When Esther Henseleit carded a brilliant four-under-par 67 on the links of the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, she did more than just leap from 20th into a tie for second place at the AIG Women's Open. The 2024 Olympic silver medalist positioned herself directly in the final Sunday flight, staring down a three-stroke deficit behind leader Yealimi Noh as she chases the first major title of her career.
Henseleit's ascension on moving day was masterminded through immaculate control on the greens. Requiring just 26 putts over 18 holes, the German star exploited the subtle, undulating contours that continually tripped up the rest of the elite field. The first nine holes are probably the easier ones, so I want to take advantage of that somehow and use the par-5 holes and the shorter holes to my advantage,
Henseleit noted after her round, as cited by AF News. I'm very glad I managed to do that today.
Her outward half set the tone: birdies on holes two and three immediately signaled her aggressive intent, followed by two more before making the turn. A final-stretch birdie on the back nine, offset by a lone bogey, cemented her four-under round of 67, bringing her 54-hole total to 209 (73-69-67) on the par-71 Lancashire layout.
The Green Reading Differential
Links golf at Royal Lytham demands an intimate understanding of pace over severe slope. While many competitors struggled to gauge the subtle breaks, Henseleit leaned into her greatest putting asset: long-range speed control. I have the feeling that there are so many small, subtle unevennesses here, and normally we might play on greens with stronger slopes, so you just have to trust your line and maybe give the ball a little more speed than you're used to,
Henseleit explained, emphasizing how her touch matched the demands of the layout.
Sharing that second-round position at four under par is a formidable cluster of world-class contenders, including Lucy Li, Jeeno Thitikul—who is likewise searching for her maiden major breakthrough—Haeran Ryu, and Shiho Kuwaki. Leader Yealimi Noh sits atop the leaderboard at seven under par, maintaining a three-shot cushion.
Chasing History After a Stellar Warm-Up
This major pursuit arrives on the heels of a surging run of form. Henseleit secured her previous best finish of the 2026 season just one week prior with a fourth-place showing at the Scottish Open. Historically, majors have presented a mixed statistical profile for the Hamburg native; prior to this week, her ceiling at the AIG Women's Open was a T23 finish recorded the previous year, though she had secured top-ten major results at the 2024 Chevron Championship and Evian Championship (both seventh).
The Contender Landscape
- Yealimi Noh: Leader at -7, seeking her first major victory.
- Esther Henseleit: Tied at -4 alongside four other challengers, armed with elite speed control on the greens.
- Jeeno Thitikul, Lucy Li, Haeran Ryu, Shiho Kuwaki: Packed tightly into the -4 tier, applying immediate pressure from the final groups.
As Henseleit prepares for the final push on Sunday, her previous near-misses—such as her runner-up finish at the 2025 Black Desert Championship behind Ryu Hae Ran, where she played nine consecutive pars on the back nine to lock in a tie for second—offer a valuable tactical blueprint. To overhaul Noh's three-stroke lead, she will need to replicate her early-round aggression on the front nine while maintaining the steady composure that has defined her resurgence on the links.
Sources
These sources formed the evidence pack for this article. Links open the original publisher; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
- Carolin Stähler original
- golf.de original
- AF News Editorial Desk original
- sport.sky.de original
- sport1.de original
