Jeeno Thitikul prolonged her lead with a four-under par 68, going forward by two strokes on 16 beneath with a spherical to play on the Kroger Queen Metropolis Championship, whereas England’s Charley Hull stays eight pictures again.Â
Thitikul, a former world No 1 who entered the day nursing a one-stroke lead, is looking for her first particular person LPGA win in two years.
On a heat sunny day, the 21-year-old from Thailand began her day scorching with birdies on two of her first three holes – the primary and third – and sprinkled in birdies on the eighth, eleventh and fifteenth earlier than finally struggling bogeys on back-to-back holes on 16 and 17.
She closed her day with a rally to seize a birdie on the par-five 18th, shaking off the problem of the warmth.
“I think stay(ing) hydrated is the most important here,” Thitikul mentioned. “After which you may see all of the umbrella, which is the solar – it is actually killing us this week.
“But it’s good. It’s good. I like it more than the cold weather.”
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who Thitikul paired with, stays her closest pursuer at 14 beneath after her three-under 69.
Ko’s spherical was regular after a bogey to open on the primary. From there, she scored birdies on the eighth, tenth, 14th and 18th.
Ko, who gained Olympic gold and the AIG Ladies’s Open over the summer season, additionally lately clinched sufficient profession factors to be inducted into the LPGA Corridor of Fame.
China’s Yan Liu fired a four-under 68 to take third place after three rounds. Her day ran the gamut, together with a double bogey on the third and an eagle on the eleventh. She balanced a further bogey with 5 birdies.
South Korea’s Haeran Ryu (70) and Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela (68) spherical out the highest 5 at 12 beneath after 54 holes.
“I think here there is a lot of birdie opportunities and girls go low, so I’m just trying to make as many as I can,” Valenzuela mentioned. “If it’s one, if it’s 10, like who knows? It’s golf. You can’t control the variables. All I can do is really stick to my process, my routine, and try my best.”
5 golfers are tied for sixth 5 pictures behind the chief: Lindy Duncan (68), South Korea’s Hyo Joon Jang (67), Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou (69), Thailand’s Jasmine Suwannapura (69) and the Philippines’ Bianca Pagdanganan (69).
World No 1 Nelly Korda sits six pictures off the lead on 10 beneath.
Hull is tied for twenty third on eight beneath after a four-under 68.
Who will win the Kroger Queen Metropolis Championship? Watch all through the weekend dwell on Sky Sports activities. Dwell protection continues Sunday from 6pm on Sky Sports activities Golf. Stream the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and extra with NOW.
Get the very best costs and e-book a spherical at one in all 1,700 programs throughout the UK & Eire
