Minjee Lee has 1st bogey-free round at windy Women's PGA to take 4-shot lead into final day
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Two-time major champion Minjee Lee took over the lead with the first bogey-free round for anyone during a windy week at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, a 3-under 69 in the third round Saturday to move four strokes ahead of Jeeno Thitikul.
Lee got to 6-under 210 after beginning the round three strokes behind Thitikul, the world's No. 2-ranked player who led alone at the end of each of the first two days.
Lee, the Australian who lives in nearby Irving, went in front with a 2-foot par at the 405-yard 12th hole when Thitikul had her second consecutive bogey, and fourth of the day on way to a round of 76.
Far from tree-lined Sahalee outside Seattle where the Women's PGA was last year, Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco is much more open and exposed to the ever-present Texas wind that was the strongest it had been all week. There were gusts of more than 30 mph Saturday, with much the same forecast for the final round. Temperatures were again in the mid-90s.
Nelly Korda, the world's top-ranked player, described the conditions as 'just brutal' after her round of 72 that began with back-to-back bogeys but ended with two birdies down the stretch. She had five birdies and five bogeys and is tied for sixth at 2-over 218.
Lee and Thitikul were the only players still under par. Lexi Thompson (75), after a triple-bogey start, was tied for third at 1 over with Hye Jin Choi (72) and Miyu Yamashita (73).
Thitikul had the only birdie Saturday among the 78 players on the 172-yard, par-3 eighth hole, which generally plays downwind and where only 29% of the tee shots all week have stayed on the green. That 13-foot birdie was her first of the day and got her to 5 under, two strokes ahead of Lee.
But Thitikul's lead was gone after back-to-back bogeys on the back side. She pushed a 4-foot par chance past the hole at the 383-yard 11th, her first miss inside 5 feet this week. Then her drive at the 417-yard 12th hole went way right into a penalty area, and Lee went ahead to stay.
Lee, who won the 2022 U.S. Women's Open and 2021 British Women's Open, was steady Saturday with eight consecutive pars before a 4-foot birdie at the 487-yard ninth hole. Her other birdies were an 18-footer at the 515-yard, par-5 14th and a 1 1/2-foot at the bunker-surrounded 236-yard par 4 15th hole.
Thitikul had her third bogey in a four-hole stretch when three-putting from 50 feet at No. 14.
Semi-retired Thompson, in the second-to-last group, hit her tee shot into the fairway on the 517-yard par-5 first hole, a 207-yard drive into the wind. But she topped her second shot that went only 117 yards, indicating to her caddie that the wind had her off balance, and then shanked her next shot right, a ball that was never found for a penalty on way to triple bogey. She followed with another bogey on the second hole, but had two birdies and only one bogey the rest of the way.
Thompson, playing for only the seventh time in 16 tournaments this season, won her only major in the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, but her 13 top-five finishes in majors since 2013 are the most by any player and among her 20 top-10 finishes in those events.
LPGA rookie Rio Takeda opened with a bogey 6 at the first hole after starting the round tied with with Lee for second place. Takeda later had a pair of double bogeys, including the 315-yard par-4 7th hole where her drive wound up in the upper face of a greenside bunker that left her with an awkward stance and unable to get the ball out on the first try.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
Grace Kim had the best round of the day with a 68 that included six birdies and two bogeys, moving up from a tie for 68th to tied for 10th. Minjee Lee and Andrea (71) had the only other under-par rounds.
Kim, among the 11 players who got to the weekend right on the 7-over cut, teed off at 6:55 a.m. local time, six hours before the final group of Thitikul and Lee went off the first hole.
There was even a hole-in-one, Brianna Do acing the 150-yard fourth hole. It was the third in the last four years in the Women's PGA.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
River Plate, Monterrey play to a lively scoreless draw in Club World Cup
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — River Plate and Monterrey played to a lively 0-0 draw on Saturday night in the second round of group play at the Club World Cup. River Plate had 18 shot attempts, but the Argentine powerhouse got none of its six shots on goal past Monterrey goalkeeper Esteban Andrada, a native of Argentina. Monterrey got two of its three shot attempts on net, but Franco Armani also kept a clean sheet for River Plate. The teams traded 40 combined fouls and eight yellow cards throughout a chippy match at the Rose Bowl before a raucous crowd of 57,393, with both teams benefitting from large supporter sections on each end of the famed stadium. River Plate had the first half's best scoring chances shortly before halftime, but Giuliano Galoppo's unobstructed shot from the penalty area curled over Monterrey's net before Lucas Martínez Quarta brutally shanked a point-blank volley moments later. Monterrey opened Club World Cup play four days earlier with an impressive draw against Champions League finalist Inter Milan. River Plate also looked sharp in a 3-1 victory over Urawa Red Diamonds in its opener in Seattle. Key moment Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. In the 76th minute, Andrada smothered Miguel Borja's dangerous close-range shot after a run into the box. Takeaways Nothing is decided in Group E. Inter and River Plate are on top with four points each, but they must play each other on Wednesday in Seattle while Monterrey, which has two points, takes on winless Urawa in Pasadena. ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Curacao draws 1-1 with Canada after Antonisse's stoppage-time goal
HOUSTON (AP) — Jeremy Antonisse scored in stoppage time and Curacao tied Canada 1-1 on Saturday night to remain in contention to advance to the knockout stage of the Gold Cup. Nathan Saliba opened the score in the ninth minute, and Antonisse leveled things in the 94th. The 21-year-old Saliba, playing in his fifth international match, scored for the second game in a row. Canada, which started the tournament with a 6-0 win over Honduras, has four points and leads Group B. Curacao is second with two points. l Salvador, with one point, faced Honduras in a late match Saturday. The Canadians will close the group stage facing El Salvador on Tuesday, also in Houston. A win against the Salvadorians would secure first place in the Group B for the Reds and a match in the quarterfinals against the second-best squad from Group A, currently Costa Rica. Canada is trying to capture its second Gol Cup title despite missing his star winger Alphonso Davies, who tore his right ACL during the CONCACAF Nations League third-place game against the U.S. on March 23. Curacao could progress to the next round with a win over Honduras on Tuesday. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Canada pulled ahead after Saliba scored with a shot inside the box low across to the far post. The Caribbean team dominated the second half and appear to level things with a Jürgen Locadia goal in the 68th minute but after a VAR review it was invalidated for offside. Antonisse scored the equalizer on a breakaway play. ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Freytes scored go-ahead goal in 83rd, Fluminense beats Ulsan 4-2 at Club World Cup
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Juan Freytes scored the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute and Fluminense beat Ulsan 4-2 in the Club World Cup on Saturday night. Jhon Arias bent a 25-yard free kick inside the right post and under the crossbar in the 27th minute to open the scoring for Fluminense. Lee Jin-hyun, on the counterattack, put away a cross played by Um Wonsang into a wide-open net to tie it in the 37th and Um scored on diving header, off a low ball-in played by Lee, in first-half stoppage time to give Ulsan a 2-1 lead at halftime. Gustavo Nonato Santana — known as 'Nonato' — stopped a clearance attempt near the top of the penalty area and tapped a shot inside the right post in the 66th minute to tie the score 2-2. Marcos da Silva França — known as 'Keno' — capped the scoring in the second minute of stoppage time. Ulsan goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo made a diving stop in the second minute and moments later had a leaping one-hand parry. KEY MOMENT Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Freytes put away a first-touch finish, off a cross played by Germán Cano, from point-blank range for his first career goal with Fluminense to take the lead for good. TAKEAWAYS Fluminense is tied with Borussia Dortmund atop Group F and can clinch a berth in the knockout round with win over the Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday. Ulsan, which plays Dortmund on Wednesday, was eliminated from reaching the knockout round. ___ AP soccer:
