Atthaya Thitikul of Ratchaburi, Thailand is the leader of the 2026 British Women’s Open. On Thursday, the former world number one shot a first round score of seven-under-par.
Thitikul had seven birdies and zero bogeys. She birdied the fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth, 11th, 13th and 15th holes at Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s.
One might find it a littler surprising that Thitikul is still looking for her first major title in women’s golf. That is because she is currently ranked second in the world (only behind Nelly Korda), is currently ranked higher than South Korea’s Haeran Ryu, the two-time major champion in 2026, has won nine times on the LPGA Tour, and has 11 top-10 finishes at a major tournament.
There are four other golfers in contention at the moment. Ryu of Yeongam-gun, South Korea and Shiho Kuwaki of Okayama, Japan are tied for second place at -5, and then Celine Boutier of Clamart, France and Yealimi Noh of San Francisco, California are tied for fourth place at -4.
The biggest news heading into Royal Lytham & St. Annes is the remarkable run that Ryu has been on lately. She is the winner of the last two major titles (Women’s PGA Championship and Evian Championship), after Korda won the first two majors in 2026 (Chevron Championship and United States Women’s Open).
Boutier is also a major champion from the past. She won the 2023 Evian Championship in her home country of France. Now Boutier ia trying to win a major title in England, one of France’s top international sport rivals.
