Jeeno Thitikul prolonged her lead with a four-under par 68, going forward by two strokes on 16 below with a spherical to play on the Kroger Queen Metropolis Championship, whereas England’s Charley Hull stays eight photographs again.
Thitikul, a former world No 1 who entered the day nursing a one-stroke lead, is searching 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 ultimately 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 possibly can 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 below 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 received Olympic gold and the AIG Girls’s Open over the summer season, additionally lately clinched sufficient profession factors to be inducted into the LPGA Corridor of Fame.
Lydia Ko stays Thitikul’s closest challenger at two photographs behind
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 below 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 photographs 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 photographs off the lead on 10 below.
Hull is tied for twenty third on eight below after a four-under 68.
Who will win the Kroger Queen Metropolis Championship? Watch all through the weekend dwell on Sky Sports activities. Stay protection continues Sunday from 6pm on Sky Sports activities Golf. Stream the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and extra with NOW.
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