Chandni Canan BauerJeeno Thitikul gave the AIG Women’s Open its first proper jolt on Thursday, opening with a seven-under 64 at Royal Lytham & St Annes to take a two-shot lead.
The world No. 2 did not merely lead the field; she made a course renowned for asking awkward questions look briefly as though it had misplaced the answer sheet.
Thitikul makes Royal Lytham look negotiable
The Thai star went out in 31, her lowest opening nine-hole score in a major, and made more birdies than anyone in the field. Her 64 was the lowest 18-hole score recorded at an AIG Women’s Open staged at Royal Lytham & St Annes, the championship’s lowest raw score since Michelle Wie West shot 64 in 2017, and its best score relative to par since Ashleigh Buhai’s seven-under 65 in 2019.
It was also Thitikul’s lowest major round outside The Amundi Evian Championship and the second time she has led a major after 18 holes, following the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
The numbers were clean. Her explanation was more human.
“I think major is really tests our games, you know, like mentally-wise, physically-wise. You know, when you play good in a major, even like Top 5 or Top 10, you’re just like, dang, this is my — like, you know, you feel great and then you have more confidence to play just regular tournaments. And, yeah, it just beating the course when you’re in a major.”
That confidence has been earned. Thitikul arrived with two LPGA Tour wins and six top-10 finishes from 13 starts in 2026, plus nine career victories and $18.9 million in official earnings.
Her AIG Women’s Open record is less imposing: one top-10 finish in eight previous appearances. Thursday suggested the old file may be due for shredding.
Kuwaki and Ryu stay close
Shiho Kuwaki and Haeran Ryu signed for 66s to share second place, each producing a round with its own warning label.
Kuwaki’s five-under total was her lowest round in a major on the LPGA Tour. She also matched Thitikul’s birdie run at the fourth, fifth and sixth holes.
In only her second AIG Women’s Open start, the JLPGA Tour player already looks rather more comfortable than she did during rounds of 69 and 81 before missing the cut in 2025. Kuwaki has won five times since turning professional in 2021 and has played every major this season apart from The Chevron Championship.
Ryu’s route was built on six birdies, one bogey and 15 greens in regulation. That lifted her season-long greens-in-regulation figure to 80.44 per cent; no qualified player in LPGA Tour history has completed a season at 80 per cent or better.
It is a statistic with the faint air of machinery about it, though the golf itself remains pleasantly human.
Ryu’s major chase gathers weight
Ryu is chasing a third major title of the season, a feat achieved by only four LPGA Tour players since 1950. Her previous major victories offer little assistance to anyone searching for a tidy pattern: she opened with 66 at The Amundi Evian Championship and 73 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
That range is precisely why Thursday matters without settling anything. A sharp start establishes position. It cannot negotiate the remaining 54 holes.
Recent championship history is similarly unforgiving. Each of the last 14 AIG Women’s Open champions has been within five shots of the lead after the first round. The trophy is not handed out on Thursday, but the queue for it is already forming.
The amateurs refuse to be decorative
Paula Martin Sampedro opened with a two-under 69 to sit tied eighth and lead the amateur contingent.
The benchmark remains Michelle Wie West’s tie for third in 2005, but Martin Sampedro was looking above the amateur standings rather than admiring them.
“Yeah, I think it’s great. Obviously I’m just happy to be here and playing against the pros, so obviously that’s like the goal of the week, but also looking up at the leaderboard. I was here last year as my first AIG Women’s Open and getting that Smyth silver medal was very special, so looking forward to fighting for to this year, but more so being in contention.”
Kiara Romero endured a harder opening, shooting 76. She needs to make the cut to secure the final point required for LPGA membership through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway, adding a second contest beneath the obvious one.
Bunkers, patience and Friday pressure
Lottie Woad joined Martin Sampedro at two under and offered the day’s most practical description of Royal Lytham’s bunker problem.
“Hit it straight really. I think you’re going to go in one at some point. I’m sure I’ll probably go in one tomorrow. I mean, the green sides aren’t the worst; it’s probably the fairways that you need to try and avoid.
There was a few I laid back of today, but honestly there is a bunker in play kind of no matter what club you hit. It’s more do you want to be in a bunker further back or do you want to be in a bunker nearer to the hole, and I went with that game plan.”
There is a certain grim democracy to a bunker that remains in play regardless of club selection. Woad’s solution was not revolutionary — hit it straight and accept the occasional sandy inconvenience — but major championships have been lost through considerably more complicated thinking.
Thitikul has the lead, Kuwaki and Ryu have proximity, and a crowded group beneath them has enough evidence to remain ambitious. Royal Lytham has already yielded a record. It is unlikely to spend the rest of the week feeling so generous.
