cod a mixed fig of adjacent to £500,000 successful prize money from those 2 tournaments.

Those performances helped her scope nan period for LPGA Tour eligibility and she turned professional earlier past week's Scottish Open - an arena she would spell connected to win.

This each came aft her triumph astatine nan 2024 Augusta National Women's Amateur and finishing arsenic nan starring amateur successful a necktie for 10th spot astatine past year's Women's Open astatine St Andrews.

She is acold from retired of contention aft information one, but besides has immoderate activity to do to guarantee she makes nan halfway cut.

Woad will commencement her 2nd information astatine 08:09 BST connected Friday and will beryllium playing again pinch Ko and Vu, nan past 2 Women's Open champions.

Hull, nan runner-up successful 2023, went done a topsy-turvy first round.

The 29-year-old, who was forced to retreat from nan Evian Championship earlier this period because of a virus, was 3 complete par aft 3 holes during a challenging opening agelong of nan course.

She past surged backmost pinch 5 birdies successful six holes astir nan move to get to 2 under, earlier 4 consecutive bogeys connected nan measurement location stalled her momentum and she signed for a 73 aft a birdie astatine nan last.

Hull's playing partners Jeeno Thitikul and Minjee Lee ended 2 under.

Thitikul, nan world number 2 from Thailand, concisely led connected 4 nether but stumbled pinch 2 bogeys successful her last 3 holes.