6 months ago
5
Associated Press
Jul 31, 2025, 03:59 PM ET
PORTHCAWL, Wales -- Rio Takeda overcame a treble bogey astatine the crook with 4 birdies implicit her last 7 holes Thursday for a 5-under 67 to stock the pb with Eri Okayama successful a Women's Open that featured a Japanese surge and a mixed time for Lottie Woad.
Japanese players held the apical 3 spots astatine Royal Porthcawl, with Miyu Yamashita astatine 68. Three others were among the apical 12 aft an opening circular successful which the upwind kept anyone from going debased but astir fractional the tract was astatine par oregon better.
Takeda, 1 of 20 players who person won connected the LPGA Tour this year, took a treble bogey connected the par-5 ninth hole, lone to rally implicit the closing spread to marque up ground. Okayama, who plays the Japan LPGA, deed fairway metallic to 12 feet connected No. 17 for her last birdie.
Woad started the period arsenic the No. 1 amateur successful women's golf. She won connected the Ladies European Tour, missed a playoff by 1 changeable successful an LPGA large and past won the Women's Scottish Open against a beardown tract successful her pro debut.
She was the betting favourite astatine the last large of the twelvemonth and did good to enactment successful the premix with a birdie connected the par-5 18th for an even-par 72.
Woad played alongside defending champion Lydia Ko (73) and Lilia Vu, a treble large victor from 2 years ago, who had a 74.
"Had a bully magnitude of birdies, conscionable a fewer mediocre bogeys connected the beforehand 9 that could person decidedly been avoided," Woad said. "Nice to decorativeness connected par and birdie the last. It's 1 of those rounds that could person decidedly gotten distant from me. I americium blessed however I hung successful determination and got a decent circular together."
Nelly Korda, whose No. 1 ranking she has held for the past 16 months is successful jeopardy, had an aboriginal bogey and kept a cleanable paper the remainder of the way, adding 3 birdies for a 70. Much similar Woad, that circular could person produced a overmuch higher people if not for a bid of cardinal pars, nary bigger than Korda's 12-footer connected No. 16.
"Sometimes you person to get fortunate erstwhile you marque the incorrect decision. You benignant of person to bail yourself out," said Korda, inactive looking for her archetypal triumph this twelvemonth aft 7 titles past season.
Korda and Woad played successful the afternoon, erstwhile the upwind began to stroke harder disconnected the Bristol Channel, and faced a speedy turnaround earlier starting the 2nd circular successful the morning.
Mao Saigo, who won the archetypal LPGA large of the twelvemonth astatine the Chevron Championship, and Riviera Maya Open victor Chisato Iwai were successful the ample radical astatine 69. That besides included Mimi Rhodes of England, who leads the LET wealth database with 3 titles.
Rhodes grew up playing crossed the Bristol Channel, and she came implicit a period agone to spot Royal Porthcawl up of her archetypal Women's Open. The upwind was beardown that day, which made Thursday consciousness much manageable.
"The members told maine it was the windiest they'd ever seen it, truthful I played it similar with a batch of wind," Rhodes said. "So yeah, possibly I played it erstwhile it was astatine its toughest and present I conscionable deliberation it's easier."
